First PHANTOM video clip up — Page 3

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.

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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.

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

Took the words right off of my keyboard spider :)

"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!

"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.

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) .

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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...

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.

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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.

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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

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

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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?

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.

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