"The Phantom of the Opera" wasn't as bad as it could've been, but still feels overrated.
**SPOILERS**
During an opera performance, upstart Christine Dubois, (Susanna Foster) manages to show-up it's traditions for her friend, Raoul D'Aubert, (Edgar Barrier) a policeman. Her friend, violinist Erique Claudin, (Claude Rains) is dismissed from service due to an injury and ultimately retires from the opera. Attempting to find work, he goes around Paris trying to get a job, and after meeting with a potential employer, an accident forces him on the run into the sewers below. As news of the disappearance rocks the opera world, the police figure that he did it and begin a search through Paris for him. Determined not to let it affect her, she manages to get a spot in the next production through shaky means and shines in the role. After an unexpected series of accidents, they determine to continue the opera, it manages to attract the person performing the accidents, a strange masked figure that stops at nothing to make sure that she's the star of the opera one way or another.
The Good News: This one wasn't that bad when it counted on it. The best feature is the design of the opera house for the film. It's a giant place, with a huge central platform and stage, a really dizzying set of ropes and ladders above the stage, and is set within an elaborate exterior design when viewed from outside. It leaves a favorable lasting impression. The catacombs in the sewers are also quite beautifully done, looking like a real twisting and interconnected design that looks quite good. There's also a really humorous running gag with the opera director using a hand-sign to indicate a presence in the house. It's funny when it first happens, gradually gets funnier all the more its on and then becomes a hilarious happening when it appears. It's something that really works for the film. This also starts to get pretty interesting in it's last half-hour, when it starts to really play into the revenge aspect. Starting with the opening, which features one of it's only true suspense scenes as the Phantom approaches an unsuspecting victim from behind and takes him out. There's plenty of great moments in the revenge set-piece, including the highlight chandelier-smashing and the police chase through the opera. This continues on into the ending, where it really ends with a great bang. These are it's great points.
The Bad News: There isn't a whole lot wrong with this one. One of the biggest is it's apparent disregard for featuring horror elements. This one decides that it will focus more on the romantic angle of the story rather than upping the horror aspects. The constant interludes, the focus on the show being produced or the beginning of the film, which simply details this long quest through various different companies searching for a form of employment for a family member. These are in no way scary and just makes it seem like it's a long, slow intro that doesn't really do much. This takes such a long time to get started because it's such a while to feature any of the horror elements is a big problem. There's so much backstage opera drama featured in here, with all the back-stabbing and appointments going on, that there's very few moments in here that actually manage to evoke any sense of fear. The moments featuring the opera are almost impossible to get through, as they're so far from a horror aspect that at times it doesn't really feel like a horror film. This here is the main source of problems, as it doesn't really feel like a horror film most of the time with all the opera standings.
The Final Verdict: While it's at times hard to see as a horror film, when it gets going it's at least bearable. This is really for people who can look at those kinds of films with admiration and enjoy them or those looking for something different from a horror film, while those who hate opera might enjoy another adaptation a lot better.
Today's Rating-PG: Violence
**SPOILERS**
During an opera performance, upstart Christine Dubois, (Susanna Foster) manages to show-up it's traditions for her friend, Raoul D'Aubert, (Edgar Barrier) a policeman. Her friend, violinist Erique Claudin, (Claude Rains) is dismissed from service due to an injury and ultimately retires from the opera. Attempting to find work, he goes around Paris trying to get a job, and after meeting with a potential employer, an accident forces him on the run into the sewers below. As news of the disappearance rocks the opera world, the police figure that he did it and begin a search through Paris for him. Determined not to let it affect her, she manages to get a spot in the next production through shaky means and shines in the role. After an unexpected series of accidents, they determine to continue the opera, it manages to attract the person performing the accidents, a strange masked figure that stops at nothing to make sure that she's the star of the opera one way or another.
The Good News: This one wasn't that bad when it counted on it. The best feature is the design of the opera house for the film. It's a giant place, with a huge central platform and stage, a really dizzying set of ropes and ladders above the stage, and is set within an elaborate exterior design when viewed from outside. It leaves a favorable lasting impression. The catacombs in the sewers are also quite beautifully done, looking like a real twisting and interconnected design that looks quite good. There's also a really humorous running gag with the opera director using a hand-sign to indicate a presence in the house. It's funny when it first happens, gradually gets funnier all the more its on and then becomes a hilarious happening when it appears. It's something that really works for the film. This also starts to get pretty interesting in it's last half-hour, when it starts to really play into the revenge aspect. Starting with the opening, which features one of it's only true suspense scenes as the Phantom approaches an unsuspecting victim from behind and takes him out. There's plenty of great moments in the revenge set-piece, including the highlight chandelier-smashing and the police chase through the opera. This continues on into the ending, where it really ends with a great bang. These are it's great points.
The Bad News: There isn't a whole lot wrong with this one. One of the biggest is it's apparent disregard for featuring horror elements. This one decides that it will focus more on the romantic angle of the story rather than upping the horror aspects. The constant interludes, the focus on the show being produced or the beginning of the film, which simply details this long quest through various different companies searching for a form of employment for a family member. These are in no way scary and just makes it seem like it's a long, slow intro that doesn't really do much. This takes such a long time to get started because it's such a while to feature any of the horror elements is a big problem. There's so much backstage opera drama featured in here, with all the back-stabbing and appointments going on, that there's very few moments in here that actually manage to evoke any sense of fear. The moments featuring the opera are almost impossible to get through, as they're so far from a horror aspect that at times it doesn't really feel like a horror film. This here is the main source of problems, as it doesn't really feel like a horror film most of the time with all the opera standings.
The Final Verdict: While it's at times hard to see as a horror film, when it gets going it's at least bearable. This is really for people who can look at those kinds of films with admiration and enjoy them or those looking for something different from a horror film, while those who hate opera might enjoy another adaptation a lot better.
Today's Rating-PG: Violence