The Phantom of the Opera

Year:  2004

Filming:  Color

Length:  143 minutes

Genre:  Drama/Horror/Musical/Romance

Maturity:  PG-13 (for intense thematic elements and some sensuality)

Cast:  Gerard Butler (The Phantom), Emmy Rossum (Christine), Patrick Wilson (Raoul), Miranda Richardson (Madame Giry), Minnie Driver (Carlotta), Jennifer Ellison (Meg Giry), Ciaran Hinds (Firmin), Simon Callow (Andre)

Director: Joel Schumacher

Personal Rating:  3 Stars

***

    While I am not a specialist on musical theatre, two musicals that seem to be regarded as “must-sees” by the popular culture are Le Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera. This film production of the latter, while it occasionally sacrifices vocal expertise for acting ability, does a fair job of bringing to life a haunting tale of unrequited love and driving obsession with impressive special effects.

    Our story opens in a Parisian Opera House in the late 19^th century. The new owners are experiencing some rather unusual difficulties – such as a masked man with a black cape hanging out in their subterranean cellar, demanding that the operas be performed according to his gourmet tastes and that he be paid for his “services”, or else he will sabotage the performances! To make matters worse, he’s exhibiting a particular interest in a young woman in the chorus named Christine and demanding that she be allowed to sing the main parts in the place of the haughty and pampered soprano, Carlotta.

    Unbeknownst to everyone, this gentleman, not-so-fondly referred to as “The Phantom of the Opera”, taught Christine to sing when she was first taken to be a ward of the opera as a little girl after her parents died. Somehow, he manages to do this through a two-way mirror by which he can see her but she can’t see him, and over the years she comes to believe that he is a visiting angel sent by her father to bring out her talent. As Christine grows in grace and beauty, Phantom becomes increasingly obsessed at the prospect of having her.

    When Christine’s childhood sweetheart, Raoul, a wealthy patron of the arts, comes to visit her, Phantom takes a gamble and reveals himself to her and lures her down a secret passage behind the mirror. Then he takes her on board a boat (a touch of Franco-Venetian romance?) and rows her along an underground river to a lake where he has pitched tent. Actually, he seems to have a talent for home-making since the place is really quite cozy with classical décor and some really nice upholstery. But the thing that freaks out Christine is the manikin that looks exactly like her, garbed in a wedding dress!

    Anyway, Phantom tries to express his ardor to Christine through the rather creepy “Music of the Night” solo, but then she pulls off his mask and sees (although the rest of us can’t see) that his face is distorted. Phantom pushes her away and completely falls apart. Christine feels pretty bad, and gives him back the mask. Then he takes her back upstairs and drops her off in her room. The plot basically follows a trend of Phantom trying to press for Christine’s advancement in the music world through devious means, and Raoul trying to “free her” from his possessive grasp that she is unable to break.

    Ultimately, it comes down to a climactic moment when Phantom coerces the opera house to perform one of his operas for Christine to sing. He then knocks off her leading man, and takes his place on stage. And then his mask gets taken off, and the chandelier falls down, and he drags Christine down through the underground tunnels again, with Raoul in hot persuit. And then he nabs “our hero” and threatens to hang him if Christine will not become his lover. So to find out whether she decides to save Raoul and run off with the obsessive masquerade man or tosses Raoul under the bus to be rid of the both of them so she can find a more normal match through online dating…you’ll have to watch the movie!

    Visually, this film version of The Phantom of the Opera is really quite impressive. The general mood is dark and gothic, set against the garishly colorful attire of the opera company and the frightening possibilities behind the world of masks and mirrors. The use of smoke and mists are very spooky, especially the eerie green fog hovering over the underground lake! And who could help but be creeped out by such memorable motifs as the dusty chandelier, the toy monkey, and the single red rose? Elegant and sinister, all at the same time, just like The Phantom himself!

