THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Lives Inside My Mind   

 

With its haunting musical score and Gerard Butler’s seductive portrayal of a disfigured genius in love with an innocent young opera singer, the 2004 movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most popular stage musical is immensely watchable. Although I wanted Antonio Banderas to play The Phantom, Butler won me over with the intensity of his performance and his impressive command of the screen. Now that I’ve seen the film, I’m convinced Banderas would’ve been better only in the fluidity of the character’s movement.   

 

Let’s face it. Butler’s masked Phantom is hot! That’s probably why Laura Mills-Alcott of TheRomanceClub.com calls him “the sexiest psychopath of the year.” No wonder innocent, naïve Christine (Emmy Rossum, absolutely sensational here) finds it hard to resist him. Mad he may be, but his romantic rendition of “Music of the Night” would melt any gal’s heart. Even though Christine has a thing for Raoul (Patrick Wilson, who also sings up a storm), she can’t help being attracted to her secret mentor -- nor believing that he’s the “Angel of Music” sent by her late father.

 

However, this Phantom is clearly no angel. Like a ghost, he lurks within the Paris Opera House and lives in the labyrinth below. After hearing understudy Christine sing, he took her under his wing, which means he’ll do anything to make sure she becomes the Opera’s leading lady as well as his own true love – even if it means killing anyone standing (or singing) in his way.

Why is the Phantom such an appealing character in print and on stage and screen? Director Joel Schumacher explains, “One of the reasons this tragic love story has been part of our culture since Gaston Leroux wrote his novel (in 1911) is because we identify with the Phantom. He’s a physical manifestation of whatever human beings feel is unlovable about themselves…a heartbreaking character much like the hunchback of Notre Dame and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast.”

But enough about the plot. Music reigns supreme in The Phantom of the Opera. As film critic Jeffrey Chen pointed out in his review written shortly after the movie was released: “The Pha-a-a-a-antom of the Opera is he-e-ere, inside your mind! Boy, is he ever. It's been a few days since I've seen the movie, but those tunes are still stuck in my head.”

 

Webber’s tunes are also “stuck in my head,” even though I’m writing this review many months after watching the movie. But, hey, so are images of Gerard Butler as The Phantom.

 

(Released by Warner Bros. and rated “PG-13” for brief violent images.)