Phantom of the Opera [Blu-ray]

Director: Joel Schumacher

Overview

One of the most popular stage musicals in the history of Broadway and London's West End makes its long-awaited arrival on the motion-picture screen in this lavish adaptation directed by Joel Schumacher. Christine (Emmy Rossum) is a beautiful and gifted young woman who longs to join the company of the Paris Opera House. During rehearsals for one of the opera's grand productions, a backdrop falls and crashes to the floor, nearly crushing leading lady Carlotta (Minnie Driver). When several members of the company suggest this could be the work of the "Phantom of the Opera," a spectral presence said to haunt the building, Carlotta drops out of the show, and the fates permit Christine to step in as her replacement. Christine's performance is a triumph, and on opening night she becomes reacquainted with Raoul (Patrick Wilson), a former childhood friend who is now a wealthy and well-known nobleman. Christine soon finds herself smitten with the handsome Raoul, but the same evening she makes a startling discovery -- the story of the Phantom is not just a legend. A brilliant but horribly disfigured composer (Gerard Butler) lives deep in the depths of the opera house, and taken with the beauty of Christine's voice, he abducts her and brings her to his lair, where he offers to help her perfect her talents, offering to write an opera especially for her. As the terrified Christine is comforted by Raoul, the two fall in love, but the phantom sees her affection for Raoul as a tremendous betrayal, and the jealous phantom nearly kills Christine as he nearly killed Carlotta. When the phantom emerges to present the opera's management with the piece he has written for Christine, the singer is asked to put her life on the line in an effort to capture the mad genius once and for all. Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of Gaston Leroux's novel, which had already enjoyed several stage and screen adaptations in the past, opened in London in 1986 and has been a popular favorite around the world ever since; the show was still running in New York and London when the film version premiered in late 2004.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/31/2006
UPC:	0085391108108
Original Release:	2004
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	WARNER HOME VIDEO
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:21:00
Sales rank:	1,102

Special Features

Behind the Mask: The story of the Phantom of the Opera; The Making of the Phantom of the Opera in 3 spellbinding acts:; Preproduction; The director; Production; No One Would Listen: additional scene; Singalong; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Gerard Butler	The Phantom
Emmy Rossum	Christine
Patrick Wilson	Raoul
Miranda Richardson	Madame Giry
Minnie Driver	Carlotta,Ballet Girl
Ciaran Hinds	Firmin
Simon Callow	Andre
Victor McGuire	Piangi
Jennifer Ellison	Meg Giry
Murray Melvin	Reyer
James Fleet	Lefevre
Imogen Bain	Carlotta's Maid
Miles Western	Carlotta's Wigmaker
Judith Paris	Carlotta's Seamstress
Halcro Johnston	Passirino
Paul Brooke	Auctioneer
Alison Skilbeck	Nun/Nurse
Lee Sellers	Chauffeur
Ramin Karimloo	Christine's Father
Chris Overton	Young Phantom
Jesika Cannon	Young Christine
Annabel Porter	Young Meg
Laura Hounsom	Young Madame Giry
Oliver Chopping	Porter
Max Thomas	Actor
Lucy Casson	Ballet Tart
Lorraine Stewart	Ballet Tart
Jose Tirado	Principal Male Dancer
Jonathan D. Ellis	Fop
David Langham	Fops
Margaret Preece	Confidante
David Arneil	Opera Chorus
Annalene Beechey	Opera Chorus
Mark Carroll	Opera Chorus
Valerie Cutko	Opera Chorus
Tricia Deighton	Opera Chorus
John Griffiths	Opera Chorus
Mandy Holliday	Opera Chorus
Terry Kelly	Opera Chorus
Sophie Louise Dann	opera chorus
Jackie Marks	opera chorus
Graham McDuff	opera chorus
Brian Wheeler	opera chorus
Julia Worsley	opera chorus
Chris Jarvis	Ballet Boy
Sebastien Torkia	Ballet Boy
Greet Botterman	Ballet Girl
Elena Buda	Ballet Girl
Tess Cunningham	Ballet Girl
Liesl Dowsett	Ballet Girl
Kathryn Dunn	Ballet Girl
Sophia Hurdley	Ballet Girl
Amy Lawson	Ballet Girl
Lucy Potter	Ballet Girl
Kirsty Tapp	Ballet Girl
Richard Bayliss	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Ralph Broadbent	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Alexander Cameron	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Paul Costin	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Matthew Draper	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Ben Gant	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Jonathon Hill	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Timothy Kipling	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Jonathan Kitchen	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Tristan Keyte	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Michael Mansbridge	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Jeff Moore	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Julian Poole	Opera Populaire Orchestra
James Pullman	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Robert Purvis	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Dave Tosh	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Chris Worsey	Opera Populaire Orchestra
Andrew Charles Corbett	Flamenco Dancer
Sarah Frasca	Flamenco Dancer
Pascal Langdale	Flamenco Dancer
Damien Lee Stirk	Flamenco Dancer
Isabel Lesto Lesto	Flamenco Dancer
Remy Martyn	Flamenco Dancer
Sandra Ramirez	Flamenco Dancer
Beth Sheather	Flamenco Dancer
Annika Strandberg	Flamenco Dancer
Stephen Berkeley-White	Masquerade Dancer
Rod Buchanan	Masquerade Dancer
Deborah Bundy	Masquerade Dancer
Philip Catchpole	Masquerade Dancer
Nathan Clarke	Masquerade Dancer
Blake Clayfield	Masquerade Dancer
Dawn Collins	Masquerade Dancer
Gem Collingwood	Masquerade Dancer
Casper Cornish	Masquerade Dancer
Rachael Crocker	Masquerade Dancer
Janine Davis	Masquerade Dancer
Leigh Daniels	Masquerade Dancer
Simone De La Rue	Masquerade Dancer
Gavin Lee	Masquerade Dancer
Graeme Crowther	Swordmaster
Lee Chapman	Candelabra Holder
Adam Pudney	Masquerade Dancer
Ashley Wallen	Masquerade Dancer
Luke Jackson	Masquerade Dancer,Masquerade Dancer
Miles Elkington	Masquerade Dancer
Joanna Ernest	Masquerade Dancer
Candice Evans	Masquerade Dancer
Guilia Florimo	Masquerade Dancer
Ben Garner	Masquerade Dancer
Clinton Goldsmith	Masquerade Dancer
Claire Goodman	Masquerade Dancer
Juliet Gough	Masquerade Dancer
Georgina Hagerty	Masquerade Dancer
Maddy G. Harris	Masquerade Dancer
Ryan Jenkins	Masquerade Dancer
Caroline Lynn	Masquerade Dancer
Alec Mann	Masquerade Dancer
Luis Gallo Mudarra	Masquerade Dancer
Marilena Nicolaon	Masquerade Dancer
Gabriel Noble	Masquerade Dancer
Melanie Perks	Masquerade Dancer
Maryam Pourian	Masquerade Dancer
Pippa Raine	Masquerade Dancer
Lorena Randi	Masquerade Dancer
Michael Small	Masquerade Dancer
Aaron Sillis	Masquerade Dancer
Lisa Stevens	Masquerade Dancer
Tom Tanscy	Masquerade Dancer
Marcus Tesch	Masquerade Dancer
Stephen B. White	Masquerade Dancer
Gavin Wilkinson	Masquerade Dancer
Scott Wyer	Masquerade Dancer
Joanna Woodliffe	Masquerade Dancer
Rebekah Dobbins	Candelabra Holder
Ruben Halse	Candelabra Holder
Lee Jerova	Candelabra Holder
Damian Jones	Candelabra Holder
Vanessa Perroncel	Candelabra Holder
Kevin McNally	Buquet
Carlos Otero	Flamenco Dancer
Nigel Wright	Conductor
Andrew Lloyd Webber	Composer