    There are also some wonderful shots of the Paris, capturing the panorama of the magnificent, enchanting, and sometimes terrifying city. One of the my favorite scenes finds Raoul and Christine on the opera house roof overlooking Paris, with ominous stone gargoyles peering over the edges, as snow flurries descend from the cloudy sky. The duet they sing sets off both their voices nicely, and is a comforting break after menacing events inside the gallery. One thing I must mention though: How smart is it for Raoul to pick up Christine and start spinning her around whilst they are on top of a roof?!

    Another memorable scene is the duel between Phantom and Raoul in the cemetery. It’s a fair piece of swordsmanship on both sides, as the two men dodge jutting gray headstones, sparks flying from the clashing weapons. The ground is blanketed with white snow, and Christine’s crimson cape, along with Raoul’s bleeding arm, make a powerful contrast. It is in this scene that Raoul bests the Phantom and is about to run him through, but Christine begs for his life and allows him to escape to haunt them another day.

    But then there are the set-backs. My personal reasons for not being overly enthused are that it falls under the genre of both “musical” and “horror”, two words that I am not overly enthralled by and that do not mix very well in my humble opinion. I am not much of a Broadway person whatsoever, and my favorite musicals are “fun” ones, such as Brigadoon and The Sound of Music. Plus, those movies actually had spoken dialogue to break up all the singing. I have a very hard time sitting through a film where almost the entire script is sung, and have an even harder time taking an intense plot to hear if everyone’s singing during a hanging sequence or something similar!

    There are not actual sexual encounters that take place in this film, although I would venture to say there is a strong current of underlying innuendoes that affect the way the characters often irrationally conduct themselves. Also, quite a few opportunities are sized upon to dress Christine in revealing attire, including something like a belly dancer costume in the opening and a series of gowns with very low bodices! In addition to this, she is sometimes posed in rather alluring positions, such as when she wakes up on the pillows in Phantom’s cellar hideaway.

    One of the reasons I don’t care much for the story as a romance is that so much is left unexplained, and that lack of logic is made up for by some type of all-consuming lust that The Phantom has for Christine, and that Christine evidently has for him, even though she does come to her senses and frees herself from him. Really, there whole relationship is quite creepy and distinctly different from true love against the odds of physical disability and misshapenness. Through the course of the story, not once do Christine and Phantom have a “normal” conversation, nor does she every try to dissuade him from wreaking havoc on those around him, making her extremely guilty of the sin of omission.

    Perhaps if Phantom had a better singing voice in the film, I might buy the theory that Christine was seduced by his sonorous tones. But the fact is that Gerard Butler has a raspy voice that can kindly be described as “earthy” or otherwise simply scratchy to the senses. Don’t get me wrong; the guy is a good actor, but obviously not up to par with Emmy Rossum and Patrick Wilson in the vocal realm. The problem would crop up in a later musical film, Le Miserables, when casting Russell Crowe in the part of Javert. But at least that character wasn’t supposed to be a great singer; this one was!

    Also, The Phantom’s “hideous face” is not so hideous at all when he finally pulls off the mask in the end. It just looks like he got into some sort of an accident, and the one side of his got burnt. It’s a bit swollen, and certainly might take a little getting used to, but not overtly grotesque. Is this really the reason why he was mistreated as a “devil child” in his youth, forced to go through life without love, and left to sink into a sadistic, criminalist lifestyle? Either the Parisians are just super-sensitive about looks, or they really, really blew that one out of proportion! My personal theory is that good-looking Gerard Butler didn’t want to spoil his image by being to badly beat up by the make-up people back stage!

    So my overview on The Phantom: for musical lovers with a taste for period costumes and Gothic horror plots, this is sure to be a treat. For others, it may prove a bit “much” in lieu of too much singing and too much creepiness. Certainly not a light-hearted film, and not one you’d necessarily want to watch before going to bed, it does go some way to teach the lesson that people with physical disfigurements must not allow themselves to become emotionally and spiritually disfigured as well because of the cruelty of others. Instead, they must rise above it and find peace within themselves by seeking out relationships based on true love, with God first and others second.

