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A disfigured musical genius, hidden away in the Paris Opera House, terrorizes the opera company for the unwitting benefit of a young protégée whom he trains and loves. Starring Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum.

5.0 out of 5 stars sparkling screen incarnation of Lloyd Webber's PHANTOM
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2005

Joel Schumacher's film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is a perfect testemant to what has become the most successful stage production of all time. Though many people are still wondering why the film wasn't made with it's original stage leads Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, the energetic young cast featured add their own magic to the gothic love story.The story is well-known and I won't go into a blow-by-blow account. Young diva Christine is mysteriously tutored by someone she believes is her `Angel of Music'. In reality it is the feared Erik, phantom of the Paris Opera. Complications arise when Christine is reunited with her childhood sweetheart Raoul. Erik, too, becomes infatuated with his young pupil. As passions rise, Christine and Raoul are dragged to the brink of destruction as Erik vows to make Christine his bride...Gerard Butler is a fine Phantom, especially adept at making the role very human and vulnerable, yet also menacing and violent when the situation calls for it. His singing voice is acceptable ("Music of the Night", the Phantom's aria, is sailed through with little trouble). On the whole his performance is quite excellent.Emmy Rossum might very well be the real discovery in this movie. Little more than a teenager when she made her auspicious debut here as Christine, Miss Rossum is the innocent heart of the story. A trained New York opera singer since childhood, Emmy Rossum sings Christine's intense and often very difficult arias to perfection. "Think of Me", "All I Ask of You" and in particular her heart-wrenching "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" . On stage the role of Christine is usually shared by two performers who alternate the 8 performance-week between them, so demanding is the role of Christine. Rossum could not have picked a more challenging role to make her big debut, but emerges triumphant.Patrick Wilson, a veteran of Broadway musicals, is perfectly-cast as Raoul. The role has been somewhat re-written here as a more swashbuckling physical adversary to the Phantom. He also has a fantastic singing voice as you would expect from his stage pedigree. Minnie Driver is a hilarious delight as Carlotta, the resident diva of the Opera Populaire who is pushed from her perch to make way for up-and-comer Christine. Driver's singing is of course dubbed (by Margaret Preece, who has played Carlotta onstage). Ciaran Hinds and Simon Callow play the Opera's bewildered and guileless managers Andre and Firmin to perfection. Miranda Richardson adds untold depths to the role of mysterious ballet mistress Madame Giry. In the play her connection with the Phantom is merely alluded to, but here the full story of Giry and the Phantom is revealed. Jennifer Ellison plays Giry's daughter Meg with verve and spirit.Lloyd Webber has added a new number "Learn to Be Lonely" which plays over the end credits, sung by Minnie Driver in her own interesting singing voice. The movie won't displace the stage production in the eyes of it's myriad fans (it was never meant to), rather they stand side-by-side, for one cannot exist without the other.The film version of PHANTOM has been a long time coming ... but worth the wait.

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Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2015

