What Do The Critics Say?

"As a die-hard fan of "The Phantom of the Opera", I couldn't have been happier with the film adaptation. It captures everything that I love about the stage musical, and then some. Lloyd Webber's music has never sounded better, and I hope the film draws in legions of new admirers while re-igniting the nostalgic flame in existing fans." Mark Beirne OURBRISBANE.COM "Easily one of the most entertaining motion pictures of the year, "The Phantom of the Opera" is a great, old-fashioned musical with breathtaking present-day production values, a cinematic gift for the ages that finds profundity in its thematic innocence." Dustin Putman THEMOVIEBOY.COM "One of the most compelling movies of the year, and certainly one of the best musicals in recent history, this is geared for those who love musicals, and enjoyable for those who never would go to the play in the first place." Michael Szymanski ZAP2IT.COM "I recognize it's a dynamite attraction for all those who made it endure so long and can hardly see how devotees would ignore it, costume fluffery, rephrasing and all. For the Rossum experience alone, though, I recommend it." Jules Brenner VARIAGATE.COM

"The look of the film is quite beautiful. Every scene is lush and vibrant with color and spectacle." Scott Nash THREE MOVIE BUFFS "Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. Butler does a decent job as The Phantom. 18 year old Emmy Rossum is not only attractive, but talented. Neither she nor Butler had seen the stage version prior to filming but she makes for a very good Christina." Ethan Nahte HERO REALM "As far as musicals go, it is much better than some of the other versions of The Phantom of the Opera that have been produced over the years." Stefan Halley HERO REALM "Staying amazingly true to the stage adaptation, if not so much to the original novel by Gaston Laroux, Schumacher and Webber obviously share a rooting passion for their source material, and it shows. The three leads, all of them still generally unknown actors who probably won't remain unknown for long, are excellent." Dustin Putman THEMOVIEBOY.COM

At A Glance

Fearing date-movie hell, most guys will panic at the idea of a Gothic love story set in an 1870 Paris opera house where beast hits on beauty with a nonstop assault of Andrew Lloyd Webber music. Snap out of it. Phantom, still running on Broadway after sixteen years, is a rapturous spectacle. And the movie, directed full throttle by Joel Schumacher, goes the show one better. ...... Peter Travers ROLLING STONE

