"Phantom of the Opera"...Views?

[danoyse]

Not to say that it's wrong to like it. I mean, I love Rent and that's another bad musical.

Rent is a great musical (although it's an unfinished one), it just wasn't a great film adaptation. Where I thought the Phantom movie suffered by bringing some of the sung dialogue from the show into the film, Rent could have benefited by using some of sung dialogue from the show (especially "Christmas Bells"), rather than turning it into badly spoken dialogue.

Phantom on film looks beautiful, but I do think Butler was miscast. He's great-looking and he acted the part well, but he's no singer, which made him a baffling choice when you've heard some of the actors who've played him on stage. And I agree with Vile, that mask came off and he looked badly sunburned, not the disfigured creature that he was in the stage version.

I think another reason Phantom didn't do well was because they waited so long to finally make it. It was a phenomenon when it opened on Broadway...the biggest of all the mega-musicals during the London invasion during the 1980s. It was sold out for a year in advance. Now you can half-price tickets to it any time and it's mostly tourist groups in the audience now. Everyone's seen it.

 

[JP]

Rent is a great musical (although it's an unfinished one), it just wasn't a great film adaptation. Where I thought the Phantom movie suffered by bringing some of the sung dialogue from the show into the film, Rent could have benefited by using some of sung dialogue from the show (especially "Christmas Bells"), rather than turning it into badly spoken dialogue.

I said that wrong. I meant it was a bad musical movie. But, I agree 100% with what you're saying.

Phantom on film looks beautiful, but I do think Butler was miscast. He's great-looking and he acted the part well, but he's no singer, which made him a baffling choice when you've heard some of the actors who've played him on stage. And I agree with Vile, that mask came off and he looked badly sunburned, not the disfigured creature that he was in the stage version.

I think another reason Phantom didn't do well was because they waited so long to finally make it. It was a phenomenon when it opened on Broadway...the biggest of all the mega-musicals during the London invasion during the 1980s. It was sold out for a year in advance. Now you can half-price tickets to it any time and it's mostly tourist groups in the audience now. Everyone's seen it.

Again, I agree.

It's a bit upsetting when you think of the state of musical movies today. Every time something great comes out something comes up next to set the genre back a few years. Moulin Rouge and Chicago are fantastic, but then something like The Producers and Phantom come out and kill the genre.

Dreamgirls was great, and Hairspray was amazing. So, I really hope Sweeney Todd performs well both critically and box office wise.

 

[Leto Atrides]

Edit: ^^^I'm all about Sondheim and heads will roll if Sweeney Todd doesn't turn out well. And that one has NO singers playing the main characters.

The movie good for what it is. Phantom isn't the greatest musical in the world, but the movie was visually an amazing rendition and conveyed the music well enough. Gerard Butler can't sing, but he fudged it as best he could by being all raspy. And Emmy Rossum sounded great though she doesn't sound like much of an opera singer.

More than anything it made me mad to see Joel Schumacher do gothic atmospheric stuff so well after screwing over Batman.

Edit 2: Oh yeah
1. Masquerade Ball. Very well arranged, designed, set, choragraphed, edited, etc.
2. Raoul, I guess.
3. See 1
4. See above.

 

[danoyse]

I said that wrong. I meant it was a bad musical movie. But, I agree 100% with what you're saying.

That's what I thought you were saying too. t:

Rent's biggest mistake was leaving out "Halloween" and the second half of "Goodbye Love." And those scenes look great on the deleted scenes on the DVD. I'll never get over those scenes being cut.

It's a bit upsetting when you think of the state of musical movies today. Every time something great comes out something comes up next to set the genre back a few years.

Which reminds me, I noticed Grease 2 is on HBO later tonight.

Moulin Rouge and Chicago are fantastic, but then something like The Producers and Phantom come out and kill the genre.

Exactly! I saw The Producers in previews on Broadway, and I laughed so hard my head was actually hurting when I left the theater. Then I saw the movie and half the jokes fell completely flat. And they also cut a great song from the show in the movie version--"Where Did We Go Right?"

Phantom was the same thing...everyone I knew who saw it without having seen the play couldn't believe that was sold out for a year on Broadway. It just didn't carry over to film--which is a shame, because it should have.

Dreamgirls was great, and Hairspray was amazing. So, I really hope Sweeney Todd performs well both critically and box office wise.

I saw Dreamgirls and Hairspray this weekend, and I loved them. I'm really looking forward to Sweeney Todd, I'm confident that Tim Burton will create the right atmosphere for it.

 

[Poetic Chaos]

was ST in Jersey Girl?

 

[Moviefan2k4]

• What is your favorite part of the film, and why?
• Which character(s) do you most relate to?
• Which song or musical sequence do you enjoy the most?
• Overall, what do you think of the cast?

It occured to me that i didn't bother to think of my own responses, when I posted the initial questions. So, here's my answers for those who are interested.

• I always have trouble identifying my absolute favorite parts of any film, since I love films in general so much (my screen name ain't for nothing, y'know). With that in mind, I'd say a few parts I liked a lot were the black-and-white sections set in 1919, especially the opening auction, with the "reverse transformation" to 1870. Also, I think the various "Angel of Music" segments were fabulous (I got a kick out of the Phantom vs. Raoul swordfight).

• As for characters I relate to, I'd have to agree with the Phantom as my top choice. Anyone who's ever loved another as deeply as he felt for Christine would definitely identify with that. I'd never kill anyone, and I doubt I'd ever endanger another's life, but the raw, unbridled emotions of the Phantom are ones I've felt in the past. You love someone that much, and it consumes your whole world. That ain't easy to shake when everything goes to hell...