Technical Credits

Joel Schumacher

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Joel Schumacher	Screenwriter
Andrew Lloyd Webber	Screenwriter,Producer
Paul Hitchcock	Executive Producer
Eli Richbourg	Executive Producer
Julia Blackman	Executive Producer
Austin Shaw	Executive Producer
Antony Hunt	Executive Producer
Keith Cousins	Executive Producer
Jeff Abberley	Executive Producer
Louise Goodsill	Executive Producer
Cinesite	Special Effects
David Grindrod	Casting
Ralph Kamp	Executive Producer
Andy Nelson	Sound/Sound Designer
Anna Behlmer	Sound/Sound Designer
Tony Dawe	Sound/Sound Designer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Phantom of the Opera
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12
13. Chapter 13
14. Chapter 14
15. Chapter 15
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 17
18. Chapter 18
19. Chapter 19
20. Chapter 20
21. Chapter 21
22. Chapter 22
23. Chapter 23
24. Chapter 24
25. Chapter 25
26. Chapter 26
27. Chapter 27
28. Chapter 28
29. Chapter 29
30. Chapter 30
31. Chapter 31
32. Chapter 32
33. Chapter 33
34. Chapter 34
35. Chapter 35
3. Chapter 36

Menu

Disc #1 -- Phantom of the Opera
Languages
Spoken Languages
English 5.1
Français 5.1 (Doublé au Québec)
Subtitles
English
English (For the Hearing Impaired)
Français
Español
Off
Scene Selections
Special Features
Behind the Story
Behind the Mask: The Story of The Phantom of the Opera
Making of the Phantom of the Opera: Origins and Casting
Making of the Phantom of the Opera: Design
Making of the Phantom of the Opera: Supporting Cast and Recording the Album
Trailers
Theatrical Trailer
Additional Footage
Additional Scene: No One Would Listen
Fun & Games
Sing-a-long
Play Movie

Editorial Reviews

Joel Schumacher's film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's spectacular Broadway musical expands greatly on the stage show while retaining everything that made it such a smash. The musical sequences are lovingly presented, woven into the action in operatic fashion -- but Schumacher's Phantom goes way beyond the theatrical edition, making the most of the story's primary setting: the magnificent Paris Opera House. The stage show only suggests what the film shows in opulent detail; every level of the magnificent structure -- including the catacombs beneath it -- are explored in microscopic detail by the cinematographer. The Opera House becomes a living, breathing character, not so much a home to the Phantom as a co-conspirator to his crimes. As created by French novelist Gaston Leroux, the Phantom was a criminal mastermind with a talent for refined torture. Drawing upon the character as it evolved in movies, Webber makes him a tragic figure deserving of the audience's sympathy (at least to some extent). The always masked, hideously scarred Phantom has fixed his eye on Christine Daae (18-year-old Emmy Rossum in a star-making performance), a young chorus girl of great promise whom he has taken on as a protégée of sorts. Under his tutelage she becomes a great singer, but having never seen him she naturally falls in love with a handsome nobleman, Raoul (Patrick Wilson). But the Phantom refuses to surrender her and is prepared to do anything to secure her loyalty and affection. Gerard Butler plays the title role extremely well, although he lacks the charisma of some of his predecessors. He's never quite the spellbinder one expects to see; some viewers will wonder how he maintains his hold over Christine. Nonetheless, he does a more-than-passable job. On the cast's distaff side, Rossum gets stiff competition from Minnie Driver, who's surprisingly good as the tempestuous diva Carlotta, whom the younger woman is expected to replace. Driver does her own singing and makes an indelible impression in what is actually a minor role. Schumacher exhibits a keen understanding of this material -- which, along with his visual sense, makes this adaptation so richly satisfying. Viewers get the best of both worlds: the unabashed artifice of the stage version and the stylish visualization afforded by top-drawer production design and cinematography. If you've ever heard Webber's score (and how could you not have?) you know that his Phantom is a treat for the ears. Now Schumacher has turned out a screen adaptation that's a feast for the eyes. Don't miss it.