I thought this was a beautifully made film, and aside from some nitpicks, liked it overall.
I do have a question, however. My daughters and I were discussing it this afternoon and we just don’t get it. Why did Mde. Giry keep telling Rauol to keep his hand at eye level when she was leading him down to the lair. She mentioned this several times, in fact.
Oh, just an interesting thing we noticed, according to the gravestone, Christine was 16 when all that Phantom stuff happened, whereas the Phantom would have been in his 30’s.
So the Phantom couldn’t get a noose around his neck. Had he held his hand up as Madame Giry told him too, he could have pushed the rope away with his raised hand.
Nope. That’s one of those “urban legends.” ALW and Cameron McIntosh had discussed doing the Phantom long before Sarah came on the scene. One of the producers mentioned was Ken Hill, who later did his own version of the show. ALW really got working on the idea after he bought a copy of the original book for $1 and read it, then decided to do the show closer to the original book and less like the horror films based on it. He described the book as “not knowing whether to be a love story, a mystery or a horror novel.” He went with more of a love story.
In the book, Raoul is still a idiot.
Several actresses were considered for the part of Christine, and Sarah B. did audition for the role.
My questions:
(1) If the theatre burned out in 1870, why did it appear to be in such good shape in 1917?
(2) France was at war in both years, with the German lines practically in the suburbs. Why was there no sign of the siege or famine anywhere in the movie? In 1870, they’d have eaten the horses, and would have served rat at the New Year’s party. In 1917, the army would have confiscated Raoul’s horse and his butler would have been in the trenches.
Sorry, I have to go with the 1962, Herbert Lom / Heather Sears version as the worst. Anybody remember the hype for it? A “nurse” on duty in the lobby to take your blood pressure? The cheezy billboard with the bloodshot Phantom’s eye opening and closing during the last 15 minutes or so of the film with the huge announcement that no one would be allowed in or out of the movie while the Phantom’s eye was blinking?
I thought the 'Keep you had at the level of your eye" was so that when he dropped his “lasso” or noose on you, your arm would be in the lasso as well and you wouldn’t be strangled.
I personally thought Emmy’s voice was decent, but not suited to the role of Christine. Thin on the top, too forced on the bottom. The book says a number of times that what made her voice impressive was that she had the strength of an alto in a soprano range. Emmy as Christine had the range, but there was huge difference between the lower notes and the higher notes. The high notes were weak. and she slid between the two ranges.
And I thought the phantom’s voice was good enough. He didnt get the “creepy evil genius” part of the phantom across, but I think that was more the director, as he included the phantoms back story, which brings out the “poor erik” character.
But I liked the movie, overall.
The hallway with the arms holding chandeliers that pull back was in Angels in America.