I have to start this by saying I have no training in analyzing movies, plots, acting abilities or stage sets and everything that goes with a critic's review. Everything that I write in this review is my own opinion and how I see things in my life that relate to this story. This movie speaks to me on so many levels. I do not know how many times I have watched the video. I have seen the Broadway Across America version on stage. I have read the book. I have watched recordings of live performances. I love the movie because you get to know the characters in more depth. When The Phantom of the Opera came to theatres, I talked my husband to taking me. I have not yet tired of this story. So many times as I am tackling the mundane things in life and I wish I had a fablous musical score to accompany me. Along with the fantastic wardrobe. Depending on the mood I am in or what I am currently going through in my life each major role speaks to me. At different times I have felt stronger connections with different characters.
The role of Christine speaks to me from a point of view that we want to be loved passionately and unconditionally. Often we are torn from the "good guy" who we know will love and support us and the "dark horse" who may appeal to our more base desires. Christine has suffered loss that many of us know on a personal level. To cope with this she holds on to an ideal to give her comfort through her most difficult times in her life. Same with myself, many of the ideals that I hold dear I use for comfort to help me to endure through life's many difficulties. And all the while she maintains her femineity and innocence. As the story progresses we see her grow from a child-like trusting character to a woman who has overcome many hardships. Her character continues to grow through the story just as we grow in life.
Raoul, the protector with his unwavering love and devotion to his beloved Christine, tells me that we all need someone to be there no matter what happens. They will fight to the death for us to be happy and safe. His unwavering devotion and adoration of Christine is not just for her talents and beauty but for her sensitivity to the human plight, this never diminishes. He truly loves her whole-souled. He helps Christine rise to any challenge that life throws at her.
Then there is the Phantom, he appeals to the adventure and romance that many of us wish to experience in our life. His idolizing of Christine blinds him to many of the consequences that he will have to face based on his actions to posess Christine. So many times we lock ourselves into one course of action based on what we desire, we become so blinded to getting what we want that we convince ourselves that whatever we are doing it is for the greater good. But is it really?
There is Madame Giry, the mother figure who is willing to sacrifice anyone needed to keep her own child safe and yet she battles with her conscience when she realizes the mortal danger that Christine finds herslef in. She can justify anything that happens, that what the Phantom does is okay because of all the predjuice and horrors that he has suffered, that his genius allows him his eccentricities. Sometimes I feel that she really pulls the strings of this drama. She knows the secrets of everyone. But I don't see this everytime I watch it again it is a mood thing.
There is Meg, to me she is the one who truly loves the Phantom with all his darkenss as well as his gifts. She secretly is jealous of Christine and her gifts because they recieve the attentions of the Phantom. But her sweet and gentle nature prevails throughout so she represents the good that we have to give to all those we meet.
The Diva Caroletta reminds me of all those we meet that are wrapped up in their own self importance they don't see what really is important only to find out to late they have lost the thing or person that they truly love. So the fame and fortune that they craved was all for naught. There are times we crave the recognition of our accomplishments at the cost of others. Where we make decisions for ourselves that further our intrests and we do this by manipulating the suitation we are in to our benefit instead of waiting to see how things will play out.
The "new Owners" remind me of the ones we meet as we walk through life, who's only concern is money and prestige. The outrageous hair and outfits loudly announce that they have finally made it to the bigtime.
Some of us secretly love to be flattered, pampered, and pandered to. This makes for an interesting dynamic with the Owners and Caroletta. So much of what they want is the same thing so they use each other to get what they desire only to lose everything. When things do not go as Carlotta planned and a new stars arises, Carlotta starts to lose her grip on the accolades that fed her ego. When someone enters our life that can do something we are proud of doing or feel we are good at it bruises our ego. It hurts and often we fail to reconize all they have to offer because we have let ourselves be wounded. This shows throughout the movie as you watch how Carlotta behaves towards Christine.
The dynamic of Christine and the Phantom is a powerful one. They feed each others artistic desires. They fuel each others need to create and perform. The idea that this is real and lasting love comes to the test when another suitor comes calling for Christine's attentions. They love each other because they have so much in common, they speak on a level that many of us "regular" folk could only dream of. With a look or touch they evoke tremendous feeling, but how real is it? For the whole relationship was based on deceit. There are parts of us that we are embarrassed or ashamed of so we mask these parts of ourselves in the hope that we can win the affections of the world. When these are revealed in the garish light of day, it can be quite disconcerting. When Christine unmasks the Phantom for the first time the reaction is incredibly volatile. When (what the Phantom sees as his ugliness) his face is revealed it is shocking to Christine for what her eyes see is not what the heart sees. There is that instant painful judgement without knowing the full story. I am sure that all have acted this way at sometime or another.