Who would have thought that when Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" opened on October 9th 1986 at Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End, it would go on to become the largest grossing stage or screenplay in the world. "The Phantom" has played in 18 countries, reached an estimated audience of around 80 million people, been performed over 65,000 times, earned more than 50 major awards and grossed a whopping $US3.2 billion. But the story of "The Phantom of the Opera" is not new. Nor is it new to theatres or the screen. First published as a novel in 1911, "The Phantom of the Opera" was created by one, Gaston Leroux, a lawyer who squandered his inheritance on wine and gambling. Writing brought him great success and critical acclaim. His first novel "The Seeking of the Morning Treasures" was published in 1903. It was followed in 1907 by "The Mystery of the Yellow Room" and then in 1908 by "The Perfume of the Lady in Black". It was the novel "The Haunted Chair" that set him free from his then profession as a journalist. Then in 1913 his novel "Balaoo" became a film of the same name. In 1919 Leroux's "Mystery of the Yellow Room" was released. In 1923 Universal Pictures released "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" which was a huge success. This lead to "The Phantom of the Opera" appearing on the silent screens in 1925. It soon endeared itself to audiences everywhere. But tragedy would strike Leroux. In 1927, just two years after the release of "The Phantom", Leroux died from complications after surgery. In 1929 Universal re-released "The Phantom of the Opera" adding a soundtrack in the same year and then upgrading it in 1930 for the talkie market. It's fait to say most people would think "The Phantom of the Opera" is the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber. While the original story belongs to Gaston Leroux, I am sure he would be most pleased with the effort Webber has put into both the stage play and now the film. While most of his work has faded into obscurity outside his homeland of France, Leroux will live on forever through his most outstanding literary contribution, "The Phantom of the Opera". Today Andrew Lloyd Webbers stage play musical has etched a place in history and the hearts of millions. What is it that has made this production so endearing to millions? Ask a fan and each will give a different answer. To some it is the love story, the eternal triangle. To others it is the lavishness of the production. But to most people it is the wonderful songs. In fact the original cast recording featuring Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford is the biggest selling album of all time with over 40 million copies sold to date. It's success has seen it go gold and then platinum in the USA and the United Kingdom. The collaboration of Joel Schumacker and Webber in bringing "The Phantom" to the big screen will no doubt bring a new resurgent interest. But has it's popularity ever waned? I don't think so. It's still playing to audiences off-Broadway in the USA where so far some 10.3 million have come to see it. In fact it's the second longest running musical in Broadway's history. And the number 1? It's Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats". For Webber and Schumacher it's been a long journey getting "The Phantom of the Opera" to the big screen. Webber first approached Schumacher after he [Webber] took "The Phantom" to Broadway in 1988. He was most impressed with Joel's work on the film "The Lost Boys". "I thought Joel had an incredible visual sense and his use of music in the film was exception," Lloyd Webber said. Then came the news that shocked the world, the breakdown of his marriage to Sarah Brightman and their subsequent divorce. Webber decided to postpone production of the film. Over the years Webber did try to get together with Schumacher but to no avail. Schumacher has a huge filming schedule. In December 2002, after he completed shooting "Phone Booth" in just twelve days, Webber and Joel met in London for dinner and it was then that the collaboration was set in concrete. There were two things that attracted Schumacher to "The Phantom" way back in 1988 and then again in 2002. He says the first was "The Phantom characters." The second was simply this, "there are millions of people who cannot afford to see Phantom in a legitimate theatre, and many people who don't live in an area where they can get to a theatre where the musical is playing," he explained. In this adaptation of Webber's musical, Joel and Webber "delved further into the backstories of several key characters." It works well for as we all know, much, much more can be revealed in a film. Schumcher admits it was rewarding working with Lloyd Webber, a friend of some 15 years. "We have a very good marriage creatively because I take care of the filming and he takes care of the music," Schumacher said. And while there are sure to be a few die-hard stage fans and the odd critic bleating out complaints as to the film version it's interesting to take in Webber's thoughts. "The film looks and sounds fabulous and I think it's an extraordinary fine document of the stage show," Webber notes enthusiastically. So what about the cast? Emmy Rossum? "Emmy has got a fantastic voice," he said. Patrick Wilson? "Patrick is one of the greatest natural lyric tenors from the theatre," he notes. Gerard Butler? "Gerard has got a great rock tenor voice," Webber says with honest praise. It's here I must let you in on what happened when both Rossum and Butler auditioned for Andrew Lloyd Webber at his home. "Suddenly I'm standing in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber in his house, " Butler explained. "Simon was playing the piano, reminding me to breath, and I thought "I'm about to sing 'Music Of The Night", one of the most famous songs of all time, for the composer. My legs started shaking." Emmy Rossum recalls wrapping up her starring role in "The Day After Tomorrow" and then, "about a week later I went to sing for Andrew at his house, which was very nerve-wracking!" She recalls, "I was warming up with the accompanist when Andrew walked into the room, sat down without introducing himself and said 'Shall we'?" Now it's all over and the product is about to hit the big screen all over the world. It's a fantastic production and believe me, if you've seen the stage musical, this is still really worth having a look at. But don't go making useless comparisons. Just enjoy the sumptuous experience of Schumacher and Lloyd Webber's screen version of "The Phantom of the Opera". It's every bit as good as the original but gives a far wider insight into the story. Crew Bytes "The Phantom Of The Opera" was .......
directed by Joel Schumacher ["The Client", "Batman Forever", "8MM", "Tigerland" and "Phone Booth"]; screenplay by Joel Schumacher ["Sparkle", "Car Wash", "Flawless" and "St Elmo's Fire"] and ACADEMY & GOLDEN GLOBE winner; multiple Tony, Grammy & Olivier Award winner Andrew Lloyd Webber ["Cats", "Starlight Express", "Sunset Boulevard" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"]; original story "Le Fantôme de L'Opéra" by Gaston Leroux ["Seeking of the Morning Treasures", "The Perfume of the Lady in Black", "Mystery of the Yellow Room" and "The Haunted Chair"]; costume design by INTERNATIONAL Critics Circle Award winner Alexandra Byrne ["Elizabeth", "Hamlet", "Captain Correlli's Mandolin" and "Neverland"]; production design by Anthony Pratt ["Excaliber", "The End Of The Affair", "Grey Owl" and "The Good Thief"]; edited by Terry Rawlings ["Chariots of Fire", "The Core", "Blade Runner" and "Alien"]; director of photograhpy BAFTA & AFI Award winner John Mathieson BSC ["K-Pax", "Hannibal", "Matchstick Men" and "Gladiator"]; visual effects supervisor Nathan McGuinness ["Bad Boys 2", "Minority Report", "Moulin Rouge" and "National Treasure"] EXECUTIVE produced by Austin Shaw ["Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Backbeat", "Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert" and "Mr Reliable"] and Paul Hitchcock ["Batman", "Gorillas In The Mist", "The Shining" and "A Clockwork Orange"]. Casting About "The Phantom Of The Opera" stars .......
Gerard Butler ["Trainspotting", "Mrs Brown", "Dracula 2000", "Lara Croft Tomb Raider II" and "Timeline"]; DRAMA League Award winner Patrick Wilson [stage productions of "Big Lights, Big City", "Fascinating Rythm", "The Full Monty", and "Oklahoma!"]; GOLDEN Globe & New York Film Critics Best Supporting Actress Award winner Miranda Richardson ["The Hours", "Spider", "The Actors" and "Enchanted April"]; 1998 ShoWest Female Star of Tomorrow Award winner Minnie Driver ["Circle Of Friends", "Good Will Hunting", "An Ideal Husband", "Sleepers" and "Goldeneye"]; Ciarán Hinds ["Rules of Engagement", "The Sum of All Fears", "Road to Perdition", "Veronica Guerin" and "Calendar Girls"]; Simon Callow ["Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls", "The Scarlet Tunic", "Thunderpants" and "Bright Young Things"]; Victor McGuire ["Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", "Redemption Road", "Thunderpants" and "Suzie Gold"]; Murray Melvin ["H.M.S. Defiant", "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg", "Princess Caraboo" and "England, My England"]; Kevin McNally ["The Spy Who Loved Me", "Cry Freedom", "Pirates Of The Caribbean" and "De-Lovely"]; James Fleet ["Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Sense and Sensibility", "Blackball" "Remember Me?" and "Charlotte Gray"] and Emmy Rossum ["Songcatcher", "The Day After Tomorrow" and "Mystic River"] as Christine. The Story