Christine (Emmy Rossum) sees The Phantom (Gerard Butler) for the first time in a mirror

Brave

Year:  2012

Filming:  Color

Length:  93 minutes

Genre:  Adventure/Animated/Family/Fantasy

Maturity:  PG (for some scary images and rude humor)

Cast:  Kelly McDonald (Princess Merida), Emma Thompson (Queen Elinor), Billy Connolly (King Fergus), Julie Walters (The Witch), Kevin McKidd (Lord MacGuffin), Craig Ferguson (Lord MacKintosh), Robbie Coltrane (Lord Dingwall)

Directors: Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews

Personal Rating:  3 Stars

***

    I am admittedly new to the world of modern animation, and by modern I mean anything newer than the 1970’s. This is especially the case with Disney Cartoons. With regards to Pixar productions, I am even less accustomed to the 3-D characters and scenery, and hence certainly no professional commenter. However, due to the encouragement of friends, I finally took a plunge and got acquainted with a few Pixar Princess Productions. One of them was Brave.

    The story opens in the lush and magical Highlands of Scotland, where we meet Princess Merida, a feisty teenaged royal with a strong will and a head full of unruly red hair, whose voice is brought to life by Kelly McDonald. A free-spirited youth who takes after her rugged yet lovable warrior father, King Fergus, Merida excels at archery, horseback riding, and climbing treacherous precipices. But her mother, Queen Elinor, insists that her daughter become a proper lady and start to behave like a true princess.

    Merida grumbles at having to take etiquette lessons, but when is informed about an ancient custom by which the young lords of the land will vie for her hand in marriage through an archery contest, she takes matters into her own hands to restore her freedom. So taking up her bow and arrow, she wins the contest herself and sets the lords of the realm in an uproar. She and her mother have an intense confrontation, and Merida impulsively tears the tapestry portraying them both together.

    The red-headed princess rides off into the woods on her faithful steed, and finds herself in a magical circle of stones. Spying some strang, moving lights in the darkness of the woods, she follows them to a small cottage where an old woman gives her a potion to “change her mother” and her fate. But instead of convincing her mother not to force her into an unwanted marriage, her mother literally “changes”…into a bear!

    Tracking back an ancient curse involving three brothers who shared a kingdom and one who was turned into a ravenous beast called Mordu for his desire to possess all the power himself, Merida sets out on a mission to break the spell and rescue her mother before her King Fergus finds a “bear” in the palace! Famous for losing a leg in a battle with Mordu, the king has no love for bears, and will stop at nothing to irradiate them should they be found. In the end, love will conquer all – but this time it will not be the kiss of Prince Charming and his Lady Fair, but the abiding love between a mother and her daughter.

    I love the setting of Brave, so that tended to make me more forgiving towards the plot foibles and occasional bad taste. The artwork is just so gorgeous, especially the spread of the Scottish Highlands. It looks so real! Mirada climbing the sheer cliff and drinking from the rushing waterfall was breath-taking. And I simply loved all the darling Scottish accents. They were terrific! Plus, Mirada herself is so lovably fiery, with her wild red hair and skill at archery. The music score is also pretty cool, especially the first song as she gallops through the forest to “freedom”.

    But I’m sorry to say all these goodies are pretty much sabotaged by a major plot twist that altered the whole course of the film. It had to do with the bears. I mean, come on, what do you bears have to do with medieval Scotland, please tell me? No one seems to know. Okay, so if I had had control over this whole production, my first thought have been would be to utilize a Loch Ness Monster-type creature if we had to have some sort of big scary monster for our young heroine to face. But honestly, I don’t even know if that was necessary for the plot.

    I think the story-line could have developed in a slew of other interesting ways aside from having her mother magically transferred into some sort of creature in order for them to be reconciled! Plus, after the archery contest, Merida’s skill with the bow hardly influenced the plot at all. The whole setting of a fantastical medieval Scotland was so delightful to begin with, and so many allusions could have been made to real legends from Scottish lore. Who needed the bear twist? Save it for another movie!