It is my personal belief that Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber sees himself as the Phantom. In writting this for Sarah Brightman he was able to possess her and her talents for a short time. But that did not last just as Christine and the Phantom did not last. After the creatitivity that they both share there is not much else to sustain a relationship. This does not mean that I do not root for Christine and the Phantom to get together and find their happily ever after, but I still am torn.
I personally have a Raoul for a husband. He would give his life just to see that I had what I wanted out of life. That sense of completeness one feels when they have a person like this in their life is truly profound. It enables us to reach the greatest hights. We have the confidence to face our biggest challenges knowing that whatever the outcome we have a saftey net. They will never fail to be there, even if they express doubt their overall belief in us as a person wins out. I hope that to the people who are truly important in my life they can say this about me.
When I watch the opening auction scene I feel melancholy at the fact that these items are up for sale to the highest bidder. Precious memories that tell a beautiful story all to be had for ready money. There are times in life that it seems things so important to us at one time are for sale to the highest bidder. How many people will never know "my story"? At the same time how easy it is for seemingly ordinary and mundane objects to trigger powerful memories from our past, just as Raoul revisits his life on the drive to the grave.
The look on the new owners faces as they enter the opera house, says "We have made it! Our dreams have been fullfilled". But this is really the beginning of the end for these two.
When "little Lottie" is trying to explain to her new suitor her deep seated beliefs after her debut performance it is painful to see, how many times have we tried to talk to a loved one only to have them dismiss us along with our ideas.
When the Phantom finally calls Chrristine for their first face to face performance Christine shows reluctance for somewhere deep inside she knows that this isn't a safe course to follow. The thrill of what is offered is so enticing that sometimes we fail to make good decisions. But if Christine didn't go, no story, so go she must. The appeal of having a dark, dashing, well cut and dressed figure appeals to the vanity that we all feel. The idea that someone is so consumed with us that every waking thought they have is of us, it is flattering and can blind us to the dangers we face in a relationship like this.
The dichotomy of the Phantom and Raoul is vast. One would do anything to posses the girl and her talent the other would do anything for her. Different backgrounds and life experience lead these two men to the roles they will play in Christine's life. How much of it is enviroment or the person? Is Raoul naturally a "good" person just as the Phantom is a villian? It raises the whole nature or nurture question.
I used to find the part of the movie where they are singing about all the notes they recieved a bit tedious and felt that it did not move the plot forward. I have since changed my mind after the thousandth viewing. Everyone has their viewpoint of current events at the opera house and a note so the conclusions they reach about the sender causes discord. How often have we been confronted or confronted someone without the whole story. Some of the characters look for the whole picture others choose to see what they want and cannot be convinced of anything else.
I very much enjoy Prima Donna. The conversations that overlap in this song are wonderful. I had to watch several times to get the whole story. It really helps to watch on closed caption so you can read the lyrics as they are sung. I am sure that most of us have had dreams of the "world at our feet" but what do they really have? We see this when the Prima Donna and the Owners lose everything and become forgotten secondary players in this Opera.
When the Phantom is driven to finally take a life during the Opera it is all because he feels denied and rejected. That his authority has been ignored. This is were he starts losing control of Christine. So many times we have feelings like this and sometimes we behave rashly. I am not saying that the Phantom's actions are justified but if we can feel for him and his actions can we not feel for those who have made mistakes in real life?
The Owners of the Opera House scramble to keep up appearences even though everything they have worked for unravels quickly. Keeping up appearences need I say more.
The game of cat and mouse the Phantom has on the upper rigging is nail biting when I place myself there. I feel the anxiety that accompanies high pressure suitations especially when we feel we have no control of the outcome. This is all played out between the Phantom and Joseph to culminate in the murder of Joseph.
The scene where Christine and Raoul profess their undying love for each other is tender and moving. Raoul finally sees how Christine is tormented and Christine sees that Raoul can help rescue her. But the part of this scene I find most compelling is where Christine drops the Phantom's rose. It seems a small unconscious action but for the Phantom it is edivence of the ultimate rejection. The love he felt quickly turns to rage. He makes a few more attempts to posses Christine. But ultimately when she drops the rose he knows that she will never belong to him. I find this heartbreaking. I feel the Phantom's pain. Everything that the Phantom has desired in life and in love, Raoul has. His hate for Raoul manifests itself in the Cemetery sword fight scene. I personally have a bit of a hard time finding the sword fight believable. This is an outright physical confrontation when the Phantom works in shadows. I feel that the Phantom may have the mental agility for a sword fight but not the physical prowress or training. This is the only minor irritation I have with this movie. I still enjoy watching the swordfight. It is thrilling to see.
