First PHANTOM video clip up- Page 3

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 12:29am

To be perfectly honest here, no phantom that has been recorded has had the "voice" in which you speak of. Michael Crawford, who will always be the Phantom to me, is not the greatest singer in the world even though people tend to think this. He strains to hit a lot of the high notes and "pops" it up a lot. Sarah Brightman, screeches through a lot of her stuff. Even though those two people will always be the Phantom and Christine to me, since they were my first experience (cd wise) with this musical, I think that you have to take it for what it is. This IS NOT the book. Besides the silent film, there really hasn't been a movie that goes exactly the way of the book. In fact, In every other major released movie of the Phantom of the Opera, the Phantom actually never sings. It has always been Christine and the "Raul" character (even though not name Raul). With this musical you actually get the Phantom singing for the first time ever on the big screen. While I do wish they would have gotten someone more vocally able to do the part, you have to think that this, again, is NOT LIKE THE BOOK. If it was it would have been all Opera singers since it first premiered and it would have had more of an Operatic score instead of what we have and there would have been a lot of things changed. This is a "version" of the story that you either take for what it is or leave it alone.

[zepka102]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 12:31am

thanks spider... i've been waiting for you to come through

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 12:35am

Thanks, Zepka. I was busy watching SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. hehehe. Anyway, it is not "the voice" that I like about Gerard (which I already have said that I wish they would have gotten someone stronger), it is the emotion in his voice. He sounds angry, sad, passionate, and all these other emotions when he sings that I think Michael Crawford and a lot of other Phantoms miss. A lot of Phantoms just make him out to be the bad guy and sing it so. Gerard makes you feel for the character (which you can not realize with just those little clips on the main website) and gives us different sides of the character. Would I say his voice was "angelic".....NO!!!! But, there is something in his voice that I could imagine someone like Christine getting hypnotized by it.

Updated On: 11/9/04 at 12:35 AM

Posted: 11/9/04 at 12:36am

even michael crawford and sarah brightman, with their flaws and all, have talent that is LIGHTYEARS ahead of these two. i just dont understand why they would cast such subpar leads. Updated On: 11/9/04 at 12:36 AM

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 12:37am

Took the words right off of my keyboard spider :)

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 12:39am

I agree with you, Alison. I really do wish they would have gotten people that were more suited for the parts but something about these two intrigued ALW that he chose them above many others that auditioned. What that is, I do not know since I have not seen the movie. All I am saying is, at least give them a chance by going and seeing the movie. Judging by these small clips is not a great way to get an opinion.

Posted: 11/9/04 at 12:41am

"ALW was there the whole time, and i dont think anyone knows it better than him, that includes you and i."

AHHHH Yeah. ALW doesn't know as much as you think he does. I mean, if he cared, he would have given the guy a NAME, the only thing he really has that's his. How much more script does that cost? ONE LINE, I'll pluck it right out of the novel: "It is true, Christine. I'm not an Angel, nor a Ghost, I am Erik!"

ALW did not write the Phantom of the Opera. He is no closer to the original novel than I am, providing that he's actually read it, which I'm not so sure about. Besides, he probably devoted, I dunno, 5, 6 years to this. I've devoted 13, hands down.

I don't want to be known as the Phantom b*tch, but, let's face it, I was at one point in my life very obsessed with the show (I was also once obsessed with the Backstreet Boys, but so not in that state of mind anymore...) and it will always be really close to me. I'm not saying the movie has to be the BOOK, but THAT THING, the thing I am MOST UPSET ABOUT (their voices--or lack thereof) is something that EVERY rendition has to have--the connection between Christine and Erik/Phantom--The Angel of Music. HIS VOICE. I understand they can't give me everything that my perfect Phantom entails. That's why there's phan phiction and the lovely, lovely Susan Kay novel. But they owe it to the legend, to Erik himself, if ever he existed, to give the actor a GOOD VOICE. He doesn't have to BE Erik, just better than that. James Barbour has that kind of voice for me (although I don't know if he's Phantom-material, I'd be willing to find out), the beautiful, swoon-worthy voice.

And of course I'm seeing the movie, even if it just fails miserably. It's still Phantom, and there's so little out there, I've got to take what I can get. I want the movie to do well even though I'm not happy about the cast--because I don't want the Bway show to fail.

This topic just really upsets me and I have been awake for almost 24 hours. Good night, I'm sorry to anger so many people, but spend a few more years with the books on your nightstand, the phiction on your hard drive, the pen in your hand, you may just feel as I feel.

If you haven't read Susan Kay's Phantom, I highly recommend it--you can't totally understand Erik from either the original novel or the musical, but you are enshrouded with him in this book--his personality flows through you. Ah the wonders of great writing. Read, do read!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 12:49am

I love Susan Kay's novel. I cried more reading that book than any other. We both have different opinions. I am just saying, there are HORRIBLE renditions of the Phantom story to fill the Gershwin Theatre. The most popular one with Claude Reins (sp?) comes to mind. Yes, they mention his name, Erik....but that is as close to the original story as you will get. He is deformed because a woman threw acid on his face. He helps Christine get the lead part, not by vocally training her but by killing of Carlotta. What I am saying is there are a lot of worse renditions than ALW's version. I don't know. Like I said before many time, I agree with you about the voice. The phantom needs to be Angelic in his singing, which Gerard clearly is not. BUT, as I have stated before, he gives the Character life by the emotions in his voice that Michael Crawford and others did not. He is not just "the bad guy" and many movies and novels and musical interpretations make him out to be. He actually cares for this woman and loves her enough to make sure that she gets what she deserves but she turns from him which causes his heart to break.

Updated On: 11/9/04 at 12:49 AM

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 12:53am

"I was at one point in my life very obsessed with the show" Once???