    Perhaps the screen writers were just suffering from overwork and too little pay or something. Maybe weak coffee, too. Actually, the most likely explanation for the sudden switch in the plot is that the directors were switched out in mid-production, and it definitely shows. Thankfully, all was not lost in the way of a meaningful tale, because the outcome shows a strong sense of family cohesiveness and the need for mutual understanding, respect, and love between parents and their children. Also, King Fergus and Queen Elinor share a loving relationship, and I love the dignified power the queen holds among the warring factions of the land, allowing to merely walk in the midst of a brawl and break it up by her very presence!

    Unfortunately, the humor turned a bit raunchy at times, and there was some temporarily shocking (though not excessively graphic) animation of nudity. This involved bare back-sides on the part of the kilted warriors (to quote one of the lords lifting up his plaid: “Feast your eyes, me ladies!”) and some jiggling cleavage on the part of the plump castle governess. For most people, the first category is pretty perplexing, but having been familiarized with the long-running Scottish joke about whether or not Scotsmen wear underwear under their kilts, it made some degree of sense! Nevertheless, I really think it could have been done without, especially since this film is ostensibly supposed to be for younger audiences.

    I have seen the ongoing “joke” executed tastefully in the wonderful film The Hasty Heart, but nothing was ever shown on screen. Of course, as I’ve mentioned in the past, there is a scene in Braveheart where the whole thing is visually photographed (highly disturbing!), and that may well have been why they decided to include a version in this cartoon. While this was animation and not live action, it was a very real sort of animation, and as such, equally inappropriate and ultimately unnecessary to the plot.

    Another aspect of the story that has caused parents some consternation was the inclusion of a “good” witch who goes off to a Wicca Convention at Stonehenge. Also, the whole mood of the magic that takes place in this story is not the tinker-bell type. In fact, it has a mysterious and sinister element, neither entirely good nor entirely bad, capable of causing good or harm depending on the circumstances. I can understand why some parents have taken a step back because of this, and do wish they had left the word “Wicca” out of the film entirely. However, I will say that the darker feel matches with Celtic mythology and fits the Scottish setting appropriately. A lighter approach, with Peter Pan and pixie dust, would probably have felt out of place.

    Like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Brave proves that Disney animation is not primarily aimed at younger audiences anymore. The frightening bear battles alone make that quite clear. If anything it’s more of a “family” show, often geared towards the older members in lieu of plot complexity, scary images, and some off-color insinuations. I’m not against the concept of making animation that all ages can enjoy, but I don’t think producers should have to “test the boundaries” of the censors to see what they can get away with under the cover of “maturity”. Also, if intense aspects are put into a cartoon, it should be more specifically explained that this is not a kid’s film per se.

    The naming of the film apparently follows the chic trend of one-word titles used by Disney for Tangled and Frozen. But after a while, that sort of thing can get overdone quickly. I must say I’m not exactly sure what made bravery such a big part of the plot; if anything, the main morals of the story were reconciliation and togetherness. I personally think it was just a gimmick to make a kiddie-friendly variant of the extremely popular and prosperous Braveheart and draw attention to that connection, especially since the Scottish Independence Referendum was looming when the film was released. 

    To its credit, though, Brave did not carry a covert nationalist agenda to try to make money out of the unrest and division in The UK. As a matter of fact, if anything, it carried a message about the importance of unity. My favorite scene from this film is the part when Merida walks into her father’s hall, and just like her mother, manages to silence the warring lords by her dignified presence. Then she goes on to explain to them why they are “better together”, with each one of them working for the common good and protecting the common land. She also takes a cue from Queen Elinor, and announces that traditions should be honored, and yet they sometimes need to be altered. And so it is decided that the lord’s must win her heart before her hand.

    So while Brave has its multiple plot foibles, occasional innuendoes, and as Plugged In review site aptly put it, too many “bear rears and bare rears”, I think it is still a fun film that teaches a number of excellent lessons and can be enjoyed by families. I would say kids 10 and up should be prepared for it, although it’s really up to parental discretion. One thing’s for sure: after watching, I bet a crown you’ll be mimicking a Scottish burr in the bathroom mirror for days to come!

  

Princess Merida (voiced by Kelly McDonald) prepares to battle Mordu the Bear