,The Phantom of the Opera
Director: Joel Schumacher
Cast: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver
Based on the novel by French author Gaston Leroux, “The Phantom of the Opera” is a tragically beautiful tale of an opera soprano named Christine (Emmy Rossum) who captures the heart of a gifted, but tormented soul known only as the Phantom of the Opera (Gerard Butler). As the Phantom’s obsession with Christine grows stronger, she is torn between her attraction to her “Angel of Music” and her love for childhood sweetheart, the noble Count de Chagny (Patrick Wilson).
Music plays a strong symbolic role in the film and nowhere is it illustrated more powerfully than in the characters of the beautiful Christine and the dark and lonely Phantom.
When Christine was a child, her dying father promised her that when he was gone, she would be protected by the Angel of Music. Christine believes that her angel comes in the form of the mysterious Phantom who teaches Christine the art of music in secret. When the truth of her Angel’s identity is revealed to her, Christine finds herself torn between her desire for her dark and brooding Angel of Music and her yearning for the gentle and comforting presence of the noble Count de Chagny; her childhood sweetheart who offers her a life of peace and love in the protection of his light. In the end, it is Christine's compassion for the Phantom which allows him to let her go. Their love is symbolized in the ring he gives Christine. While Christine returns the Phantom’s ring to him when she says goodbye, we see the ring tied to the black rose on Christine’s grave. To me, this symbolizes that the Phantom’s love for her endured even after her death and he was still there watching over his princess of the night.
For the Phantom, who lives his life in solitude and suffering, music is the only thing that offers his tormented soul peace. The Phantom has had so much anguish in his life that he has literally been robbed of his soul. As a child, he was shackled in a cage and scorned for being “the Devil’s Child”. When a single act of compassion allows him to escape this life of torment, the Phantom finds sanctuary in the watery catacombs beneath the Opera House. There, he embraces a new identity as the Phantom of the Opera. The only joyful thing in his life is his music. When he discovers Christine, an aspiring songstress who performs in the opera house, he sees in her a means to express his music in a way that is beautiful. While he initially teaches her in secret from the shadows, the Phantom soon reveals himself to the young Christine and eventually, his attraction to her becomes a jealous obsession; one that ignites into a fiery rage when the dark Phantom discovers that her heart belongs to the Count. Although he did not win her heart in the end, the Phantom’s love for Christine is still very much evident when the Count visits her grave and discovers a black rose resting on the stone.
“The Phantom of the Opera” is a heartbreakingly beautiful story. Gerard Butler shines in the role of the dark and brooding Phantom of the Opera; a character whose actions were driven by rage and suffering, but who hid his fragile heart behind a mask. He wasn’t truly a monster, but a scared and lonely man whose only desire was to create beautiful music as a way of finding peace. The music in this film paints a vibrant tapestry of the love and heartache shared between Christine and the two men vying for her heart and the story is one we can all identify with and understand. If you enjoy a good musical, then this is a film I would highly recommend.
© 2013 – 2017 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Joel Schumacher
Cast: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver
Based on the novel by French author Gaston Leroux, “The Phantom of the Opera” is a tragically beautiful tale of an opera soprano named Christine (Emmy Rossum) who captures the heart of a gifted, but tormented soul known only as the Phantom of the Opera (Gerard Butler). As the Phantom’s obsession with Christine grows stronger, she is torn between her attraction to her “Angel of Music” and her love for childhood sweetheart, the noble Count de Chagny (Patrick Wilson).
Music plays a strong symbolic role in the film and nowhere is it illustrated more powerfully than in the characters of the beautiful Christine and the dark and lonely Phantom.
When Christine was a child, her dying father promised her that when he was gone, she would be protected by the Angel of Music. Christine believes that her angel comes in the form of the mysterious Phantom who teaches Christine the art of music in secret. When the truth of her Angel’s identity is revealed to her, Christine finds herself torn between her desire for her dark and brooding Angel of Music and her yearning for the gentle and comforting presence of the noble Count de Chagny; her childhood sweetheart who offers her a life of peace and love in the protection of his light. In the end, it is Christine's compassion for the Phantom which allows him to let her go. Their love is symbolized in the ring he gives Christine. While Christine returns the Phantom’s ring to him when she says goodbye, we see the ring tied to the black rose on Christine’s grave. To me, this symbolizes that the Phantom’s love for her endured even after her death and he was still there watching over his princess of the night.
For the Phantom, who lives his life in solitude and suffering, music is the only thing that offers his tormented soul peace. The Phantom has had so much anguish in his life that he has literally been robbed of his soul. As a child, he was shackled in a cage and scorned for being “the Devil’s Child”. When a single act of compassion allows him to escape this life of torment, the Phantom finds sanctuary in the watery catacombs beneath the Opera House. There, he embraces a new identity as the Phantom of the Opera. The only joyful thing in his life is his music. When he discovers Christine, an aspiring songstress who performs in the opera house, he sees in her a means to express his music in a way that is beautiful. While he initially teaches her in secret from the shadows, the Phantom soon reveals himself to the young Christine and eventually, his attraction to her becomes a jealous obsession; one that ignites into a fiery rage when the dark Phantom discovers that her heart belongs to the Count. Although he did not win her heart in the end, the Phantom’s love for Christine is still very much evident when the Count visits her grave and discovers a black rose resting on the stone.
“The Phantom of the Opera” is a heartbreakingly beautiful story. Gerard Butler shines in the role of the dark and brooding Phantom of the Opera; a character whose actions were driven by rage and suffering, but who hid his fragile heart behind a mask. He wasn’t truly a monster, but a scared and lonely man whose only desire was to create beautiful music as a way of finding peace. The music in this film paints a vibrant tapestry of the love and heartache shared between Christine and the two men vying for her heart and the story is one we can all identify with and understand. If you enjoy a good musical, then this is a film I would highly recommend.
© 2013 – 2017 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.