Christine wishes to say good-bye to her father or the idea that her father has sent her an angel to guide her through life. Here the Phantom tries again to pull Christine into the idea that he is the master of her fate. When Christine stops Raoul from harming the Phantom, the Phantom becomes disgusted with the pity and mercy that was showed to him. The object of his desire pitied him and living with that almost becomes unbearable. Since she made that choice the Phantom forces her choose again in the climax of the story. She has to choose between staying with the Phantom and saving her beloved's life or rejecting the Phantom and watching her beloved die, she has reached the point of no return. How many times are we faced with decisions that there is no return from. From here on out everything has changed for us.
The stunning visual feast that Masquerade serves is delicious. Here they are celebrating their win over the Phantom (again my opinion) by mocking him in a Masquerade ball. All wear masks and revel in their seeming triumph. All the while the not so privileged class are having a good time getting what they can from societies elite. For the Phantom it isn't a mocking but an invitation for him to personally appear. The tension is palpable. When again the Phantom is in close promixity to Christine you can see that she is not quite over the idea of the Phantom.The Phantom passive aggressively insults her voice and talent but still desires her and uses this to try and maneuver events to have Christine again under his spell.
Raoul finally sees the very real danger Christine is in and now acts maybe not wisely but quickly. Raoul persists in finding out the whole story of how the Phantom came to be in an effort to understand the nature of the beast. The back story reveals that this poor person has had a cruel existance and from what he has seen and learned from humanity it is clear why he reacts the way he does. (Here I am caught up in the story I forget to mention how I relate to it.)
The Opera house Owners try to entrap the Phantom by using his own Opera against him. Christine is bait and hates the idea that she must now play this role. I feel that this is in part because she does not fully trust herself and her feelings for Raoul. Are they, is she strong enough to triumph? The inner conflict that she is dealing with is almost paralyzing for her. Christine realizes she will have to choose between the two, that this will be the only way she will have any peace in life, the two male leads can not share her. Everything rests on her performance in the Phantom's Opera. The pressures we face in life make this relatable. When we face a seemingly insurmountable challenge and we feel we are the only ones who can solve it the whole outcome is up to us, that it all rests with us and how we perform.
Don Juan surely needs to be watched with captions on to capture the full idea of the opera. You can see why the attendees are shocked while they watch. For the time period this is prortrayed the opera is shocking. The notes Christine hits in this song, the pure crystal clear highs to the lusty lows are amazing. I have not any talent for music or singing but I love it and appreciate it. I get chills through this song when Christine sings. The picture the Phantom paints for her in this duet is evocative and appeals to the core of Christine. No longer portraying himself as an angel but now shows himself as a man desiring her every way a person can. For a brief moment it appears that she is once again the Phantom's. Even Raoul sees and feels this by his reaction to the duet. When the Phantom pledges to Christine his love for her and plead for her compaionship he uses the same words that Raoul has used to declare his love. Christine comes to the point where she has to reveal the Phantom no matter the pain she causes him.
This brings on the splendid chandelier crash. From what I understand they had one shot to film this. If you get to see the performance live this one scene makes the whole show. Even if you are not an opera lover it is worth it to see this.
After this it is do or die for the Phantom. All airs and graces have been abandoned, it is now all about the absoulte ownership of Christine. Everytime I watch this I hold my breath in hopes that Christine will make a different choice. In spite of all the flaws in the Phantom I wish he could have his heart's desire. Personally the end is where I feel the Phantom looks his best. No mask no hiding behind hair pieces and fancy clothes. You see the raw magnetism that he posseses.
At the same time Raoul's passionate pleas appeal to the comapssionate side of a person. We want him to win for he has been the ultimate white knight.
When Christine makes her choice the Phantom comes to realize that he can not own a person. Christine's true love for Raoul makes this a bittersweet victory. He finally had a taste of what he wanted but because it was not freely given to him, he releases them. In spite of everything he has wanted and worked for ultimately he lets her go because he really loves her. The one last moment when Christine returns the ring to the Phantom you see the last glimmer of hope that she will choose him. When that no longer remains there is nothing left for him in the opera house. This scene makes me cry everytime. I get emotional over the fact that now all hope is gone. How does any person bear that?
The closing scene of Christine's grave is moving. In honor of her Raoul leaves the Phantom's music box and the Phantom leaves the ring that Raoul had originally given Christine for their engagement. I feel it is a silent acknowledgement that they both loved her and will keep her memory.
If I could crawl into this movie to live this story I would. Every role speaks to some part of my life. I feel that this is a major reason this is so popular. There is something that everyone can relate to. The story makes you feel for all the characters. A story that can make us feel something down to our core becomes part of us. So though I am not musically endowed there are still parts of the indivdual characters that I will carry with me. I would wish that when watching this movie that you watch with an open mind and see how this relates to you as a person. How do you identify with all the complex characters in this Opera?

