Phantom of the Opera

Describe

The Phantom of the Opera is a powerful story that is centered around the Paris Opera House in 1870, with occasional flash-forwards to the characters in the current year of 1919. The main character, Christine Daae, is a young dancer for the opera house, who has the opportunity to sing for the new owners once the Opera House is sold. She astounds them, and quickly becomes the star of the opera, much to the dismay of the current star, La Carlotta. When she performs on opening night, her former childhood love Raoul notices her, and comes to find her after the show. Little does he know, but when he leaves her dressing room, the "phantom" comes to her room and takes her away to the underground layers of the opera. He has been watching her and coaching her since she was a little girl, since he lives and basically rules the opera house, and is very obviously in love with her. The story continues in a rapid fire way, with many different obstacles occuring for the Phantom, including Christine falling back into love with Raoul and leaving him behind. Between deaths at the phantoms hand, and threatening letters and other omens sent to members of the opera, the Phantom makes no mistake in informing the patrons that he means buisness, and things will be carried out in his ideal method. In the end, the Phantom allows Christine to leave for her life with Raoul after a brief struggle between the two suitors in the dungeons of the Opera House.
.

Analyze

I think that there was a lot of symbolism in the Phantom of the Opera, which added to the mystery that the opera constantly alluded. The camera angle and camera shots were very dramatic, because they jumped from item to item and and created the allure of a mystery. The music was the most important aspect of the movie most noteably, since it was an Opera. Throughout the entire film, you could always detect the tone, and anticipate what was coming next, simply by listening to the score. The Phantom's desire to hide himself, both with the mask and with covering all of the mirrors in his chamber, show that he was ashamed of his appearance, since it had been the cause of his grief and agony for so long.

Interpret

Although the story of the Phantom of the Opera may come across and being a love story, it is so much more than that. The struggle between the Phantom and Raoul depicts a classic battle between dominant male characters, while La Carlotta losing her role to Christine Daae shows the struggle for an older performer to keep up with newer and younger talent. Although the opera was set in the late 19th century, the themes it portrayed can still radiate with younger and newer viewers.

Evaluate
I think that the Phantom of the Opera is a great work, and was as great in the movie and it was everytime that I have seen it performed on Broadway. The singing was superb, the musical score was phenomenal, the special effects fit perfectly with everything that was taking place in the film, and the actors portrayed the characters in a great manner.