The One where Joel is Forgiven

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera
Rating: 8/10

Let me start of by saying that I wasn’t a fan of musicals. Like any other teenage boy, sitting through two hours of endless music, high-pitched voices, and conversations sung instead of spoken wasn’t my idea of interesting. I considered 1996’s “Evita” to be one of the most dreary movies I’ve watched at that time. However, with recent films as brilliant and extravagant as “Moulin Rouge” and “Chicago”, the appeal of the musical genre has risen tremendously in my book. I was thrilled when I heard a few years ago that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera”, one of the longest running stage musicals, was going to be adapted to the big screen. Although I have not seen the play myself, I am familiar with the music and the story having downloaded the songs off the musical and having read the book by Gaston Leroux. The anticipation turned into skepticism when Joel Schumacher was tapped to direct the adaptation. After all, this was the man responsible for “Batman & Robin”.

“The Phantom of the Opera” is the story of the Phantom, a ghostly character (Gerald Butler) who haunts a Parisian opera house, slipping unnoticed through its passages, terrorizing cast and crew members, demanding payment from the opera house owners. He meets young orphan Christine (Emmy Rossum), is mesmerized by her talent and beauty, and secretly becomes her musical instructor. The chance to show off her talent comes when the opera house’s main talent, La Carlotta (Minnie Driver), throws a tantrum and storms off stage. Christine performs to the delight of the audience, and none is more captivated than Raoul (Patrick Wilson), the theater’s patron and a childhood friend of Christine’s. The two fall madly in love, sending the Phantom into a jealous rage.

The film turned out to be exactly what I imagined it to be, and perhaps more. From the grandiose set designs, to the lavish costumes, and the superb musical productions, the film is a true adaptation of the beloved stage musical. Which is exactly what may be its single biggest flaw: it’s a stage musical on the big screen. Part of the reason why the film is taking a beating from film critics is that many have been skeptical about adapting stage musicals to the big screen. Cinema is largely a visual art, whereas theater is much more than that. In films, the audience stare at a huge flat surface; whereas in theater, everything is life-like, performed right before your very eyes. This is especially evident in this film. [spoiler start] In the stage musical, the sight of the majestic chandelier and the eerie gondola ride through a river of candles must be a sight to behold. Sadly, they are nothing but ordinary scenes when seen on film. [spoiler end]

Not that it falls short in being the huge spectacle that it is. It boasts of extravagantly created sets and costumes, intertwined with crisp editing and brilliant cinematography. Its best element is Webber’s romantic score, which is nothing short of magnificent. From Rossum’s rendition of “Think of Me”, to the rooftop duet regale of “All I Ask of You”, and the spectacular “Masquerade” sequence (which reminded me of “Moulin Rouge” and its cabaret Can-can sequence), Webber’s music is so captivating, I can guarantee you will hear yourself humming the tunes for days.

I haven’t seen the stage play, so I cannot compare the performances of the actors to their thespian counterparts on stage. What I can say is that they more than held their own. Gerald Butler is convincing as the possessive and love-torn Phantom, although I can hardly understand his words when he’s singing. Patrick Wilson also delivers believably as Raoul. It’s Emmy Rossum who, like the character she plays, captivates the audience with her voice that radiates innocence and affection. Okay, I cringed a bit when I saw her likeness to the Angelicas (Jones and de la Cruz). But ignoring that pet peeve, I can see why the Phantom is head-over-heals in love with this woman. Rossum was tailor-made for the role.

I was thinking how the film would’ve turned out had Baz Luhrman directed it. But this ain’t a perfect world, and what Schumacher gives us is a faithful adaptation of the musical. With the aid of Webber’s wonderful score, “The Phantom of the Menace” triumphs as a visual feast beautifully filmed and majestically directed by Schumacher. For that, I forgive him for ruining the Batman series.

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This was originally posted in PinoyExchange, at the The Phantom of the Opera thread. Too bad the film isn’t getting the expected Oscar buzz. Critics are slamming it, while ordinary movie-goers are praising it. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, the film is only 36% among critics, but 81% among viewers. At Yahoo! Movies, critics have given it a score of C, while viewers have it at a healthy B+. Further proof that critics are dumb. The weird part is that they are actually paid to be dumb.

Mali naman kasi rin ang ginawang pag-market nito. The film opened on limited release 3 days before Christmas, but it has yet to be opened on wide release up to this day. What's usually done with an Oscar contender is the film is held back until late December, to which it opens on limited release so it can be eligible for the Oscars. It is then given a wide release playdate two weeks after so it can garner enough popularity among the masses.

Palpak naman ang Warner Bros. dito tsk tsk tsk! Such a big waste.