The Phantom of the Opera (2004 movie)
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The Phantom of the Opera is the 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart's international stage success. There are minor changes: Some new scenes are added while others in the musical are removed, some lines that were sung are now spoken and vice versa. The Phantom is changed somewhat to be a more sensual character than he is in the stage musical, particularly in the songs Music of the Night and Point of No Return, where things become much more heated between Christine and the Phantom..
Based on the original novel by Gaston Leroux, the plot centers on a disfigured musical genius, tormented by his scarred face, who lives in the watery labyrinths beneath the Opera Populaire in Paris. Obsessed with the voice of a beautiful young soprano, he plots to place her center stage through threatening letters to the management and hopes to win her heart with his efforts to make her a star.
The cast includes Gerard Butler as the Phantom, Emmy Rossum (who was only 16 at the time of filming) as Christine, Patrick Wilson as Raoul, Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry, Jennifer Ellison as Meg, and Minnie Driver (whose vocals have been dubbed by Margaret Preece, a professional opera singer) as Carlotta.
Driver herself does lend her actual singing voice to the film's end title song, "Learn To Be Lonely", written by Lloyd Webber and Hart expressly for the film. The tune for "Learn to Be Lonely" was originally intended for an additional song to be sung by the Phantom during the film, "No One Would Listen", but the song was removed for pacing reasons. (It is included as an extra on some editions of the DVD.) There was some controversy among fans in regard to the performance of "Learn to Be Lonely" at the Academy Awards, where it was performed by the singer Beyonce Knowles, along with several other songs nominated for Best Original Song.
Trafalgar Square Publishing has issued The Phantom of the Opera Companion, a definitive account of the tale, tracing the legend from its origins, and through all its artistic incarnations, to the contemporary theater production and film. It includes the complete screenplay and more than 150 photographs from both the film and theater productions worldwide.
The soundtrack has been released on CD.
Award nominations
Prior to its official release, the film garnered three Golden Globe nominations in the Musical or Comedy categories: Best Picture, Best Actress (Rossum), and Best Song ("Learn to Be Lonely"). It won none.
It was nominated for three 2005 Academy Awards: achievement in art direction, achievement in cinematography, and achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song). It won none.
Critical reaction
After its release the film was met with mixed reviews by critics; however it was always assured an audience of those who had seen the original productions. Much of the criticism was of Butler, who an Entertainment Weekly critic said sang "like a meatloaf stuffed with too much garlic"; however, Rossum gained acclaim in the role of Christine. In the end it seemed like the critics couldn't even agree among themselves on what they liked and disliked about the movie. Popular response was similarly mixed, with the movie maintaining a spot in the top ten grossing movies of the week, for a month, even in limited release.
See also
External links
- Template:Imdb title
- The Phantom of the Opera (http://phantomthemovie.warnerbros.com/) official home page
bg:Фантомът от Операта (филм 2004) fr:Le Fantôme de l'Opéra (film, 2004) zh:歌劇魅影 (2004年電影)