"Lyrical, magical and romantic, Joel Schumacher's true artistry is shown in bringing the Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway spectacle to the big screen with "The Phantom of the Opera." Even if you don't like musicals, especially if you don't like musicals, you'll appreciate how dramatic, exciting and gripping this film is." ....... Michael Szymanski ZAP2IT.COM

The new owners of the "Opera Populaire" have arrived. With a fortune made in the junk industry they are far removed from those who would in normal circumstances play patron to the arts. But by neccessity it's previous owner has decided to retire. It's a matter of his health. He has an ulcer and the new owners Firmin and Andre are about to find out why. Firmin and Andre are about to meet the theatres tempermental star, La Carlotta. Fortunately they will not know here for long. Despite their best intentions, a multitude of compliments and a good deal of grovelling, La Carlotta quits. The show must go on. But it has no star. The answer presents itself in the shape of a beautiful dancer named Christine. She knows all the lines and every song. It seems that is not all. Christine also knows the handsome Vicompte Raoul de Chagny the theatres Patron. Opening night comes and Christine is a sensation. Her voice charms everyone including one unwelcome guest. The Phantom of the Opera, a mysterious masked man who haunts the building and who has devoted himself to the beautiful Christine. But when his protoge falls in love with Vicompte Raoul de Chagny, The Phantom's unhealthy obsession for Christine drives him to murder. He will have his way. He will have his play Don Juan performed and Christine will be its star. The stage is set for a terrible showdown that threatens to destroy everyone, and the "Opera Populaire". Will love prevail? Or will The Phantom have his way! The Verdict "A stunning, sumptuous feast for the eyes and senses, "The Phantom Of The Opera" comes alive on the big screen in a version that is both breathtaking and beautiful. Whether you've seen the stage version or not, Joel Schumacher's "Phantom" is a memorable treat. This screen version of "The Phantom Of The Opera" reveals many surprises. A 'phantom' far darker than anything performed in the past and the coming of age for Emmy Rossum who indeed makes a most beautiful Christine. Very Recommended for lovers of big musical productions or those who wished they'd seen the stage production. As they say in the theatre, 'Bravo!' Encore Maestro! Let's hope Schumacher & Lloyd Webber will somewhere soon in the future, collaborate together again." The Cast

Gerard Butler Emmy Rossum Patrick Wilson Miranda Richardson Minnie Driver Ciarán Hinds Simon Callow Victor McGuire Jennifer Ellison Murray Melvin Kevin McNally James Fleet Imogen Bain Miles Western Judith Paris Halcro Johnston Paul Brooke Oliver Chopping Alison Skilbeck Lee Sellers Ramin Karimloo Chris Overton Jesika Cannon Annabel Porter Laura Lounsom Max Thomas

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The Phantom Christine Raoul Madame Giry Carlotta Firmin Andre Piangi Meg Giry Reyer Buquet Lefevre Carlotta's Maid Carlotta's Wigmaker Carlotta's Seamstress Passirino Actioneer Porter Nun/Nurse Chauffeur Christine's Father Young Phantom Young Christine Young Meg Young Madame Giry Young Raoul

The Crew Directed by Joel Schumacher Based on the novel "Le Fantôme de L'Opéra" by Gaston Leroux Adapted from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Stage Musical "The Phantom of the Opera Screenplay by Andrew Lloyd Webber & Joel Schumacher Produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber Non-Original Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber Cinematography by John Mathieson Film Editing by Terry Rawlings Casting by David Grindrod Production Design by Anthony Pratt Art Direction by John Fenner Set Decoration by Celia Bobak Costume Design by Alexandra Byrne Makeup Supervisor Jenny Shircore Production Manager Lorraine Fennell Unit Production Manager Dusty Symonds Run Time 141 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Warner Bros - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved