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By
NICK ZEGARAC
At long last, after nearly
two decades of humming Andrew Lloyd Webber show
tunes in my garage, the big screen spectacle that
is the cinematic incarnation of "The Phantom of
the Opera" has arrived on DVD. Gaston LeRoux's
story is as old as the movies -- actually older.
Lon Chaney startled everyone with his extreme and
grotesque make-up in the silent version. Claude
Raines did his best, but failed to do the same in
the 40s glossy remake. A sixties contemporary
twist, The Phantom of Paradise, did little to
generate interest in the property, and, Robert
England's gross departure into horror with his
1980s scare fest is just plain wrong.
But now we get the film inspired by Webber and
Broadway; a huge sweeping white elephant that,
even before its title sequence ends, seems quite
dated in a sort of "please, help; I'm trapped in
vintage 80s Broadway." Winsome Emmy Rossum is
breathtaking as the film's opera ingénue Christine
Daae. Too bad the same can't be said for Gerard
Butler's Phantom (a pity that Michael Crawford did
not feel himself up to reprising the role which
made him immortal on Broadway). Not only is Butler
not Rossum's match vocally, he seems to entirely
lack in any conveyance of menace and sensuality --
except in the number "The Music of the Night." As
Raoul, Christine's legitimate love interest,
Broadway's Patrick Wilson is the contemporary
Nelson Eddy -- but that's not a compliment.
Although he is in fine voice, he remains a stiff
chocolate soldier -- sort of like a statue that
comes to life for a duet, then turns to stone for
the rest of the venture. Minnie Driver has a ball,
if for no one but herself, diving head first into
the vampish preening of reigning opera diva
Carlotta. Driver's vocals throughout have been
dubbed which is odd, since she does a fine job of
warbling "Learn to Be Lonely" the film's closing
title sequence that also happens to be its only
new song.
Director Joel Schumacher has managed a subtle coo
with his sublime staging of the subject material.
Is it theatrical? Well, yes -- and hampered by too
many audience reaction shots and brief glimpses of
the phantom lurking in the shadows. Like -- no
kidding, Joel; we know he's there. But
Schumacher's been decidedly faithful to the show's
Broadway roots without seeming stilted or stage
bound. Overall, then, its one hell of a good
attempt at recapturing the luster and magic of
both Webber and LaRoux; and any film that has Emmy
Rossum dripping honey from her lips as she emotes
the haunting "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"
against a backdrop of a silent and foggy graveyard
gets my vote. Both she and that scene are
poignantly exquisite.
The 2-disc DVD from Warner is a visual and audio
stunner -- almost reaching reference quality
levels. Colors are sumptuous, bold and vibrant.
Blacks are velvety deep. Fine details are
completely realized, even during the darkest
scenes -- of which there are many. The candle lit
processional through the murky waters under Paris
will deliver goose bumps in both its execution and
clarity. The audio is 5.1 and thrilling with
Rossum's vocals, once again, the absolute high
point in fidelity. A strong overall sonic
characteristic, buffeted by deep sounding bass and
perfectly light treble touches, make the audio
presentation on par with sitting in the Broadway
theater on opening night: outstanding! Extras
include the comprehensive story behind, not only
this film but the history of the Phantom himself,
as well as a deleted scene and the film's original
theatrical trailer. |