• As for my favorite musical numbers, the aforementioned "Angel of Music" is just mind-boggling. The film's title song is also incredible, and I love the part where the theater owners are discussing notes left by the Phantom...makes me laugh every time.

• The actors did wonderful jobs in my opinion (of course, having never seen any other version of the story, there's no other references for me). I was shocked when I discovered Emmy Rossum was only 16 when they shot the picture! I'd seen Minnie driver of course (most notably from "Grosse Pointe Blank" and her voice in "Tarzan"), and Gerard Butler nailed the presence of the Phantom. Like I said, I've never been a huge fan of musicals (although "The Sound of Music" is still an old fave), but this movie just blew me away. I also recently noticed that Kevin McNally (famous as Mr. Gibbs from "Pirates") is the stagehand who's later killed and hung by the Phantom. I also was suprprised that Joel Schumacher directed this, since he recieved a lot of flack from "Batman & Robin" ("The Client" was never a film I enjoyed much either). Marvelous accomplishments to all involved...the Phantom lives!!! t:

 

[Leto Atrides]

I also was suprprised that Joel Schumacher directed this, since he recieved a lot of flack from "Batman & Robin" ("The Client" was never a film I enjoyed much either).

Joel Schumacher is generally considered to be an at least decent director, he gets **** for his Batmans (rightfully so) but he also made Lost Boys.

 

[xwolverine2]

Joel Schumacher is generally considered to be an at least decent director, he gets **** for his Batmans (rightfully so) but he also made Lost Boys.

batman wasnt his fault

 

[Leto Atrides]

batman wasnt his fault

The general changes to the franchise seen first in Forever weren't really his fault (I actually like Forever, he did a few things right there that I think Burton did wrong with the franchise). However, I'm pretty sure he was responsible for Batman and Robin being a huge neon trainwreck.

 

[TheVileOne]

I thought the moments with the person voguing in the background during No Return were terrible.

And yes, Butler was terribly miscast, he didn't have the knack for this and he's not a trained singer or seasoned stage actor. I think he's a good performer and actor, don't get me wrong, he just didn't make this film work at all. His Phantom also looked like he belonged on the cover of GQ.

My guess? Schumacher probably just LOVED the way Butler looked so much, he couldn't bear to make such a "sexy" man look ugly or cover his face up more (the scene where Phantom crashes the masquerade).

From what I hear, Weber was disappointed with the movie as well.

I don't like CHICAGO all that much, but I do like that they made changes to the movie and didn't just make it a word for word adaptation of the stage version. They made it a cinematic musical.

 

[JP]

I forgot about the Voguing. I think it's best I forget.

 

[xwolverine2]

The general changes to the franchise seen first in Forever weren't really his fault (I actually like Forever, he did a few things right there that I think Burton did wrong with the franchise). However, I'm pretty sure he was responsible for Batman and Robin being a huge neon trainwreck.

nah its all WB....t:

 

[Gary Glitter]

Im not into musicals either but this one, once i saw it i could not stop..it grabs ur attention...i saw the old one b4 but i like the new one better.....


Think of me
think of me fondly when we've said goodbye
remeber me
once in a while please promise me you'll try
we never said our love was ever green or as unchansing as the sea......

 

[DACrowe]

I liked the movie but it is extremely flawed.

I liked it because the stage show still has the power to amaze me to this day. But Butler while giving a solid performance cannot sing and Schumaucher sexed the whole thing up too much by making the Phantom too young and handsome with the V-shirts, tight pants and the most ridiculous excuse for a deformity I had ever seen. It lost the mystique and secrecy of the stage show.

But a good story with good music and certainly better than say Rent. But I think it would have been better if a Burton type had directed the movie. And I think that the movie could have used more scenes like the opening one or Angel of Music. Rossum had a very pretty voice and gave a good performance, though I'm not convinced of her acting skills as a whole yet. As always Wilson proves to be an underrated actor with the depth to play probably a phantom if ever given the chance. Best voice of the main three anyway.

 

[DACrowe]

P.S. I'd take the poorly shot but hilariously brillaint Producers over the pretentious and self-important piece of fluff that was Dreamgirls any day of the week. Just saying.

 

[JP]

I could barely sit thought Producers. Seen Dreamgirls about 100 times though.

 

[Gary Glitter]

I could barely sit thought Producers. Seen Dreamgirls about 100 times though.

all koolt: ...the producers was a lil weird but it would make u laugh....

 

[DACrowe]

I loved the original and I thought the tage play was even better. While the musical film wasn't as good as either I saw Brooks's madcap humor and the great cast (save for Thurman) still there and it was just such an etertaining film. Even if it breaks most of the rules of moviemaking. Dreamgirls was so by the numbers and was such a piece of Oscar biat...meh.

But how can anyone dislike Springtime for Hitler or Keep it Gay in The Producers, though?

 

[Gary Glitter]

But how can anyone dislike Springtime for Hitler or Keep it Gay in The Producers, though? [/quote]

totally...i was busting out laughing when i heard those songs dude...t:

 

[danoyse]

But how can anyone dislike Springtime for Hitler or Keep it Gay in The Producers, though?

The scene before Keep it Gay was so much funnier on stage, with Roger Bart's "If you were attempting to shoot an arrow through my heart...BULLSEYE." line.

Just the way he milked that for about a minute, (with the b***h look he shoots back when walks away) was classic. It was funny in the movie, but funnier live.

 

[Rez]

Hate this movie, terrible adaptation of the show, awful casting. Looks pretty, but it's dull, and overall an embarassment to the show it's based off of.


Now you want to talk good movie musical adaptations, I will point you in the direction of REEFER MADNESS! Brilliant!