SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

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SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 5:14pm

I LOVE the new Phantom movie so much, honestly it is my favorite movie ever.

Anyhoo, I was watching the "Behind the Mask" feature on the DVD (it's more than an hour long!) and I learned that in 1990 there was almost a motion picture version with Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford! I don't know about you, but I'm really glad they did not make that movie. I think that Emmy Rossum is the perfect Christine. Honestly I can't stand Sarah Brightman's soprano, it's so...demanding. But Emmy's is just....aaahhh yess. Haha. They did make some music video type promo things on sets (no on stage) for the OBC and they look kinda cool.

They were about to make the movie, Joel Schumacher and ALW had already written the screenplay, but then andrew divorced Sarah, and so they stopped.

I know this is SO mean, but I'm glad he did because I LOVE this new movie.

"Needless to say the crew is well acquainted with my ass and that's ok because they are the coolest guys ever." - Idina Menzel

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 5:39pm

All right, this has been rehashed over and over again. Christine in the musical was not written as a teenager, and she is in her early 20s in the book. Joel Schumacher wanted Gerard Butler as the Phantom, and he was younger, so he thought they had to age Christine down as well. Sarah Brightman wasn't an actress, but she had a stronger voice.

Christine was going to be an opera singer. A voice like Emmy's would never have reached the front row, nevermind the back of the house.

As for Crawford (which some have mentioned), no fear. He was a film actor as well as a stage actor. Age has nothing to do with it; the Phantom's older anyway. I wasn't pulling for him to be in the film, but he would have done a good job.

Updated On: 6/14/05 at 05:39 PM

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 5:50pm

Well yaay for another phantom movie fan, it's one of my favorite movies as well.

"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 5:57pm

I like Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. I would have loved to see them reprise their roles back then.

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 5:59pm

I think Sarah Brightman and Joan Crawford would have been great in that movie.

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 6:29pm

Give Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford the credit they deserve. They made POTO what it is today. Without them, POTO could and disappeared into the abyss. Then we wouldn't be able to have these endless debates.

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." -- Author Unknown

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 6:32pm

I think they were amazing. I personally don't care for the movie but that's just my opinion.

"He who falls in love with himself will have no rivals" -Benjamin Franklin

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 6:55pm

Emmy Rossum is pretty and all, but I thought her acting stunk and her voice was ridiculous for the role. She has a sweet, little voice. Brightman is no actress, but as Christine you could see what the fuss was all about. Rossum's Christine made you think the Phantom was only after her heaving bosom and tiny waist, oh and she sings ok too.

...and your children start to leave you from the moment they are born.

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 6:57pm

AMEN hyperchet AMEN

"It's a great feeling of power to be naked in front of people. We're happy to watch actual incredible graphic violence and gore, but as soon as somebody's naked it seems like the public goes a bit bananas about the whole thing."

#10

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 6:59pm

I think they should have dubbed Gerard Butler.

I want to write music. I want to sit down right now at my piano and write a song that people will listen to and remember and do the same thing every morning...for the rest of my life. - Jonathan Larson. Tick, Tick...BOOM!

#11

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 7:01pm

I actually thought the film was done very well. POTO is going to be around for a long time whether we like it or not. Let it be. It creates jobs for many actors.

#12

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 7:09pm

I thought Gerard was great. I won't go into this arguement again, but his voice is EXACTLY what they were looking for for the movie.

#13

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 7:19pm

Amen SallyBrown....Amen.

#14

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 7:31pm

Double amen Sally. I think(well everyone should know what I think on this matter by now..) but when you examine his performance as a whole-the singing intertwined with the acting, appearances, sex appeal, watch the movie, etc. instead of looking at the singing as a separate entity, the whole is great and I think the singing is great to go along with all the other things. Honestly not sure how I'd feel if I never saw him in the movie and just had the CD, but that's not how performances are supposed to be viewed anyway.

#15

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 7:59pm

I liked his acting very much, his singing is good, but he was going to be the Phantom regardless. Joel Schumacher wanted him before he even knew what he sounded like.

Updated On: 6/14/05 at 07:59 PM

#16

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 8:03pm

YES! I'm loving the Gerard support here

Updated On: 6/14/05 at 08:03 PM

#17

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 8:11pm

Gerard did amazing! I actually felt sorry for him, i felt he needed to be taken for a pint and the conversation would have been....

me- Look, you can't just go around killing people mate, it's just not on!
phan- Why? No one wants me, i give and i give and i give and for what... why doesn't she love me/
me- Look, there's nothing we can do about it, she can run off with Raoul and we'll get you some surgery and it'll be o.k... now no more killings?
phan- o.k sorry!

