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n auction of items from Paris' ruined Opera Populaire recalls events from the winter of 1870, when a mysterious figure known only as the Phantom (Butler) brought disaster.
That winter, the Opera came under the management of its new owners, former scrap metal dealers Andre (Simon Callow) and Firmin (Ciaran Hinds) and their patron, the dashing Vicompte Raoul de Chagny (Wilson). At the same time, the theater's reigning diva, La Carlotta (Minnie Driver), stormed off in a huff just before the premiere of a new opera, Hannibal.
Opera mistress Madame Giry (Miranda Richardson) suggests an unconventional understudy: Christine Daae (Rossum), a lowly member of the ballet corps. Orphaned when her violinist father died, Christine was adopted into the opera company and has been taking secret lessons from a mysterious benefactor, whom she believes to be the "Angel of Music" her father promised on his deathbed.
Christine's debut is a sensation. As she sings the aria "Think of Me" on stage, Raoul recognizes her as Lotte, his childhood companion. After the premiere, Christine meditates in the Opera's chapel while the Angel of Music—the Phantom—revels in her triumph.
Only Madame Giry knows the Phantom's true nature. And she worries, as Raoul arrives backstage to rekindle his romance with Christine, that Raoul's overtures will enrage Christine's spectral tutor.
The new owners, meanwhile, receive a flurry of handwritten notes from someone who identifies himself only as "The Ghost." They contain instructions for subsequent performances and demands that his regular salary be paid.
But when La Carlotta returns, and Andre and Fermin beg her to take her place once more as the prima donna, displacing Christine, the stage is set for the Phantom's revenge.
The music of the night at last
The film version of arguably the most successful stage musical of all time, Phantom of the Opera finally arrives in movie theaters 15 years after it was first conceived, no doubt helped by 2002's Oscar-winning hit film adaptation of the musical Chicago. Like that earlier effort, Phantom breathes new life into what was already a potent and moving work of musical and stage art. But unlike the fleet-footed Chicago, Phantom stumbles occasionally, though director Schumacher has brought to bear considerable imagination and skill.
On the plus side, Schumacher has worked closely with Phantom creator Webber to craft a script that hews closely to its source material, while moving a few key events to heighten the drama (the dropping chandelier), expanding a few backstories (including that of the Phantom himself) and opening up the story with a wintry chase on horseback, a swordfight in a cemetery and a new, if somewhat unnecessary, framing story that picks up on the musical's original prologue.
Schumacher has also used the magic of movies to take us deep into the Opera's world, showing us the heretofore unseen backstage and flyspace, even taking us onto the stage itself. That, and the use of generous and beautifully shot closeups, turns the spectacle of Phantom into a more intimate and ultimately more moving romantic drama.
Rossum (last seen in the SF thriller film The Day After Tomorrow) is pitch-perfect as Christine: young, dewy and full-throated. The opera-trained actress easily reaches the high notes demanded by the role. In her comic role, Driver is hilarious as La Carlotta.
But Rossum's co-star, Butler, is the key weakness in Phantom. Though he is a charismatic actor, Butler simply doesn't have a voice that meets the standards set by earlier stage Phantoms, notably the legendary Michael Crawford. And in a few scenes, the chemistry between Butler and Rossum fails to ignite. Her expression might as easily be one of vacancy rather than awe.
The movie also threatens now and then to slip over the thin line separating operatic from camp, particularly in the centerpiece "Music of the Night" sequence. Slow motion, mist and gold candelabras drew snickers at our screening, as did Rossum's Victoria Secret outfit. At certain moments, the Phantom's underground lair looks more Las Vegas than La Scala.
Ultimately, though, this filmed Phantom's soaring music and deeply tragic romance strike the right chords. I dare you to have a dry eye by the story's end. —Patrick
Also in this issue: Darkness and Sealab 2021 Season-One DVD
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