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in: Musical films, Films, 2004 films,
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The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)

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Phantom2004

The Phantom of the Opera.

This is about the film. For the musical on which it is based, see The Phantom of the Opera (musical).

The Phantom of the Opera is a film based on the stage musical of the same name, in turned based on Gaston Leroux's tale of a disfigured musical genius.

Cast[]

Singing cast[]

Non-singing cast[]

Plot[]

In 1919, the dilapidated Paris Opera House holds an auction. The elderly Viscount of Chagny purchases a coveted music box in a shape of a monkey wearing Persian robes and playing cymbals. During the auction, he spots Madame Giry, whom he met as a young man. Their attention is called on by the next piece for auction, lot 666: a chandelier in pieces which has been restored and newly wired with electricity. As the auctioneers display the restored chandelier, it illuminates and slowly rises to its old place in the rafters as the opening crescendo of music wipes away the years of decay from the opera house. The black and white turns into color, and the audience is transported back in time to 1870, when the opera house was still in its prime.

The opera house is purchased by two new owners, Richard Firmin and Gilles André, who are of the "scrap metal" industry and have no experience in theater. While the cast are rehearsing Hannibal, Madame Giry, who is the ballet mistress and the mother of Meg Giry, introduces them to Christine Daaé, a ballet dancer and young but talented singer. The young viscount, Raoul, is introduced to the cast, and Christine recognizes him as her childhood love. He does not see her, however, and she says nothing to get his attention, assuming he would not recognize her. While performing an aria, a backdrop falls from the ceiling and almost crushes Carlotta Giudicelli, the soloist and lead soprano, who immediately resigns from the house. Meanwhile, a dark figure leaves the spot where the backdrop used to be and an envelope falls to the floor. Madame Giry opens it and reads the letter signed from the "Opera Ghost", a specter-like entity who lives somewhere within the opera house and is believed to be a ghost. He apparently watches every show and was paid twenty thousand francs a month by previous the owner of the house. Firmin and André scramble to replace Carlotta, and Christine is chosen after singing for them. That night she sings beautifully, and the Opera Ghost hears her through the vents.

During Christine's performance, Raoul recognizes her from his childhood. After the show, Christine goes to the chapel to light a candle for her father, who died when she was six years old. Meg asks Christine how she learned to sing so well. Christine explains that the Angel of Music comes to her and tutors her. She has never met him and thinks her father sent this "angel" to help her, but in fact it is the Opera Ghost, or Phantom of the Opera, who teaches her. Later she is in her dressing room, where she reunites with Raoul. He plans to take her to supper, but she declines, saying that the Angel is very strict. Raoul ignores her and leaves to prepare for their date. The Phantom locks Christine in her room and sings to her about his displeasure that Raoul is trying to court her. Christine apologizes, asking him to come to her. He reveals himself through her mirror and leads her away.

Christine goes with the Phantom to his lair underneath the opera house. He reveals to her that he loves her and wants her to love him back. He shows Christine a bust of herself, wearing a wedding dress and veil, causing her to faint, and the Phantom places her in a bed. The next morning she awakes to find the Phantom writing music. She approaches him and removes his mask out of curiosity. He bursts into a fit of rage, covering his face with his hand. He at first says she must stay forever because she saw his deformities, revealing that he "dreams of beauty". Pitying him Christine hands him back his mask and the two have a moment of understanding. He then decides to return her to the opera house.

That morning, the two managers lament Christine's disappearance, as well as series of notes they received from the Opera Ghost trying to blackmail them for his payment and ordering them on how to run the opera house. When Carlotta returns, she is furious to find a note sent to her saying if she sang as the countess in Il Muto that night instead of Christine, then disaster "beyond [their] imagination" would occur. Firmin and André ignore the ghost's warnings and give Carlotta the lead role. That night, the Phantom interrupts the performance and criticizes their failure to follow his orders.

Carlotta continues to sing, but her voice croaks and the lead role is given to Christine. While the ballet is being performed, the Phantom hangs Buquet, chief of the flies, and drops him from above, creating chaos. Christine flees to the roof with Raoul. She reveals to him that she has seen the Phantom's face and fears him, but also pities him because of his sadness. Raoul tells Christine he loves her and will protect her forevermore. Christine returns his love, kissing him passionately and they both leave the roof. The Phantom, who witnessed the scene, becomes heartbroken. He then hears them both singing together. Growing furious at Raoul, he vows revenge on them both.

Three months later, a masquerade party ensues in the opera house. At the party, Christine wears her new engagement ring from Raoul. The event is interrupted once again by the Phantom, who is dressed as Red Death. The Phantom brings his own composition, Don Juan Triumphant, and orders the managers to stage the opera. Raoul exits the room and Christine approaches the Phantom. At the sight of the engagement ring, the Phantom rips it from Christine and disappears into a trap on the floor. Raoul tries to follow him but is stopped by Madame Giry, who privately tells him the story of the Phantom's past. When she was a little girl, she went to a freak circus where they featured a deformed child in a cage. The child was beaten while everyone watched and laughed. The ringmaster then removed a burlap sack covering the child's face, revealing his deformity. Only the young Madame Giry pitied him. She was the last to leave and saw the child strangle the ringmaster with a rope. Chased by the police, Madame Giry helped him escape and found shelter for him beneath the opera house, where she has hidden him from the world ever since.

Christine takes a carriage to visit her father's grave, but the Phantom secretly takes over the reins. Raoul follows when he realizes she's gone. Christine arrives and laments over her father's death. The Phantom tries to win her back by pretending to be her father's angel, but Raoul arrives and stops him. A sword fight ensues in the cemetery, where Raoul eventually disarms the Phantom and is about to kill him, but Christine pleads for him not to. His rage seemingly augmented, the Phantom watches angrily as Christine and Raoul ride away.

Christine admits she is afraid of the Phantom and tells Raoul he will never stop trying to recapture her. Raoul realizes that they can use the Phantom's opera to capture him, as he will surely attend. Don Juan Triumphant is performed, and the Phantom makes his entrance as the lead with Christine. Raoul can do nothing but watch from his box as Christine falls for the Phantom yet again. However, she once again removes his mask, revealing his deformities to the entire audience, who scream in fear. He escapes with her by dropping the chandelier and setting the opera house on fire.

The Phantom brings Christine back down to his lair. Madame Giry shows Raoul where the Phantom lives, and he goes to rescue Christine. The Phantom forces Christine to don the wedding dress and once again professes his love, and orders Christine to marry him. Christine tries to convince the Phantom that she does not fear his ugliness, but rather his anger and willingness to kill to get what he wants. Just then, Raoul enters the lair, and the Phantom ties him to a gate and threatens to kill him if Christine refuses to marry him. Christine reflects over the impossible choice before passionately kissing the Phantom to show him he is not alone in the world. The Phantom is shocked from experiencing real human love for the first time in his life. Ashamed of his murderous actions, he allows Christine and Raoul to leave and orders them to never return. He finds comfort in a little monkey music box. Christine approaches the Phantom, who tells her that he loves her, and she silently gives him the diamond ring from her finger to remember her by. After Christine and Raoul leave, the Phantom smashes every mirror in his underground lair and disappears through a secret passage behind a velvet curtain just before the police arrive. Upon entering, Meg finds only the Phantom's white mask.

Back in the present, the elderly Raoul goes to visit Christine's tomb, which reveals that she died only two years before, in 1917, at age 63. Her tombstone says "Countess of Chagny" and "beloved wife and mother", revealing she married Raoul and had children. He lays the monkey music box at her grave site and notices a red rose with a black ribbon tied around it (a trademark of the Phantom) with the engagement ring attached to it, implying that the Phantom is still alive, and will always love Christine.

Musical numbers[]

  • "Prologue" - Raoul
  • "Hannibal - Carlotta, Piangi and the Cast of Hannibal
  • "Think of Me" - Carlotta, Christine and Raoul
  • "Angel of Music" - The Phantom, Christine and Meg
  • "The Mirror/Angel of Music (reprise)" - The Phantom and Christine
  • "The Phantom of the Opera" - Christine and The Phantom
  • "The Music of the Night" - The Phantom
  • "I Remember/Stranger Than You Dreamt It" - Christine and The Phantom
  • "Magical Lasso" - Buquet and Madame Giry
  • "Notes" - Firmin, Andre, Raoul, Carlotta, Piangi, Madame Giry, Meg and The Phantom
  • "Prima Donna" - Firmin, Andre, Carlotta, Raoul, Piangi, Madame Giry, Meg, Christine, the cast and company of Il Muto
  • "Poor Fool He Makes Me Laugh"- Confidante, Fops, Carlotta, Piangi and the cast of Il Muto
  • "Why Have You Brought Me Here?" - Raoul and Christine
  • "All I Ask of You" - Raoul and Christine
  • "All I Ask of You" (reprise) - Christine, Raoul and The Phantom
  • "Masquerade" - Firmin, Andre, Meg, Piangi, Carlotta, Madame Giry, Christine, Raoul and Partygoers
  • "Why So Silent?" - The Phantom
  • "No One Would Listen" (cut) - The Phantom
  • "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" - Christine
  • "Wandering Child" - The Phantom and Christine
  • "We Have All Been Blind/Twisted Every Way" - Raoul, Firmin, Andre, Christine and The Phantom
  • "Don Juan Triumphant" - Piangi, Passarino and the cast of Don Juan Triumphant
  • "The Point of No Return" - The Phantom and Christine
  • "Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer" - The Phantom, Raoul, Madame Giry, Christine and the Mob
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