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2017

--Spoilers follow--

I’ve had the good fortune to see _Phantom_ on Broadway many times over the years, beginning with Crawford and Brightman. While having only a little in the way of musical training, I do have more than a bit of knowledge of the Gothic as well as the Fin-de-siècle/Belle Époque eras in which Leroux’s novel is set and during which it was written (professional historian here). Additionally, for what it’s worth, I once worked for 15 years as a technician in a glorious turn-of-the-century theatre and as such attended many, many performances of everything from classical ballet to Broadway national tours to classic rock, so I have some insight into the world of the theatre and the entertainment business as a whole. (This explains, in part, my affinity for _Phantom_ and for the era in which it’s set.) Such is the background to this review.

Overall, this cinematic version of POTO is a lush, lavish, sensuous, romantic (and Romantic), well-oiled, effortless, over-the-top (in a good way) spectacle. It’s highly faithful to the stage production in most of the important ways from libretto to orchestration, while at the same time achieving an extra richness and intimacy in ways that just can’t be done in a live theatre. Regrettably, the second act is somewhat truncated, with a few scenes being deleted and a few lines consequently being moved. Nevertheless, if you’re a fan of the Lloyd Webber stage production, this is as close as you’re ever going to come to seeing the Broadway version without catching it on B’way or in a good national tour. Some of the many highlights include:

The Opera House itself, especially the interiors. The wonderful juxtaposition of the chapel (wonderful gothic touch) and the ornamentation of the auditorium are perfection. When the transition occurs, at the film’s beginning, from the old dilapidated black and white building to the lush orgiastic figures, as a wind blows away the cobwebs and the monochrome and restors the grandeur, it’s breathtaking. Before seeing this film, I would have said that the producers would have been hard-pressed to live up to the opening of the Broadway production, but they pulled it off in aces.

Christine. Emmy Rossum gives a simply scrumptious performance on all counts, especially in light of her youth; she has a poise well beyond her years. Her voice utterly epitomizes what both Leroux and Lloyd Webber (and the Phantom himself) envision and describe it to be: young, but already extraordinary and having even greater yet-to-be-tapped potential (“if pride will let her return . . .”). She possesses a Pre-Raphaelite beauty and style (down to the facial expressions), as if she had just emerged from a Rossetti painting. I’m reminded of a review I read when the stage production first came out: the story, the music, and Christine’s voice combine to give the gothic, darkly sensuous impression of “a nightingale on LSD.” It’s a shame that she decided not to go into a classical music career following this film.

Madame Giry also deserves special mention; she has the necessary severe and wonderfully imposing air. The other cast members are also, in general, great choices (with one massive exception: see below).

Then of course there’s the choreography, the production values, the lighting . . . I could go on and on. (Just go watch it yourself rather than read my drivel.) Alas, I have stop my praise in time to leave room for my three major criticisms (and they truly are major).

The first is Gerard Butler. He’s no singer, despite the fact that he did a crash singing course to prepare for the film. He’s also rather young for the Phantom: in my opinion the Phantom should be an older alpha male who puts young buck Raoul in his place until the dénouement, rather than a young competitor who’s part of a more conventional love triangle. Despite this, he does his best with the part. But the first-mentioned problem is nearly insurmountable. It’s an almost unbelievable gaffe in a musical to have a lead who cannot sing. Emmy Rossom’s vocal work is superb; Patrick Wilson’s (as Raoul) is quite good; but Butler as a singer is a disaster. His work in 2011’s _Coriolanus_ proves that his acting is up to the task, but his relative youth and his voice mean that he’s essentially miscast here. And that is a major, major flaw. I simply cannot see whatever it was that Lloyd Webber saw in him.

