The Phantom of the Opera (1990)
Count de Chagnie has discovered Christine's singing talent on a market place and sent her to his friend Carriere, the director of the Parisian opera. However just when she arrives Carriere's dismissed. His arrogant successor refuses to let a woman of low birth sing in his opera, but graciously employs Christine as gadrobiere for his wife Charlotta, who's installed as first singer. He also fights the phantom, an unknown guy who lives since many years in the catacombs below the opera and was granted privileges by Carriere. However the phantom knows how to defend himself and at the same time helps Christine to her career.
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Reviews
Disturbing yet enthralling
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Every person I know who has seen this film has cried through the second half. It is based off of the Yeston musical, 'Phantom'. Even though it is strange for the disfigured Erik to have loving parents, it is a surprisingly effective point that matches the story perfectly, and does not subtract from the total outcome. The actors are perfectly matched with parts, and they never seem out of place. The score from several operas really bring it together. On it's own, it is very easily one of the best. It is different enough from the musical it is based on (as well as the book for that matter) to be on it's own, but still retains all of the power that you get from both. You hardly realize you are sitting there watching for hours at a time.
I watched this movie because I wanted to see what Andrew Lloyd Webber was up against. I honestly thought it was going to be horrible. After, I saw the movie not only was I very impressed, but I couldn't get enough of it. I loved the cast. I was extremely pleased not none of Yestin's and Koppit's songs were used.(Now, I saw the Yestin's and Koppit's play long before I even knew a movie of it had been made.)I didn't like what they did with Eric's background story. I felt that it took away from his character. I hated that they didn't make Philippe more of a hero and that he had scenes in which he smoked!!! I was disappointed that we only saw Eric's face once and that it wasn't more believable. His face also really wasn't scary. I also thought that young Philippe, young Christine,and young Eric should have, at least, some dialogue.
1990 two-part Brit film, made for TV to take advantage of the interest in the then hit Broadway musical. This one is not a musical, but has numerous excellent operatic scenes. A young Comte, patron of the opera, hears a beautiful singer at a country fair, sends her to the impresario of the opera house to arrange for singing lessons. That manager has just been dismissed, succeeded by a scurrilous couple played by jealous, demanding soprano Andréa Ferréol and her husband, fawning Ian Richardson. He's in a very different role for him, which couldn't keep out his usual officious nature behind a very strange semi-Italian accent! I imagine he relished every second of it. Ferréol demands the leading roles in every opera, refuses to give lovely ingenue Teri Polo lessons, but lets her stay on as her costume girl and dresser to lesser players. Veteran character actor Charles Dance does a fine job as Erik, the Phantom, as does Burt Lancaster as the ousted manager. Unlike that famous organ scene in the Lon Chaney 1925 silent, we never see Erik's face. When he is unmasked, his back remains to the camera. I've seen most if not all of the film "Phantoms" and deem this the finest of all. Direction, sets, locations are all absolutely outstanding. The TV film originally ran on two different nights, with complete, long opening titles and closing credits run both times. The first installment ends suddenly with the huge chandelier crashing down on opera patrons. Tres abrupt! Viewers must fiddle around with controls to jump to the "next scene", the film's concluding half, and sit through those titles again. Should have been re-edited for home viewers. But the performance itself is well worth it, after one figures all this out. A very strange trailer is included as the third CD "scene".
Having not been familiar with Phantom of the Opera when I first saw this at age 10, I fell in love with the delicious storytelling and compelling characters. Charles Dance is superb as Eric- the perfect antihero that you just have to sympathize for. Needless to say, everytime I see Terri Polo in a film, I always think back to when I saw her in this miniseries...she did a brilliant job as such a young actress. While I have heard many praise ALW's version of this tale, I believe this version highly excels many expectations of those who are just suckers for romance and intrigue.