Le fantôme de l'opéra

I have had the good fortune to have seen the stage production 3 times (twice at the Alhambra in Bradford and again 2 months ago at Her majesty's theatre in London) and would rate it as the best experience I have ever had in the theatre. So along comes this movie and I was not sure what to expect, before going I said to friends that if it was half as good as the stage show then it would be marvelous, well it exceeded that - I would rate it at about 80% myself.

My wife and I saw the movie last night and were enthralled all the way through, the costumes and scenery were superb, and we both thought the performances were excellent. My only minor detraction was with Gerard Butler, I just had this gut feeling that his voice just didn't quite have the power to portray the Phantom to the full extent; but what do I know? I have no knowledge or training or background in theatre or singing, as I said it was just a feeling that I had myself.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who may enjoy musicals - if you don't, then I rather think you would hate it (but then you are unlikely to be reading this are you?)

All in all a wonderful night at the cinema, which I shall be repeating, and I will be buying the DVD when it comes out.

9/10

I dragged my long suffering boyfriend to see The Phantom of the Opera on Sunday, and was pleasantly surprised by it. Although I have never seen it on-stage, the film version - for me - was so enchanting that I now cannot wait to obtain tickets to it. The sets were absolutely beautiful. France is known for its beauty, and this adaption certainly paid homage to that. The theatre set itself was absolutely stunning; marble and velvet being the main materials within it. Emmy Rossum (Christine) was 17 when this was filmed and was absolutely outstanding. When she started to sing, my mouth literally dropped open. Minnie Driver (La Carlotta) was very funny in her Italian diva role. Her hand gestures added to the mannerisms of a typical diva. Her singing was overdone to add to the character (even though Ms. Driver did not do all the vocals herself). Patrick Wilson (Raoul), out of all of them, had the most captivating voice. Although Raoul seemed a bit wet and droopy, he was still gorgeous and made the GIRLS in the audience swoon. However, the star of the piece for me, was Gerard Butler (the Phantom). Although his vocal skills weren't entirely right for the part, he portrayed the Phantom as a lot of people see him; as a victim. I actually ended up warming to him, and when asked by my boyfriend who I would choose; Raoul or the Phantom, I said the Phantom. Something about the way Mr. Butler played him, was so sexy and he drew the WOMEN to him. Watching the Phantom and Raoul, certainly separated the boys from the men and the girls from the women. Another pleasant surprise is that Jennifer Ellison was actually rather good in her role as Meg, Christine's best friend. Miss Ellison has been trained in acting, singing and dancing and so was well equipped to the play the part, and carried it off very well. I wouldn't be surprised if more roles in Hollywood turned up for her. Overall, I rate this film a 5/5 and definitely recommend it. It sent shivers up my spine and gave me goosebumps. I urge those of you who haven't seen it, to become goosebump friendly by watching THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!

I'll add to the bazillion comments posted here: if you don't make a side-by-side comparison to the stage classic, this movie holds its own. (If you don't like the screenplay, you can blame its co-writer: one Andrew Lloyd Webber.) The famous mask here doesn't hide the fact that Butler is a lot better looking than your average Phantom, and his voice lacks the wide range required by the score---but I found it more realistic, and all told, he does reflect the emotions of a tortured soul who's lived a lifetime literally in the shadows. The movie is helped by sumptuous sets, the ALWebber score, Emmy Rossum's singing, and its tale of hopeless love. Purists may sniff, but when the movie opened people in our area went back to see it again. I did. And the dvd is a welcome addition to my collection.

I was able to view this at a special screening and was very impressed. It is a visually stunning movie - the costuming and sets are as extravagant and lavish as the music. Gerard Butler gives a particularly anguishing and sympathetic performance as The Phantom. Emmy Rossum is beautiful portraying Christine and her transformation from a young innocent to a woman who is aware of herself, her sexuality, and the world of love. Patrick Wilson is a particularly dashing, heroic and protective Raoul and Minnie Driver provides hilarious comic relief as Carlotta. I particularly enjoyed the film's ability to delve deeper into the lives of characters. It provided depth and context and layers to all of the characters that the stage production cannot do. The entire cast was magnificent and I will be hearing the "music of the night" in my head for the next several days. I would definitely recommend it and can't wait to see it again.

I absolutely love this movie and I have it on DVD and gave DVDs of this movie as presents to friends :) it was my first real introduction to 'The Phantom of The Opera story and I first saw it on December 25 in 2004 and I still love 'Phantom of The Opera' story and discovered many other versions of it...I think that the acting in the movie was good, the singing was good (although Michael Crawford's version of 'Music of The Night' is my most favourite one, Gerard Butler did a good job too: his acting and singing was also good, especially 'Point of No Return'..oh and tomorrow is 13 November, which is his birthday, so happy birthday to him)...the scenery and the special effects are also excellent, in my opinion. Thanx to ALW and JS for creating this beautiful movie :) also, this movie actually made me want to see the stage show, so I hope to do so someday