Joel Schumacher can be a mystery. His directing career atrributes him with not only creating one of the best, dark movie of the 80's (The Lost Boys) as well as nearly single handedly ruining the Batman film franchise. Judging his projects ahead of time is a difficult prospect indeed and when it was first announced that Schumacher was taking the helm to one of the greatest musical production ever performed, those fans of the stage cringed.
Thankfully, Phantom of the Opera is excellent, but it's necessary to put aside memories of the live production in order to judge it fairly, because there is simply no comparison. As a stand alone film however, 2004's Phantom works as a visceral, visual journey with the story and music audiences should already be well familiar with.
At its core, Phantom is the story of a young orphan with an exceptional voice living as many of the French performers did in an 1800's opera house. She is secretly coached by a faceless voice she believes to be the spirit of her father come to teach and protect her. When the opera house is purchased by a young man from her past, the voice of this spirit materializes as the Phantom, an errogant genius living below the streets of France who holds the theatre as his own. The Phantom is defied by the new owners and accidents begin occuring. Jealousy overtakes the disfigured denizen as he falls in love with the young star, but her heart beats for her childhood friend, the opera house beneficiary.
Christine Daae, the young woman torn between her pity for the Phantom and the man she truly loves is perfectly played by a relative newcomer, Emmy Rossum. The curly brunette has a singing voice that compliments her acting beautifully. The Phantom, intensely handled by Gerard Butler is hypnotic, sinister and a target for sympathy, and though very well voiced, his performance struggled against others' vocal prowess. Also making an appearance as the strutting Italian diva, Carlotta, is Minnie Driver in a memmorable character performance.
The film is strengthened by enormous, elaborate sets that put the players on stage, backstage, into the sprawling French sewers and beyond. The opera house in particular is massive, decorated in gold, guarded by giant naked female statues, candelabras and the chandelier that is central to the story's finale. Likewise the costumes are diverse and frequent, not to mention striking in appearance. The masquerade ball that takes place inside the opera house showcases a multitude of black and white costume variations with masks and gowns. Needless to say, there is a lot to see, and though it runs a bit long, could be worth a second viewing.
Phantom, though, is really about the music. Andrew Lloyd Weber's music is haunting and echoes through your mind long after the lights come up and the the curtain falls. Each of the show's signature songs are here and accompanying the credits is an original piece entitled Learn To Be Lonely and sung by Minnie Driver who, despite her screeching character, performs it beautifully. Phantom's music is unique in that it brings together traditional orchestra accompanied opera with a rock flavor producing a dramatic and energetic buzz in viewers. Though I don't sit and listen to the soundtrack, either from the stage or the film, the music still gives me the shivers and no doubt will make most fans lip sync through the movie.
Though not perfect, Schumacher's version is the best feature film translation of the musical to date and adds a few unique niceties to the story, including the Phantom's background and a behind the stage look at the performers that isn't often portrayed on or off Broadway. The movie can strike some as lengthy despite being shorter than it's stage sister. Forgiving its run time and some minor continuity problems, the movie deserves a 5 and maybe a few Oscar nominations as well.