| | | A Joel Schumacher Film.
Features: DVD, Gift Set
A 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.
"Sumptuous pic version, which evokes the original show while working as a movie in its own right, is lit by a radiant, vocally lustrous perf by teenaged Emmy Rossum." Derek Elley, Variety
"If you're one of the hundred-million people who loved the musical, you'll love the movie even more." Joel Siegel, Good Morning America
"The cast is good, the score is sublime, the visuals are sumptuous and it speeds along with a delirious romantic power that, if you let it, can sweep you away." William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Editor's Note
Those who thought that smoke machines and cobwebbed candelabras were the stuff of Halloween parties and dance clubs need to think again. In Joel Schumacher's film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway musical THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, these moody set devices--and countless others--make every scene an atmospheric vision of souped-up 19th-century Gothic bliss. Christine Daee (a luminescent Emmy Rossum) is a tortured young star who is haunted by the voice of the phantom (Gerard Butler--who also played the lead in DRACULA 2000), a musician who hides in the shadows to hide a facial disfigurement, yet sings to her obsessively. Dwelling in the dark, damp chambers beneath the Paris opera house, the phantom lords over the cast and management with artistic autocracy--he writes the shows, casts them, and threatens all who disobey his plans with dramatically violent outbursts. But when his young student Christine falls for the rich and dapper Raoul (Patrick Wilson), the phantom descends into madness. Webber's memorable songs are performed with aplomb by Rossum, whose background includes singing with the Metropolitan Opera, and Wilson and Butler provide ample accompaniment. One of the treats of the proceedings is Minnie Driver's deeply exaggerated portrayal of the jealous diva, giving this PHANTOM a very appropriate dose of comic relief.
| Features | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Gift Set Inlcudes Special Greeting Card & Gift Wrap! | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 4/18/2006 |
| Running Time: 141 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2004 | | Catalog ID: 80613 | | UPC: 00012569806139 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Emmy Rossum | | Gerard Butler | | Minnie Driver | | Patrick Wilson | | Andrew Lloyd Webber - Original Music By | | Andrew Lloyd Webber - Screenplay | | Gaston Leroux - Based On Novel By | | Jeff Abberley - Executive Producer | | Joel Schumacher - Screenplay | | Joel Schumacher - Director | | John Mathieson - Cinematographer | | Julia Blackman - Executive Producer | | Terry Rawlings - Editor |
| Awards |
Oscar (2005) | | | Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, Nominee, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song | | | Anthony Pratt, Celia Bobak, Nominee, Best Achievement in Art Direction | | | John Mathieson, Nominee, Best Achievement in Cinematography | |
Golden Globe (2004) | | | Andrew Llyod Webber, Charles Hart, Nominee, Best Original Song - Motion Picture | | | Emmy Rossum, Nominee, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy | | | The Phantom of the Opera, Nominee, Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"[PHANTOM] is a rapturous spectacle. And the movie, directed full throttle by Joel Schumacher, goes the show one better....It smolders." 12/30/2004 p.171USA Today
"The look is dazzling....Scotsman Gerard Butler does a fine job as the charismatic, ghostly character who hides away in the opera house because of his disfigurement." 12/22/2004 p.1D Movieline's Hollywood Life
"[T]he lavish production captivates the senses, and the musical and emotional crescendos are overpowering." 12/01/2004 p.103 Widescreen Review
"The beloved musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe sees a lush screen adaptation starring Emmy Rossum as Christine....Costume textures and fine details are amazingly rendered..." 06/01/2006 p.61 ReelViews 6 of 10
Ultimately, however, appreciation of The Phantom of the Opera will hinge upon your opinion of Lloyd Webber's skills as a composer. The film, like the stage show, contains one great baroque theme and a lot of unmemorable drivel. If you are partial to Lloyd Webber's style, you will at least find The Phantom of the Opera palatable. If not, then this will be an endurance contest. This isn't really a film that needs reviewing. Going in, most viewers will know what to expect, and Schumacher's unchallenging style delivers without frills. For some, this will be a new way to enjoy a favorite musical. But for those like me, it's a mostly tedious way to kill 140 minutes. - James Berardinelli
Rolling Stone 8 of 10
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. With a cast of young hotties, it smolders... - Peter Travers
Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
...I am recommending a movie that I do not seem to like very much. But part of the pleasure of moviegoing is pure spectacle--of just sitting there and looking at great stuff and knowing it looks terrific. There wasn't much Schumacher could have done with the story or the music he was handed, but in the areas over which he held sway, he has triumphed. This is such a fabulous production that by recasting two of the three leads and adding some better songs it could have been, well, great. - Roger Ebert
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