The Phantom of the Opera

Year: 2005 Rating: PG-13 Overall Evaluation: 10 Significance Suppositions Story Style 10.0 / 10 10.0 / 10 9.0 / 10 10.0 / 10 Click HERE for evaluation criteria.

Style

Rated PG-13 for brief violent images. Nothing gratuitous except one shot of a man dropping his pants to B.A. someone.

Story

This film is based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway production that itself is based on the 1911 novel by Gaston Leroux. It is the story of a young soprano in the Paris Opera House named Christine who has been under the tutelage of a mysterious teacher who appears to be the culprit behind an ongoing ghost myth going around the theater. When Christine is thrust into the limelight the "ghost" (the phantom - a deformed man who has been living in the sewers beneath the opera house) cannot bear to be without her any longer. His tutoring sessions turn into a plan to woo Christine to remain with him forever as the voice of his music. Christine is in love with a childhood friend (Raoul), however, and is torn between the fantasy life offered by the mysterious phantom. Eventually the phantom's lust overcomes him and violence and murder ensue as he strives to win her devotion. Eventually Christine must choose between Raoul's death and a life of darkness with the phantom.

[SPOILER WARNING!]

Christine, in order to save Raoul's life, agrees to remain with the Phantom and kisses him deeply. The phantom, seeing Christine's true love and purity of motive, allows them to leave and then escapes himself just as the pursuers arrive on the scene.

Suppositions

This is a musical adaptation of the Broadway show and it has a lot of theatrical play with reality. Overall, however, the basic worldview is quite accurate especially in its portrayal of romantic idealism's real world bankruptcy and the sacrificial nature of true love.

Significance

The value of sacrificial love over romantic idealism is beautifully portrayed in the climax of this film. It is moving and a welcome antidote to the Hollywood identification with love as being either sexuality or sappy romanticism.