That would have been all it needed! LOL

Seriously though i actually felt worried for him and when he finds the rose on the roof i actually cried and movies don't do that to me! It was so moving. The whole thing where she rips his mask off (bitch) and everything, he really gave the impression of resentment to the world... it was genius casting!

Jesus Loves You... Everybody else thinks you're an idiot!

#18

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 8:16pm

ME TOO! Everytime the rose drops, I scream at my TV NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He's great. He's really amazing.

#19

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 8:49pm

loving the Gerry support.

Agreed on his moving performance, I've seen the show twice on broadway and though I loved it, the only time I cried was at the movie. The last scene where he talks about his mother's fear and loathing, and the final last pathetic "Christine, I love you."

I also had tears in my eyes when I first watched No One Would Listen on the DVD. I understand why it wasn't put in the movie, but it really was great, I would have loved to see it included in the movie to show more character development, but I understand that they wanted to reveal his weaknesses only at the end.

#20

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 9:06pm

The show's my favorite on Broadway - it's what got me into musical theatre and such...I was disappointed with the movie. Visually stunning, the acting/singing didn't support that. The fact that they brought Gerard in purely for the sex value really pissed me off - hello, it's POTO...have we learned nothing here, ALW and Shumacher? Apparently not. Though I must admit Gerard was particularly yummy looking in that cape, he didn't deserve the part, in my opinion. He sounded worse than he looked, which is definitely switched around from the way it's supposed to be...ah well.

However, I absolutely loved Patrick Wilson. So bloody adorable ^_^

Merrily we roll along, roll along...

#21

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/14/05 at 11:57pm

i unexpectedly gained a whole new appreciation for BRIGHTMAN's voice after seeing the movie, which in my opinion was very weak.

RIP glebby <3

#22

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/15/05 at 12:11am

The movie was very weak. Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford were the perfect people for the roles. I mean damn, it was written for Sarah. She has an amazing voice, and she is a great actress for that part. Crawford is incredible. His voice and acting skills are flawless. Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler were both mediocre. Her acting skills were awful. She had 3 faces the entire movie. He yelled his entire part. I could not disagree more with that first thread.

#23

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/15/05 at 12:23am

If Emmy Rossum had 3 expressions during the movie than Sarah Brightman only had 1 during the original show. Personally, in terms of what they WANTED for the movie I thought Emmy and Gerard were perfect. However, I do not agree with Schumacher's view on how the Phantom is supposed to be viewed. Sarah Brightman is also a rather quirky little thing. The idea that two men would die for her was a little odd.
In terms of singing, am I the only one that thinks Sarah Brightman's voice is eh? On the cd I liked it during "Think of Me" and "The Phantom of the Opera" but during every other song it sounded like she took an advil, drank it down with redbull and it got stuck in the back of her throat. If others like it, so be it. But I loved Emmy's voice in the movie. True, it's not strong enough for the stage production, but hey- no one is asking her to star in it anytime soon. For the time being I'm happy listening to her voice on the movie soundtrack.

"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.

Updated On: 6/15/05 at 12:23 AM

#24

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/15/05 at 12:29am

"The fact that they brought Gerard in purely for the sex value really pissed me off"

Whether or not you like his singing...well of course I'll admit he did have sex value but he didn't just add that to the role, I know many people are disappointed in his singing, but I have not heard too many people to diss his acting in the movie. I've heard singing is such a big part of the role that you can't say he's good just on acting, but still...at least I personally think he had acting to go along with sex appeal...if you want to argue you don't like his voice, many do...but I think he did much more with the part than just add a pretty face.

#25

re: SO glad there wasn't a Brightman/Crawford movie!

Posted: 6/15/05 at 12:32am

Again, if you have a problem with the sex appeal- don't be mad at Gerard for being born sexy. As I previously stated, it was Joel Schumacher's decision to make the Phantom sexy. He wanted him to become this figure who brings Christine from a child to womanhood. He wanted the Phantom to become temptation. And although it's an interesting thought, it does not work very well this piece. That is the ONE true flaw I thought the movie had. But again, if you're going to start saying "Gerard Butler was awful! He was too sexy for the Phantom!" Keep in mind that the Phantom being sexy was not a character choice from him.

"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.

Updated On: 6/15/05 at 12:32 AM

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