Saw the Phantom movie..

[JakeB]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 5:59pm

Just got back from seeing the Phantom movie. Interesting. Worthwhile seeing, very faithful to the stage version - in particular the songs which are in their entirety, but this makes the film incredibly long, the same length as the stage version but without an interval! Argh. Lots of people went to the toilet at around the 2 hour mark..

Ok, briefly -

Christine, quite annoying. Her voice is fine, but she comes across as a bit whiny and I don't care too much for Emmy Rossum if I'm honest.

Phantom, played much younger than I expected but again I had no problems with the singing. On the very few lines he spoke it was like it was an entirely different person singing/speaking.. gave quite a strange effect.

Raoul, again, in my opinion too young.. but this is how it's supposed to be really. His purpose seems to be the eye candy of the film.

Carlotta, Minnie Driver is a revelation! She's brilliant, who cares if she didn't sing the role. I thought she was totally flat when I saw her on stage, but this has completely changed my opinion of her. Brilliant.

General others - Madame Giry, well cast, gives a lot more about her history and relationship with the Phantom, Meg Giry, fine - she's a popular British TV star if anyone is confused as to why she was cast, Simon Callow very good as one of the owners.

So generally the best bits are in the bits without Christine, Raoul and the Phantom. The theatrical bits are wonderful - the stagings, dances, etc, but the intensity is really lost on film where your admiration usually lies in the performer's stamina and ability to sing live, the miming is quite poor at times.

Accents are all over the place - where are we? France? England? America? Italy? Christine/Raoul are played in very soft American accents.

Can't really think of much more that needs to be said, my friends loved it and they hadn't seen the show, and finally -

ENDING SPOILER! -

Meg pulling away the Phantom's cloak for him to have vanished is CUT! That is my FAVOURITE bit of the show and it's gone.. made for a much less emotional ending.

Jake.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 6:03pm

so how does it end?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 6:12pm

haha. I wanted that to be in it, but somehow I had a feeling it was going to be absent. all the more reason to see it on stage.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 6:22pm

You forgot Scottish accent!!

Notice all how I changed my icon in honor of the film.

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 6:32pm

They cut that part at the end? I could have sworn it was in the screening I saw. But that was a few months ago, so I could be wrong.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 7:21pm

Jake, where did you see Minnie on stage? Was it one of her concerts? Has she ever done any theatre?

[BWW Contests]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 7:33pm

Meg still finds the mask but the movie doesnt end there-- you find out a little more about what happens AFTER that which I thought was cool...... unlike Jake, I found to be very moving.

[brdwaybaby17]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 7:37pm

I think he meant the character... not Minnie...

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 8:30pm

Guys, we need to remember that movies are never like the stage shows and they shouldn't be. They have to be different. The chair thing at the end may be cool on stage but look retarded on film or somehting.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 8:42pm

Clips of the movie can be found here

http://www.mymovies.net/player/player.asp?url=/film/fid1343/trailers/trid1566/wm/bb.asx&filmid=1343&sec=trailers

I cannot wait to see this!!

[musicalfandukie]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 9:08pm

the whole accent thing kinda bothers me too..but i'm still looking forward to seeing it! Updated On: 12/10/04 at 09:08 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 11:22pm

Blah

[Jwei123]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 11:38pm

I'm sorry you didn'y enjoy emmy ...I hope I do!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/10/04 at 11:45pm

Her singing is adequate but the thing that annoyed the hell out of me is that she whispers nearly all her lines.... it becomes quite annoying!

[POLisPOL]

Posted: 12/11/04 at 12:16am

I saw the movie 2 times yesterday, and I liked a lot...
My main concern is with the work of the director... I found the movie bad directed, specially in camera work and editing.

[Amneris]

Posted: 12/11/04 at 12:20am

the trailor even puts me in a trance. I can not wait to see this film! I think it comes out here on the 22nd?

[Jwei123]

Posted: 12/11/04 at 12:30am

yes, amneris, select cities, december 22nd. And assuming you are from new york, yes, new york is a select city!

[spiderdj82]

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

11 days left. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jwei123]

Posted: 12/11/04 at 12:38am

i COULDN'T be more excited. :)

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 12/11/04 at 12:40am

me neither. I am going to see this movie so many times, it is not even going to be funny.

[Jwei123]

Posted: 12/11/04 at 12:44am

yeah, by ALW and Schumacher (sp?) putting out this film, they have created what will be a GIGANTIC hole in my wallet. Oh well, it will be SO worth it! :)

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 12/11/04 at 12:46am

Amen.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 12/11/04 at 1:30am

Why aren't we talking about those clips? I think they look awsome. It looks like they made Point of no Return into a big flashy number which is good because thats the part of the show where some people really start to get bored.

[pab]

Posted: 12/11/04 at 2:14am

Wishing for the best but some the British critics have not been very kind.

[JakeB]

Posted: 12/11/04 at 2:48am

Deena Jones - I saw Minnie in Sexual Peversity in Chicago, the London revival with Matthew Perry. Having read the play I think she actually did the part how it's supposed to be played, but she still came across as very wooden, bored and everyone else outshined her.

ENDING SPOILER - so much happens at the end I hope I get this right.. they all go into the Phantom's lair (*somehow* Meg gets to the bottom first despite being told not to go) and she finds the mask, then it flashes forward in time to Christine's grave (in black and white) and old Raoul puts the monkey/cymbal on the grave, then it pans left to a rose, which then turns into colour. Then it goes DIRECTED BY JOEL SCHUMACHER before you can even have time to reflect on what's just happened.