The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

This is a movie that I was very surprised not to have enjoyed as much as I did. That is not to say I hated the film by any means but more so I was almost certain I would love all the songs in it. I mean I love all things musical and mystery which this offered and yet I found myself not connecting as deeply as I first assumed I would. Which is fine, sometimes no matter how accurate a piece of media is towards your interests there are going to be ones that you do not enjoy, I was just taken by surprise by how little I truly found myself interested in the songs it played. Most of all I found myself enjoying the visuals elements the film offered. The costumes, the setting, the colour. Alongside the narrative.

Nothing could have prepared me for the opening scene where they lift this grand chandelier and with it transforms the theatre in time. Not just by age as they erased cobwebs and re adjusted furniture but also through colour and as a result emotion. The black and white seemingly hopeless time transforming into this grand screen of colour screaming joy and success. And all of it partnered over the well known keys that scream Phantom of the Opera. I was well and truly gagged it was amazing, I was even looking forward to what could happen next and yet there were very few times I found myself feeling that swell of excitement and anticipation again.

I think a good statement to make when it comes to musicals is that the best of them only succeed when the music transcends the situation it is announced in. Naturally there are exceptions to the rule however most of the time the songs that do well are the ones that people are able to take and adapt to their own physical situations and emotions. For that same reason is why Kpop Demon Hunters did so well, not only are the songs themselves produced well and sung by talented individuals but the emotions they bring up are ones everyone can apply. Songs of feelings lost, not loving yourself, not knowing where you're going in life. All are sentiments you can pull out and place in a different film or different scenarios and they will still make sense. Where as if there are songs about oddly specific moments in time it makes it near impossible to dissect it and place onto moments in the watchers lives because they have not been in that situation. It doesn't mean they are any less enjoyable to listen to it just means in terms of popularity they may not be as widely shared.

When it came to this film I found myself doing the later. A large factor for this I believe was the style of music that took place as I have never listened to opera much before and as a result found it hard to pay attention to what was being sung. That doesn't take away from the music itself however and I do believe all of the songs shown were good in their own right just not my personal taste. But because I was not the biggest fan of the music itself I found myself not connecting as deeply. Which was a shame because the story being told was very interesting but for some reason my brain was only acknowledging it in small doses. For that reason I stand to believe that for me personally I would have enjoyed the film more if there were less songs and more speaking roles. That in itself seems redundant for a musical- a musical film. The structure of the film is something I also struggled with as I wasn't expecting it to be so long and found it a little draining. I do not want that to make it seem as if I hated the film. I think I am simply at a point where I have watched so many films so often I have become a bit of a snob, partnered with how long this one was when not expecting it, perhaps I did not give it as much as a chance as I could have. I do think I may attempt it again but another version as I know there are many versions it being a musical and all and maybe that version I will align more with.

Looking more specifically at the characters I thought the character of Christine was the most complex and therefore interesting. Firstly, the fact the main character was Fiona Gallagher! I got whiplash, I saw her in the background at first and thought 'oh that's cool she's in here' and then it turns out she was the main character?! Anyway, Christine as a character I felt was the most complicated to understand and that is what made her the best. The story of having her dying father say he would send her a singing angel makes her relationship with the phantom instantly more complex when we learn he is the one that was teaching her to sing. I can state here for the record the phantom is a character I do not align with in terms of who should marry Christine. I am sure there are adaptations and shippers who love them together and I can understand why and may even prefer them together in a different production. However in this exact 2004 version I do not understand how they could be desired together. Especially considering the age difference, if he was around the same age as the dance teacher and Meg is presumably around the same age as Christine it means he is old enough to be her dad. Even with that loose logic it doesn't discredit the fact he was stalking her ever since she was young while she was living at the theatre going to show how parasocial he felt about her.

As untrustworthy as I may view The Phantom, it does a large deal to show how difficult that situation would be for Christine. Having this image in your mind of a person who has helped you with your voice and has gone on to make you famous to the point that you view them as ethereal. Associating them with this symbol of goodness and power and a reminder of her dead father goes to show how highly they were regarded without ever actually meeting them. So when they do meet it makes sense she would follow so willingly and why she would feel so torn upon realising how dark he truly is. It creates this juxtaposition between the idea she made in her head and the reality. I was glad they emphasised this turmoil because as easy as it is to say The Phantom is bad, the backstory and their connection beforehand makes it all the more difficult to truly let go of the idea created in your head or the chance he could change into who you imagined. That is then highlighted when Christine says she wasn't scared of his face but his soul. It was the darkness from the murders he was committing that turned her away which for The Phantom hurt more. After being told and treated as something ugly and to be ashamed of finally hearing someone sees who you are beneath and that is the ugliest part. It makes the whole relationship so much more complex and interesting to watch develop that I was glad to see it didn't become this relationship that takes advantage of the woman.

