Although it's not as bold as Oscar darling Chicago , The Phantom of the Opera continues the resuscitation of the movie musical with a faithful adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster stage musical. Emmy Rossum glows in a breakout role as opera ing'8enue Christine Daae, and if phantom Gerard Butler isn't Rossum's match vocally, he does convey menace and sensuality in such numbers as "The Music of the Night." The most experienced musical theater veteran in the cast, romantic lead Patrick Wilson, sings sweetly but seems wooden. The biggest name in the cast, Minnie Driver, hams it up as diva Carlotta, and she's the only principal whose voice was dubbed (though she does sing the closing-credit number, "Learn to Be Lonely," which is also the only new song). Director Joel Schumacher, no stranger to visual spectacle, seems to have found a good match in Lloyd Webber's larger-than-life vision of Gaston LeRoux's Gothic horror-romance. His weakness is cuing too many audience-reaction shots and showing too much of the lurking Phantom, but when he calms down and lets Rossum sings "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" alone in a silent graveyard, it's exquisite. itap1trowd taflags0 trgaph108trleft-108 trcbpat2 trbrdrtbrdrnil trbrdrlbrdrnil trbrdrtbrdrnil trbrdrrbrdrnil tapadt80 tapadb80 clvertalc clshdrawnil clwWidth2360clftsWidth3 clmart10 clmarl10 clmarb10 clmarr10 clbrdrtbrdrnil clbrdrlbrdrnil clbrdrbbrdrnil clbrdrrbrdrnil clpadl80 clpadr80 gaphcellx8640 pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc f2bfs20 cf1 Read our CD buying guide f0b0 cell lastrowrow pardpardeftab720sa240qlqnatural fs24 cf0 Those who consider the stage musical shallow and overblown probably won't have their minds changed by the movie, and devotees will forever rue that the movie took the better part of two decades to develop, which prevented the casting of original principals Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Still, The Phantom of the Opera is a welcome exception to the long line of ill-conceived Broadway-to-movie travesties. f2b DVD Features f0b0 uc0u8232 The two-disc edition of The Phantom of the Opera has two major extras. "Behind the Mask: The Story of The Phantom of the Opera " is an hourlong documentary tracing the genesis of the stage show, with interviews by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Harold Prince, producer Cameron Macintosh, lyricists Richard Stilgoe and Charles Hart, choreographer Gillian Lynne, and others. Conspicuously absent are stars Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. Both do appear in video clips, including Brightman performing with Colm Wilkinson at an early workshop, and Crawford is the subject of a casting segment. Other brief scenes from the show are represented by a 2001 production. The other major feature is the 45-minute making-of focusing on the movie, including casting and the selection of director Joel Schumacher. Both are well-done productions by Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group. The deleted scene is a new song written by Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, "No One Would Listen," sung by the Phantom toward the end of the movie. It's a beautiful song that, along with Madame Giry's story, makes him a more sympathetic character. But because that bit of backstory already slowed down the ending, it was probably a good move to cut the song. -- David Horiuchi f2b More on f3i The Phantom of the Opera b0 itap1trowd taflags0 trgaph108trleft-108 trwWidth15380trftsWidth3 trbrdrtbrdrnil trbrdrlbrdrnil trbrdrrbrdrnil tapadt80 tapadb80 clvertalt clshdrawnil clwWidth5240clftsWidth3 clmart40 clmarl40 clmarb40 clmarr40 clbrdrtbrdrnil clbrdrlbrdrnil clbrdrbbrdrnil clbrdrrbrdrnil clpadl80 clpadr80 gaphcellx2880 clvertalt clshdrawnil clwWidth4760clftsWidth3 clmart40 clmarl40 clmarb40 clmarr40 clbrdrtbrdrnil clbrdrlbrdrnil clbrdrbbrdrnil clbrdrrbrdrnil clpadl80 clpadr80 gaphcellx5760 clvertalt clshdrawnil clwWidth4580clftsWidth3 clmart40 clmarl40 clmarb40 clmarr40 clbrdrtbrdrnil clbrdrlbrdrnil clbrdrbbrdrnil clbrdrrbrdrnil clpadl80 clpadr80 gaphcellx8640 pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 The Phantom of the Opera (Special Extended Edition Soundtrack) (CD)cell pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 The Phantom of the Opera (2004 Movie Soundtrack) (CD)cell pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 The Phantom of the Opera (Original 1986 London Cast) (CD)cell row itap1trowd taflags0 trgaph108trleft-108 trwWidth15380trftsWidth3 trbrdrlbrdrnil trbrdrtbrdrnil trbrdrrbrdrnil tapadt80 tapadb80 clvertalt clshdrawnil clwWidth5240clftsWidth3 clmart40 clmarl40 clmarb40 clmarr40 clbrdrtbrdrnil clbrdrlbrdrnil clbrdrbbrdrnil clbrdrrbrdrnil clpadl80 clpadr80 gaphcellx2880 clvertalt clshdrawnil clwWidth4760clftsWidth3 clmart40 clmarl40 clmarb40 clmarr40 clbrdrtbrdrnil clbrdrlbrdrnil clbrdrbbrdrnil clbrdrrbrdrnil clpadl80 clpadr80 gaphcellx5760 clvertalt clshdrawnil clwWidth4580clftsWidth3 clmart40 clmarl40 clmarb40 clmarr40 clbrdrtbrdrnil clbrdrlbrdrnil clbrdrbbrdrnil clbrdrrbrdrnil clpadl80 clpadr80 gaphcellx8640 pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 Evita (DVD)cell pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 Andrew Lloyd Weber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration (DVD)cell pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 pardintblitap1pardeftab720qc cf0 Visit the Andrew Lloyd Webber Store cell lastrowrow
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