Phantom of the Opera
Jan. 5th, 2005 01:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tenayaI just saw this film and wanted to recommend it. I saw the play a few times (and that's all I'm saying about that!) and think this film did a marvelous adaption of it. They kept most of the scenes and added just a little bit to help clarify things. Adaptions from plays tend to be a bit claustrophobic, but the Opera House really has so many layers, and the play itself made good use of that, that it's not really a problem. Costumes and sets were also quite faithful and garish.
The only two things that gave me pause there was the candelabras rising from the water (they did that on stage to give the illusion of going downward and creating another set without a big deal) and showing a lot of Christine skin. Of course, I know why they did this (sex sells) but the play was the epitome of romanticism--all constrained yearning--and now we have Christine walking about in a confused trance with her skirt slit up to her hip bone and so much heaving bossums about I was getting sea sick from the motion. And I won't mention her lips or the ugly flashbacks I had to Anise in SG. I will mention her voice, which began to wear on me (but what do I know about voice quality, eh?)
I thought they could have done better with casting the Phantom. When he first starting singing/talking I thought, "Oh! He has the same vocal style as William Shatner" and that is not the type of thought you want your audience to have! At one point during the Don Juan scene, mom tittered, leaned over and said she thought the Phantom was groping Christine. Again, the wonderful line they drew in the play was to have the Phantom run his hands over Christine but not touching her. I think that was important aspect of the Phantom; there was so much that he wanted but he just couldn't have, and Christine was up there on his tallest pedestal. There was also that unfortunate resemblence to John Travolta, but that's just me and my strong negative reaction to all things Scientology.
Minnie Driver was adorable as Carlotta. She manage to give an truly annoying character a small measure of poignancy while acting up a storm. Carlotta's scenes in the play was a time when I'd let my attention wander, but one would miss some charming acting if you did that in the film.
At least they didn't try to modernize the film or mess it up too badly. I really did enjoy the sets and the music and the plot, and had a lot of fond flashbacks to the play itself.
The only two things that gave me pause there was the candelabras rising from the water (they did that on stage to give the illusion of going downward and creating another set without a big deal) and showing a lot of Christine skin. Of course, I know why they did this (sex sells) but the play was the epitome of romanticism--all constrained yearning--and now we have Christine walking about in a confused trance with her skirt slit up to her hip bone and so much heaving bossums about I was getting sea sick from the motion. And I won't mention her lips or the ugly flashbacks I had to Anise in SG. I will mention her voice, which began to wear on me (but what do I know about voice quality, eh?)
I thought they could have done better with casting the Phantom. When he first starting singing/talking I thought, "Oh! He has the same vocal style as William Shatner" and that is not the type of thought you want your audience to have! At one point during the Don Juan scene, mom tittered, leaned over and said she thought the Phantom was groping Christine. Again, the wonderful line they drew in the play was to have the Phantom run his hands over Christine but not touching her. I think that was important aspect of the Phantom; there was so much that he wanted but he just couldn't have, and Christine was up there on his tallest pedestal. There was also that unfortunate resemblence to John Travolta, but that's just me and my strong negative reaction to all things Scientology.
Minnie Driver was adorable as Carlotta. She manage to give an truly annoying character a small measure of poignancy while acting up a storm. Carlotta's scenes in the play was a time when I'd let my attention wander, but one would miss some charming acting if you did that in the film.
At least they didn't try to modernize the film or mess it up too badly. I really did enjoy the sets and the music and the plot, and had a lot of fond flashbacks to the play itself.
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Date: 2005-01-08 11:50 am (UTC)I tried to find a DVD with both Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman singing together but there's no such thing. Just separate ones of concerts, with some of the Phantom songs included. What a shame!A lot of money could have been made from that idea, even now, years after the stage performances.