The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

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Movie
German title The Phantom of the Opera
Original title The Phantom of the Opera
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2004
length 143 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
JMK 10
Rod
Director Joel Schumacher
script Andrew Lloyd Webber
Joel Schumacher
production Andrew Lloyd Webber
music Andrew Lloyd Webber
camera John Mathieson
cut Terry Rawlings
occupation

The Phantom of the Opera is a film adaptation of the musical The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber (which in turn is based on the novel Gaston Leroux 'of the same name ) from 2004 . Directed by Joel Schumacher . The film is being awarded by Warner Bros.

action

The film begins with a black and white sequence in the opera, where an auction is taking place. An old gentleman, called Vicomte de Chagny by the auctioneer, and an older lady, Madame Giry, compete over a music box with a monkey sitting on it. In the end the woman gives in and the viscount buys the object. The auctioneer comes to a large chandelier, when it is raised, the opera changes.

The plot changes with the title sequence: the opera receives two new directors who make the young Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny, its patron . When the prima donna Carlotta does not want to play the role she was supposed to play in the upcoming play, the cloakroom attendant Giry suggests the choir singer Christine, who takes singing lessons from an unknown teacher. Raoul, who knows Christine from childhood, asks her about the teacher, whereupon she says that it is the "angel of the muse" that her father promised to send her. When Raoul leaves, Christine hears the voice of the "angel", who is the infamous Phantom of the Opera, a man whose right half of his face is masked and who lives in the catacombs of the opera. Both the directors and Carlotta receive threatening letters that instead of Carlotta's Christine should sing the lead role. The directors dislike the fact that there is more and more about Christine, and they ignore the letter. During the performance, Carlotta begins to croak from a spray that the phantom has replaced. Now Christine is playing the main role. A stage worker who discovers the phantom behind the stage suddenly dangles from the ceiling. Raoul and Christine flee to the roof terrace, where they confess their love. Christine is still afraid, however, that the phantom could hear her, which is the case.

At a masked ball, the phantom appears in red clothes, insults the main actors and the directors and gives them the opera Don Juan - the winner, written by him . Then he snatches a chain from Christine that he had given her and disappears through the floor. Raoul, who followed him and ended up in a hall of mirrors, is saved by Madame Giry, who he asks to tell him everything. She says that a long time ago she helped a disfigured boy who was presented at the fair as "the devil's son" escape and hid him in the opera after he strangled his tormentor.

Raoul recognizes this child as the phantom and follows Christine, who was brought to the cemetery by the phantom disguised as a coachman to visit her father's grave. When the phantom tries to lure Christine into the grave, Raoul opens a fencing match with the phantom. When he has defeated it and tries to stab it fatally, he spares it at Christine's request and rides away with her. The phantom swears vengeance. Back at the opera, Raoul and the directors forge a plan to comply with the Phantom's wishes in order to lure it into a trap. The phantom takes the place of the second main character in the opera, who he killed, and sings with Christine, unmasking him and all seeing his disfigured face for the first time. The phantom angrily kidnaps her and causes the chandelier in the auditorium to crash, causing a fire to break out. Raoul takes up the chase again and is able to escape the Phantom's underwater trap. In his hiding place, however, the phantom catches him with his "magic lasso" and gives Christine the choice of either staying with him and marrying him so that Raoul can be set free, or to decide for Raoul, which however has to die. Christine tells the phantom that he is “not alone” and kisses him out of pity. Another interpretation of the kiss would be that she loves the phantom, but that a relationship seems unrealistic to her.

The phantom bitterly chases them away. Christine gives him back the ring that the phantom gave her; then the phantom smashes the mirror in his hiding place and escapes through a secret passage. When the police and Madame Giry's daughter Meg arrive, Meg finds the mask of the phantom and the music box that was visible at the beginning.

At the end you see the old man again, who puts the music box in front of Christine's grave, where it becomes clear that he is the aged Raoul. Next to the gravestone he finds a rose and the ring that Christine had given back to the phantom, a sign that it is still alive and mourning Christine.

criticism

“The story, set in the Parisian opera milieu of the late 19th century, is convincing at best with its opulent décor - the staging, however, is unimaginative, the main actors are overwhelmed by acting and singing (although the latter is somewhat softened by the German synchronization). The music, well versed in pop sounds and romantic opera, but soullessly copied, makes you wistfully think back to the past times of great musicals and artistically inspired directors. "

- Lexicon of international film

Interesting

  • Gerard Butler was not a trained singer, he only sang in a band. His true talent only revealed in the year before shooting began, and he was trained by Simon Lee, the music coordinator.
  • Emmy Rossum , the leading actress, was just 17 years old when it was set.
  • Patrick Wilson was the first to play, ahead of Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum.
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber insisted that all leading actors sing themselves to a high standard. Only Minnie Driver received support in some places from an opera singer named Margaret Preece.
  • Webber also wrote around 15 minutes of new music for the film, which runs in the background, such as: B. in the shot that shows the childhood of the phantom and while Christine drives to her father's grave in a carriage. The new song Learn to Be Lonely (sung by Minnie Driver) runs during the post-credits and was nominated for an Oscar in 2005.

Awards

  • 2005
    • Golden Globe nominations:
      • Best Film (Comedy / Musical)
      • Best Actress (Comedy / Musical)
      • Best original song
    • Oscar nominations:
      • Best equipment
      • Best camera
      • Best original song
  • 2006

The German Film and Media Assessment FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the rating “particularly valuable”.

statistics

  • The production budget was estimated at $ 70 million.
  • By 2012, the film grossed over $ 154 million worldwide, including around 51 million in the USA.
  • In Germany, 702,103 cinema-goers saw the film.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Certificate of release for The Phantom of the Opera . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , December 2004 (PDF; test number: 100 918 K).
  2. ↑ Age rating for The Phantom of the Opera . Youth Media Commission .
  3. ↑ The Phantom of the Opera. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  4. ↑ The Phantom of the Opera on fbw-filmbassy.com
  5. ↑ a b Box office in the IMDb