For the same reasons The Phantom becomes another interesting character to me. If you haven't noticed I love a good morally grey character/ situation where things are not as easy to discern. The backstory that follows The Phantom is what makes him more of a grey character, we know from what we have seen him do that he is not good and yet knowing where he came from and that he was abused makes us understand why. Again it doesn't excuse him for the crimes he commited but it at least gives us an explanation towards it and therefore we look at him a tad more complex. But aside from that he is a character that to me is such a diva! Every time he came on screen he was that 'it girl'. The dance teacher did reveal he was a genius in a multitude of ways which in turn was supposed to again justify the reason he turned crazy. Which is something I thought was unique or at least not as popular trait but should be. A character that is so smart and has such strong capabilities that it drives him insane. But along that path the fact he was able to create his own world underneath the theatre is so funny to me. Like this morally grey character who we are supposed to see as bad having an underground lair is normal but he doesn't just have a lair, he has traps and puzzles and a whole damn river with a boat that leads to a larger island full of candles and miniature theatre productions.

I would usually question the ability to perform and compose his own work from under the theatre but after seeing his passageways and staircases I think it is safe to say he is so far underground nothing will be able to hear him. Which in a way makes it scarier. Not just that but the fact he has such an obsession with Christine that stalking and kidnapping or killing those around her wasn't enough, no, he had to take it one step further by constructing an elaborate musical that the theatre managers would be forced to create in his exact image just so that he can play the main character against Christine so that he can finally feel like she wants him. Not only is that so much more work and complexities but it is so much more diabolical. The lengths this man will go my god. And the outfit he announced the play in- a fully red outfit with a new white mask when he already had a perfectly fine one at home. But no he needed a special one for the special ball. Everything the character does makes me hate him and yet the way he is presented makes him so much more fun that I know I would enjoy it more if I just gave the production a second chance.

Furthermore the songs that I did understand and enjoy only emphasize the dynamics each love interest has with Christine. I will admit I wasn't as sure about Raoul as I probably should have been. He is a good character who cared about Christine I just think we saw less of him individually that I wasn't as certain. To me for a relationship to work they need to both have their individuality before joing together and I didn't see much of Raoul besides his love for Christine which in itself says more than I need to. However the words each of them sing is so important towards their relationships. When The Phantom brings Christine back to his lair for the first time the song he sings is more about bringing Christine to the darkness or at least letting her darkness show more. Which is good in a relationship, sometimes I think you need more of a person that allows you to have bad moments and encourages that than obsessively forcing goodness which Raoul later sings about on the roof. However that changes slightly as The Phantom talks about almost bringing Christine down, that his darkness is so deep that she must darken herself further to be at his level.

At that point it isn't simply talking about bad days in terms of depression or loneliness but about murder which clearly is going to be something to avoid. Whereas Raoul talks about being the light, that even in dark days he will be the light to guide and reassure her that everything will be okay and she isn't alone. It is a very interesting change to see the two characters having similar ideologies in terms of helping Christine but in very apposing ways. Not just that but Christine herself sings about how she does not like night time as in she doesn't like feelings of darkness which I think is so much more symbolic when you realise Raoul has this artistic vision of making her a star which can only shine at night while Raoul is being the light that she can reflect off of. For that very reason I think the song all I ask of you is one of the better ones performed. I also loved the classic phantom of the opera song in fact I think it is my favourite of the whole thing. I have to say though, the transition of the point of no return being sung on the actual stage opera versus the in person in the lair version was so great.

The ending was also something I wasn't expecting. I was sure The Phantom was going to die yet he survives. And having him have this moment when he wins, he finally wins and gets the girl, there's a chance to be together forever and then he realises it isn't real. It was under the guise of a threat but also an act that was so tender and loving in sacrifice for the one you love that he had to let her go. It was a touching moment. And then having him leave, completely abandoning his lair and mask as if to show he is starting a new completely was just unexpected. Then there of course was the rose left at Christine's grave, a symbol of The Phantom and attached to it was the ring she was supposed to wear. Proving he never let her go but also that Christine never let him go in her own way as Raoul went and got the same box from his lair and placed it on her grave showing she still held some attachment. It was an unpredictable end from my part of a lovely story I enjoyed watching despite the confusion of the songs. The only question I have left is who the other older woman is. The best friend or the dance teacher?