Sarah darling, and I mean this seriously. Finds some friends, get a life and you'll find that there is more to it then Phantom. Trust me on this one.

[pab]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:02am

I intend to see the move when it comes out and quite frankly I'm hoping that it will be better than the stage production.

I saw "Phantom" a year after it opened. There had been such a great buildup and, having been a great fan of "Evita", I was looking forward to it.

I was disappointed.

I thought maybe I was having a bad day when I saw it so, about two years later I went to see it again. It had not been a bad day, it was the show. It was not so much the music but the book that was disappointing. It was just okay but not anything that I would go out of my way to see again like "Les Mis" or "Sweeney Todd".

I was in NYC in June producing a show and a friend of mine, who had not seen it, had purchased tickets before asking me what I wanted to see. I thought, maybe the third time would be the charm. It was not. It was mediocre at best.

I'm hopeful that this move will break the tradition of bad stage to film transfers and the screenplay, with the help of Joel Schumacher, will raise the story to a level that would allow me to finally appreciate it.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:07am

Also, in the movie they do a little back story of the Phantom to show where he came from. They show him as a circus freak with people laughing at him and such. Maybe they will use his name then. ALW wanted to dig deeper into the life of the Phantom in this movie version, which was not done on stage. That is the thing I am anticipating. There is/was even a song in the movie that Erik sings about his mother that I think they took out (I might be wrong) .

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:07am

Eponine, please stop trying to degrade me through false pity. I have plenty of friends, most of whom have never even seen Phantom, only know that I like it. If I was completely obsessed with Phantom and didn't have a life, I would have probably spent my birthday alone in my room with my Phantom books and stuff rather than working all day to load in and tech a show, with my FRIENDS, who bought me gifts and two of whom spent all night baking me a cake (it was really cute--they took a Barbie doll and made the cake like a dress and had frosting--ugh, it was GREAT!). I don't say this for any other reason than I LOVED my cake and show my appreciation for it by posting on this site, I dunno...

And yes, I was ONCE obsessed with the show. The obsessiveness goes away, the love does not (except in the cast of the Backstreet Boys *shudder shudder* what was I THINKING?!). I don't think about Phantom every day--maybe once a week or every other week, and I have lived in New York for two years and not seen the show once. And have I ever posted like this about Phantom before? Claim that I am obsessed with Gavin or James Barbour or Dracula (not, not and not, but the majority of my posts are about them) but certainly not Phantom. Chill out with the personal attacks, this is about ALW and whether HE'S right or wrong, not me (except I'm right).

That was a JOKE people, TAKE A JOKE.

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:10am

Spider-

About the back story: I believe they also say that Mme. Giry found Erik and put him in the Opera House, taking away all those wonderful years in Phantom which you said that you loved just as I did. Again, did you read Phantom of Manhattan? That's the backstory they had in that--and Raoul ended up a eunoch there. Hmm...

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:12am

Phantom in Manhattan was a SH*Tty book. Ech. The original though, was great, and that was the one that established the POTO as being a circus freak saved by Mme. Giry (I believe).

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:12am

I Started to read Phantom of Manhattan and was BORED OUT MY SKULL, so I closed it and sold it at a yard sale. But, again......ALW even considering diving deeper into the story instead of just repeating what is on the stage has to count for something. But, yes I agree about your book prefrences. Susan Kay's PHANTOM.........FREAKIN' AWESOME. Phantom of Manhattan........FREAKIN' BORING AND A WASTE OF PAPER.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:14am

Sarah- I'm happy for you. Sounds like you had fun.

I just have problems with people who show up and say they are right and that the end of it. And judging by what you wrote previously, I think your trying to down grade what you originally said. Thats all I'm gonna, say I'll leave you alone now.

No hard feelings I just don't agree with you. Updated On: 11/9/04 at 01:14 AM

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:17am

You didn't hear her feelings, or "no hard feelings"?

Deej, it's not just that it was boring, it's that it strayed so far from the book and made many choices that were not loyal to the characters. It was ridiculous. I read it for the camp value and felt like my IQ dropped by about 10 points. A monkey with a thousand crayons could have written a better book.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:19am

Amen to that, Type. I thought it was boring because the word choice and grammar choices were so high schoolish. When I read a book that is not in the "young adult" section, I expect it to be written using adult words and phrases. With this book, I was just taken back at how poorly written it was.

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:21am

I read the 1st 5 pages of Phantom of Manhattan, then decided it would be more beneficial to just dance around by myself for a little while. And I'm one of the few people who got through the entire "Cosette" by Laura Kalpakian

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:37am

Tiff- Thanks! fixed it!

I'm reading the Gaston Leroux POTO novel, its very good.

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:38am

i love that book. I'm debating re-reading the unabridged Les Mis, but that's a big commitment.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:39am

That clip is making me like Gerard more and hate Emmy more. Emmy's voice is so weak and oridinary. She doesn't modulate between the notes and use a smooth legato sound and that's what I think shows of this music more.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:43am

Bronx- thats exactly what it did for me

Matt- I still have not read it. This may sound ironic but I'm afriad it'll depress the hell outta me. I find the show beautiful and uplifting. Dunno what did it do for you?

Posted: 11/9/04 at 1:46am

yeah and she always sounds so flat and like too round, or closed off...or something, in the higher notes. yuck.

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 11/9/04 at 4:00am

wow SarahHIYE...you're a little bit psycho! why don't you try calming down? it is JUST a musical and it is JUST a movie. i love POTO, but geesh! your annoying comments would make someone not want to see the movie at all since you talk so poorly about it. give it a chance. and yes dear...i'm sure ALW knows much more about this show than you do. try stepping down from your pedastool.