The Phantom of the Opera (Two-Disc Special Edition) | Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum

The Phantom of the Opera (Two-Disc Special Edition) | Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum | Phantom of the Opera - Gerard Butler

DVDs:

The Phantom of the...

	The Phantom of the Opera (Two-Disc Special Edition) Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum Warner Home Video, 2005 average customer review:based on 1295 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Musical Drama based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's celebrated musical phenomenon. The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a disfigured musical genius (Gerard Butler) who haunts the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera, waging a reign of terror over its occupants. When he falls fatally in love with the lovely Christine (Emmy Rossum), the Phantom devotes himself to creating a new star for the Opera, exerting a strange sense of control over the young soprano as he nurtures her extraordinary talents.

DVD Features:
Additional Scenes:"No-one Would Listen" Approx. 4 Mins.
DVD ROM Features
Documentary:Behind the Mask - The Story of the Phantom of the Opera
Easter Eggs
Featurette:The Making of The Phantom of the Opera in 3 Spellbinding Acts: Preproduction, The Director, Production

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Music of the Night

Personally, I've never been a big fan of movie musicals, though there have been a few exceptions. One of those exceptions is Joel Schumacher's marvelous film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber's The Phantom of the Opera. The lavish production perfectly captures the excitement of the stage, while cleverly exploiting the cinematic medium for maximum impact. The film showcases impressive costumes, awesome sets, and an unexpectedly terrific cast, which reenergizes the music with a youthful vitality that is sometimes absent in stage productions. Of the cast, the real showstopper is young Emmy Rossum, whose porcelain skin, gorgeous brown eyes, and breathtaking vocals lend an urgency and sympathy to the character of the Phantom, who is played by Gerard Butler. The rest of the excellent cast includes Patrick Wilson as Raoul, Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry, Jennifer Ellison as Meg Giry, and Minnie Driver as Carlotta. All are superb in their respective roles. Many of the songs have been updated slightly to suit the vocal capabilities of the actors, as well as to achieve greater emotional investment with the characters. Every member of the cast does their own singing (or so says the press release), which is astonishing when you consider that most of the actors have never sung professionally before.

Orphaned at age seven, when her famous violinist father passed away, Christine Daae was raised by Madame Giry in the Paris Opera Populaire. From a young age she showed great promise as both a singer and a dancer. The secret to her talents can be partly attributed to a mysterious voice that she's heard since the death of her father. This voice guides her and tutors her with her singing, but little does she suspect that it is the voice of Erik, the Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom lives deep beneath the opera house where he uses his ingenious talents to orchestrates all to ensure Christine's success. But when Christine's childhood friend, the now handsome and dashing Raoul returns and expresses his love for Christine, the Phantom grows jealous and his wrath echoes throughout the Opera Populaire. The Phantom, filled with anger and consumed by possessive passion, kidnaps Christine and takes her to his cavernous underground lair. After unmasking him and revealing a disfigured face, the Phantom lets Christine go. Then he sends a threatening note declaring that Christine should replace Carlotta, an obnoxious prim Donna and the star of the latest opera, but when the new owners of the opera disregard the Phantom's note, he disrupts the performance on opening night. The Phantom kills a stage hand, and sabotages Carlotta's performance, practically destroying her career. Meanwhile Raoul plans to take Christine away from the opera house before misfortune should befall her too, but the Phantom won't allow it. The Phantom sets into action a plan that will guarantee that he and Christine won't be separated... ever. Yet Christine, torn between Raoul and the Phantom, is left to make the decision of a lifetime.

The screenplay, which was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Joel Schumacher, is based upon the musical written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, and Richard Stilgoe. The musical was inspired by the serial novel written by Gaston Leroux, though much has been changed in order to create a more romantic atmosphere.
Stylistically, The Phantom of the Opera has no equal as the production design is immaculate and unlike anything seen in film before. And as I've mentioned before the lavish costumes, which were designed by Alexandra Byrne, help to set the tone of the film. The lighting and cinematography are also spectacular. In fact, it's hard to find any significant flaws in the film, at least not from a technical standpoint.
My only complaint is that some of the actors have difficulty adapting the acting style of the stage to that of the screen. However, this is a very minor annoyance and the majority of the cast is superb, especially Emmy Rossum as Christine and Gerard Butler as The Phantom. Both should be deeply proud of their impressive work in this film.
Without a doubt, The Phantom of the Opera is a classic.

Also recommended:
The Phantom Of The Opera by Gaston Leroux
The Phantom of the Opera (original 1925 Universal Studios film)
Phantom of the Opera (original 1943 Universal Studios remake)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show / Shock Treatment
The Lost Boys
Moulin Rouge
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The Phantom of the Opera: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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Phantom of the Opera - Gerard Butler

I could not wait to get this DVD and when I finally did get it, I was really amazed that Jerry could sing so well. Some may think he didn't do such a good job but I am a fan of everything he does. It was a great love story with so much hurt and loneliness. I felt such pain for the Phantom. Jerry did such a wonderful job behind the mask he had to wear because his part required his character to show emotion thru his eyes and his voice thru his songs . It was wonderful. I suggest this DVD to all and especially to those hard-core Jerry Butler fans. They have probably already seen it since we keep close vision to all his work.

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Truly Amazing!

This will keep you singing for days! Very well done, the costumes and music are spectacular! I cant think of a single complaint.

amazing detail

We already owned the CD and DVD, but wondered whether we were missing out on some detail. We're glad we went ahead and ordered the HD DVD version. It has amazing detail! Little buttons on costumes and intricate carvings on the opera house set come to life! In addition, shipping was faster than we expected. We are delighted with this purchase.

Not Just For Opera Lovers

The Phantom of the Opera (Widescreen Edition)

One word describes the quality of this DVD, Incredible. Let me clarify this comment. The condition of the DVD was excellent; however, the contents, the Movie, was incredible. I was skeptacle when my wife suggested I order this DVD. I am not an Opera fan, but I soon found out that Opera in this form can be fun and entertaining. Amazon, you've done it again; you have come through with your promise of quality for the customer.

Thanks, Mike

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