The Phantom of the Opera: The Motion Picture

Plot

Christine Daae, a young opera singer in modern-day Manhattan, is searching for a unique piece to sing at her next audition. Her friend and manager Meg discovers an old opera piece called Don Juan Triumphant, written by a composer named Erik Destler. Curious, Christine and Meg do a little digging on Destler, and discover he may have been responsible for many murders and the disappearance of a young female opera singer he was said to have been obsessed with. While Christine is alone, she sings from the tattered parchment and blood seeps from the notes and covers her hands. Shocked, she discovers this to be an illusion when Meg returns. Christine auditions with the piece and during her performance, an accident with a falling sandbag renders her unconscious and shatters a mirror. She awakens in London in 1881, wearing opera clothing. A different version of Meg is also there. Christine turns out to be the understudy to the diva La Carlotta, who is both jealous and resentful of Christine’s skill. During this whole time, Erik Destler attacks the scene-shifter Joseph with a blade high above the rafters for almost killing Christine with the falling sandbag, and blaming the accident on him.

Alone in her dressing room after she recovers, Christine receives a vision and a message from a masked Erik Destler, revealing he is her teacher and an angel sent by her deceased father. Destler encourages her to practice Carlotta’s part of Marguerite in Faust, saying that only she can sing the part as it was meant to be sung. Christine complies. That evening, Carlotta discovers Joseph’s skinned (but barely alive) body in her dressing closet. The event causes her to scream and lose her voice. Christine is then cast in the role of Marguerite, which causes a panic to the opera house owner Martin Barton, who favors Carlotta and the prestige she brings to his opera house. During the scene where Dr. Faust signs his soul to the Devil, Destler reminisces about a time, perhaps decades ago, when he sold his own soul to the Devil in exchange for people loving him for his music. The Devil grants his wish, but burns and disfigures Destler’s face, telling him that only his music will be what people love him for. Christine gives a stellar performance and receives a standing ovation, and celebrates that night with her fiance Richard. She tells him of her mysterious "teacher", to whom she accredits her success. A mildly jealous Richard asks to meet this teacher, but Christine insists her teacher is only a figment of her imagination. Meanwhile Destler seduces a prostitute and pays her gold to call herself "Christine" for the night. Destler’s further obsession with Christine (as well as his supernatural prowess) is revealed when he single-handedly murders three thugs who try to steal his money.

Shockingly, the next morning in the papers, Christine is given a bad review by the famous opera critic Harrison, secretly done as a favor to Barton. Destler tracks Harrison down and brutally murders him in a Turkish spa after Harrison refuses to recant his review. Christine tearfully goes to the graveyard and prays next to her fathers grave. Destler appears as a shadowy violinist and offers her a chance at musical immortality if she will only go to him. Christine goes away with the Phantom in his stagecoach just as Richard arrives. Deep in the sewers below London’s opera house, Destler reveals himself as the composer of Don Juan Triumphant, which causes a spark of recollection within Christine and she sings the same lyrics from the beginning of the film. Destler places his ring upon her finger and warns her never to see another man again. Christine, through fear promises she wont see another man. Destler kisses her hand declaring her to be his bride. Richard goes to Inspector Hawkins who reveals to Richard that the Phantom is not only Erik Destler, but has lived for centuries, uses the opera houses catacombs as a hideout, and skins his murdered victims for their facial skin to cover his own hideous visage. Hawkins also tells him the only way to kill the Phantom is to destroy his music.

At a masquerade ball, Christine meets up with Richard and begs him to take her away. For she fears the Phantom and really loves Richard. Erik, disguised as Red Death, sees this exchange and becomes enraged. He decapitates Carlotta causing a mayhem and kidnaps Christine. Hawkins, Richard and the rat catcher whom Destler has been bribing in the past go quickly in pursuit. Back in the Phantom’s lair an enraged Destler attempts to rape Christine. Then he hears the men approaching, tells Christine she can never leave and locks her in the lair. The policemen become lost in the sewers, Destler murders two policemen as well as the rat catcher for betraying him. He returns to Christine who asks him if he is going to kill her too. Destler replies "This is either a wedding march or a funeral mass. You decide which." Richard and Inspector Hawkins burst in. During a fight with the Phantom, Richard is stabbed, set on fire, and killed. Christine sets the lair on fire by pushing over candle holders and attempts to kill Destler, but he grabs her hand and tries to take her away with him. However, a wounded Hawkins manages to shoot Destler three times. Christine pushes another candle holder through a mirror which sends her back to her own time. As she vanishes, she hears Destlers echoing voice screaming her name.

