The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 Warner Bros. film released by Andrew Lloyd Webber and directed by Joe Sumack. This film is adapted from Weber's "The Phantom of the Opera" musical, which retains the storyline of the original to a considerable extent. Since the musical itself is relatively well-known, this film can be completely understood in accordance with another production version of the original.
The story mainly tells the story of a musical genius who was abused as a child due to facial deformities, grew up in a circus, and was used as a plaything. After escaping the circus, he began to settle underground at the Paris Opera. A few years later, when the opera house changed hands, soprano Carlotta rehearsed, the curtain suddenly fell, Carlotta left in anger, and Christine, an unknown dancer, was elected to replace Carlotta. Has her singing ability benefited from a mysterious teacher whom Christine always recognized as the musical angel mentioned by her father. Christine's performance is a great success, and a childhood sweetheart nobleman Raul appears to pursue her. Phantom finds his success stolen and shared, and goes mad with jealousy. In the end Christine embodies the Phantom with her love, she leaves with Raul, and the Phantom disappears completely.
This play is adapted from Leroux's suspense novel of the same name. Before Weber wrote "The Phantom of the Opera", Ken Hill created a musical of the same name with the same theme. In 1984, Weber got inspiration when he watched this version of the performance in the theater. He then began writing the musical, many of which were tailored to the voice of his then-wife Sarah Brightman. It premiered in London in 1986.
The film version of The Phantom of the Opera retains most of the well-known music from the original musical, and some original soundtracks. The main tone is still in line with the original musical. The theme music for the entire film is "The phantom of opera", which appears in scenes like the opening set back in the 1870s and the Phantom taking Christine into his underground palace. The whole piece of music is matched with the psychedelic and magnificent scenes of the Paris Opera House, giving people a sense of intoxication entering the magical world. It is also exactly in line with Viscount Shani's intoxication into memories and Christine's confused worship when she first saw the phantom. Because of the successful predecessor of the musical, the music was actually dominant when the film was created, and this theme music appeared whenever a major scene or the action of the Phantom was shown. It also fits in with the love-hate theme of The Phantom of the Opera with a strong suspenseful atmosphere.
Another frequently used tune in the film is "Angel of Music", which is sung over and over again whenever Christine remembers that Phantom has been her musical angel over the years. But just like the title of the song, Phantom can only be an angel in her fantasy. Once she destroys her imagination and beauty, and inevitably shows the violent side of Phantom itself, the music will end. Christine chose the perfect "Prince" Viscount Shani, and the only gentle and soothing song Christine sang for the Phantom was this "Angel of Music". From this, we can determine the inevitable tragic ending of Phantom from the beginning of the film: his misplacement of his identity, his excessive expectations for Christine and his unreachable hope for beauty.
In the whole play, a melody of "All I Ask of You" appears repeatedly, and the different interpretations of this song by Raul and Ghost express their different love for the heroine Christine. But it mainly appears in the duet of the two when Viscount Charni comforts Christine on the rooftop, and when the two finally leave together. The two Phantoms were present. This song is sweet and affectionate. It is the best yearning for the future and a guide to the light, but both Phantoms were left in the deep darkness. This song represents hope, but it's not the Phantom's hope, it's just a happy ending in the sun that most people like. The film is not without beautification of the Phantom, but it brings us more clearly to our thinking about human nature and the superficiality of love stories in general. What this tragedy shows is not only the failure of the Phantom, but also the inexorable shadow behind the last good life of Christine and Viscount Shani. At the beginning of the film, Viscount Shani's sad stare at the music box confirms the cracks behind the beautiful fairy tale.
In addition, let's talk about a song "Masquerade" that I am deeply impressed by. This should be the largest group dance and chorus in the whole film. The song brings out a grand and warm atmosphere, but the lyrics contain a bit of mystery, which laid the foundation for the appearance of the Phantom in the future. Great vibe, and the Masquerade theme itself hints at the half-masquerade that Phantom had to hide. Every line of the lyrics seems to point directly to Christine's relationship with the Phantom, but in a blink of an eye, they sing a grand ball. This feeling of seeing flowers in the fog makes this song full of philosophical sense.
The Phantom of the Theater can be said to be a play that reflects the charm of postmodernity. First, it successfully adapts the original novel, which not only retains the style of the original but also makes it more suitable for stage performances, and improves the visibility of the work. The play in the play makes the audience wander between reality and fantasy. Especially in the scene of chasing ghosts, the voice of ghosts rang out in all directions, on and off the stage in the entire theater, making the audience in it, because the phrase "I am here" seems to be by their side, in the box next door. , and the scene where the chandelier suddenly fell also made the atmosphere extremely tense and exciting. The exclamations of the audience in the front row were connected with the voices of the actors on the stage.
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