The second problem is at least as bad. Leroux makes clear that the Phantom is a magician, and Lloyd Webber’s stage version extends this idea with the suggestion that the Phantom’s magic isn’t merely illusion but real. (Perhaps that decision was simply making a virtue of necessity since it simplifies the props and such on stage, but it enhances the Phantom’s cachet and character.) But in the film, the Phantom isn’t even an illusionist. All indications are that the glamour is entirely in the eye of the beholder (i.e., Christine). Indeed, director Schumacher takes great pains to make this point. The secret passage through which the Phantom leads Christine from her dressing room is filled with warm, glowing magic in Christine’s eyes, but when Meg Giry explores it later, it’s dank, dirty, cobwebby, and rat-infested. Carlotta’s croaking is explained not by ventriloquism (as in the novel) but by the Phantom doping her throat spray. The eerie light that Christine sees emanating from the Daaé mausoleum (one of the film’s most disturbing moments—what does a mausoleum need with a light?) . . . simply isn’t there when Raoul is in the frame. When raising the portcullis near the film’s end, the Phantom must resort to the pedestrian method of throwing a lever rather than simply using the magical gesture he employs on Broadway. The one thing approaching illusionist magic (i.e., illusionism, not real magic) is at the Masquerade, when the Phantom doesn’t simply disappear but instead very obviously dives down a trap door. (Schumacher even pointedly makes the smoke bomb he throws ineffective at concealing the “magic.”) He then uses a hall of mirrors to escape from Raoul. And that’s it. In pursuance of what is, frankly, a very major character revision, the producers have even rewritten the libretto in places to accommodate it (e.g., “He will burn you with the heat of his eyes” becomes “Keep your hand at the level of your eyes”). They’ve even omitted the _Don Juan Triumphant_ rehearsal scene, presumably in order to eliminate the magic of a piano that plays itself at the Phantom’s behest. Aw, c’mon, producers! The film could have accommodated magic, or at least illusion, way more easily than the stage version! What were you thinking?

The problem with this is threefold. First, it takes away some of the gothic, escapist, otherworldliness of the story that allowed Lloyd Webber to make it more than the pulp fiction it essentially was as a book. As a result, the film is a more pedestrian story of a love triangle (or it would be absent the film’s great strengths). Second, it inevitably does some violence to the plot: At the Masquerade, for instance, not being possessed of magical powers that keep all in attendance in fear of him, the Phantom must resort to threatening them (all hundred of them or so) with a sword. (Really? Why not just rush him from behind and kick his derrière down the stairs in that case?) Third, and most important, it diminishes the character of the Phantom, essentially emasculating him to a degree. As I noted above, the Phantom is—or should be—an older, powerful, alpha male who cannot be either outwitted or vanquished through mere strength. He is always in complete control of the Opera, the plot, the action, and everything else except for Christine’s feelings toward Raoul, a fact that literally drives him mad(der). He maintains this control right up until the moment that Christine redeems him with a kiss, when he willingly relinquishes his whip hand for love of her (i.e., he isn’t ever beaten, except by Raoul’s and Christine’s love for each other; instead, he unilaterally gives up). Even thereafter he remains a magician, disappearing as mysteriously as he first appeared. At least that’s how it is in the theatrical version and mostly how it is in the book. By stripping the Phantom of his magic, Schumacher has greatly weakened him as a character and thus fundamentally changed the whole story, and not in any way for the better.

My third criticism derives directly from my second—indeed, it’s merely an example of the second, but it’s so egregious that it comes perilously close to ruining the whole film all by itself. Since the Phantom isn’t a magician, he can’t hurl flaming bolts at Raoul in the cemetery, thus forcing him to flee with Christine. The producers therefore decided to resort to a conventional sword fight instead. If you have a sword fight, then you have to have a winner and a loser. So the producers had the Phantom lose. Raoul stands victorious with his sword pointing down at a disarmed Phantom lying on the ground. WTF? First, this utterly destroys the concept of the Phantom as unconquerable larger-than-life alpha male and further diminishes him. (At this point, to finish the job, we should ditch the title _The Phantom of the Opera_ and just rename it _Christine and Raoul Have a Run-In With a Weirdo at the Opera_.) Second, it also means that having won, Raoul must let the Phantom go (or else we can’t tell the climactic final part of the story), which is a plot hole the size of a nuclear crater. In the very next scene Raoul is discussing with Firmin and Andre how to catch the Phantom. You dolt, if you want to catch him then why did you let him go when you had him not thirty seconds ago? Just because Christine didn’t want you to kill him doesn’t mean you couldn’t have dragged his rear end off to the police. There’s no way around it: the cemetery scene all by itself makes this a totally different story (and one, moreover, that is not only inferior but makes no dramatic sense). If Lloyd Webber was the one who made this call, it’s a screw-up on the order of George Lucas having Greedo shoot first. Both of these retellings completely rewrites/retcons a character in such a way as to deprive him of one a fundamental defining characteristic.

It’s a testament to how well done the film is in all other regards that I still think it a great production and worth four stars despite producers’ savaging of the performance and essential character of the Phantom in these three ways. Nevertheless, when I imagine how close they came to utter perfection and how much I wish I could give it that fifth star, all I feel is disappointment.

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