Christine awakens back to the present-day in Manhattan and meets the opera’s producer Mr. Foster, who comforts her and offers her the leading part. At his apartment, they have drinks and Foster goes upstairs to change and finds a blemish on his face. It is then discovered that Foster is really Destler from long ago, and he goes to change his facial skin with synthetic ones he keeps in a special lab. Meanwhile, downstairs, Christine discovers a copy of the Don Juan Triumphant music score. Foster/Destler enters, reveals his true self to her and lovingly kisses her lips. Christine pretends to accept him then roughly rips off his mask, stabs him and escapes taking his music. She tears it apart and lets it drop into the gutter, whilst Foster/Destler is heard screaming. On her way home, Christine passes by a street violin player, whom she gives some money to. The violinist slowly follows her, playing the theme from Don Juan Triumphant. Christine looks back and reflects on the music for a while. Then, very resolutely, she turns around and continues on her way, wondering if Destler is really gone for good.

Cast

Production

Fans of the film regard the soundtrack to be especially underrated. The original music written for the film by Misha Segal (also known for the soundtrack to The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking) won a 1989 Brit for best soundtrack. Of particular interest to fans of the original novel is Segals rendition of the Phantoms opera composition Don Juan Triumphant with the Phantom on the organ and Christine singing.

Like in the novel and silent film version, Christine is seen performing as Marguerite in a production of Gounods Faust, though this time we actually hear her voice. Appearing in the background of the performance are the figures of Faust and Mephisto (symbolic of the Phantoms own pact with the Devil in this film). Christines singing of recitatives from Gounods Faust score is more faithful to the original novel than the Lloyd-Webber musical and film: in which an imaginary opera is invented for the occasion.

Comparison with the original and other versions

In this version of The Phantom of the Opera, the main action is transferred from Lerouxs Paris Opera House to a London Opera House of the same period (but unlike the original, and most of the other adaptations, there is no falling chandelier scene). However in many respects this film is more faithful to the spirit and letter of the original than many other better known adaptations. In particular the Faustian element present in the book is emphasized - with a staging of Gounods Faust as in the original, here a reminder of Eriks Satanic pact. The rat catcher is included in this version. The sadism of Lerouxs original Erik, who, as in the novel, festoons the Opera with rope traps, is retained here, unlike in more sentimental versions. In a gory touch, the Phantoms original black mask is now a mask stitched together out of the flesh of his victims. The mysterious violinist at the cemetery is also retained in this version. Of the other characters Carlotta is here decapitated by the Phantom (unlike the novel where she survives), Richard (the Raoul figure of this version) is set ablaze, and the Rat Catcher of the sewers meets a grisly fate.

The Phantoms disfigurement

In this version, Eriks face is burned by the devils touch. A great quantity of skin is absent on the right side of his face, and his nose lacks skin, of which is present on the back of his head, and he only has a few strands of hair. One of his ears is missing, and he has no teeth. As time passes more skin comes off, as if he is decomposing.

Release

The Scream Factory released the film on February 17, 2015 for the first time on Blu-ray Disc in the United States. The film was released along the Documentary film, Behind The Mask: The Making of “The Phantom of the Opera. The documentary film featured Interviews with Robert Englund, Bill Nighy, Alex Hyde-White, Molly Shannon and Dwight H. Little. The alternative title cover of film, was "Freddy: The Musical".

Critical reception

The Phantom of the Opera currently holds a 38% Rotten rating on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes.

Box office

The film was a box office failure when released, grossing just under $4 million in the US.

Planned sequel

Englund was under contract to appear in a sequel, but it was canceled after the films poor reception, and has been the subject of numerous rumors. Fangoria Magazine claimed in 1991 that the script was re-written into what became 1992s Dance Macabre, also starring Englund.

Englund confirmed in a 2004 interview that a script had been written, and while he personally felt it was superior to the first film, it had never been filmed in any capacity. In 2012, Englund was asked at a memorabilia sale about the possibility of a sequel happening in the near future; Englund informed everybody in attendance that although it would be overwhelming to see a sequel, the chances of it happening at this stage are "highly unlikely".