In the newest film adaptation of \The Phantom of the Opera,"" director Joel Schumacher takes on the daunting task of turning the Phantom, a disturbed genius, into a disturbed genius with sex appeal. Never before has a film made deformed, genius stalkers seem so appealing. This film triumphs in its improvement on an already spectacular production.
For those of you who have seen the theatrical version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, you may recall there is little chemistry between the ingenue, Christine Daae, and the Phantom; there is merely a mutual respect and shared love of music. In the Schumacher film, however, the connection between the two is given much more weight. This is thanks (in part) to the advantages of shooting a musical on film, such as the allowance of more subtle gestures and facial expressions.
In their initial face-to-face encounter, the camera follows closely, allowing Christine and the Phantom to share moments of intimate physical contact.
In this scene, there is an underlying sexual tension that is lacking in the theatrical production. This sexual tension becomes key in the new understanding of the Phantom: He is not a frightening creature, but merely a man. Overall, he is much more sympathetic in this particular adaptation, and it seems the director intended the audience to resent Christine's love interest, Raoul, for his charm, wealth and dashing good looks. Although, like Christine, the audience must ultimately side with the emotionally stable Raoul, a sense of lingering regret remains that Christine did not end up with the lovable, homicidal maniac.
Commonly, directors rearrange and tweak adaptations as they see fit, altering a masterpiece into a science project gone horribly, horribly wrong.
Thankfully, Schumacher decided not to torture his audience with a ""modern adaptation"" starring the latest teen queen sensation opposite Nick Cannon or Bow Wow as the Phantom. Rather, he rearranged the plot ever so slightly in order to make sense of the original musical's less-than-perfect organization of events. In doing so, Schumacher dissolves seamlessly between the film's present, 1919, and its past, 1870.
In her role as the spoiled Italian diva, Minnie Driver succeeds in providing the film's moments of comic relief. Although the role lacks the screen time of the other actors involved, it is one of the most memorable because of Driver's refreshing and solidly humorous performance. It would suit her career in the future if Driver continued to take on such entertaining supporting roles.
Overall, this film is a dazzling adaptation that manages to fill in the gaps of Andrew Lloyd Webber's much revered musical while introducing the impressive and moving score to a wider audience. ""Phantom"" is a must-see for theater buffs and those who loved ""Moulin Rouge,"" but have since been looking for something more substantial.
