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 Excellent film version of a great Broadway Play Nov 20, 2009
I was cynical when I followed a friends strong advice to see "Phantom" on Broadway.
TTurns out; this is one of the best events I've ever witnessed!
I brought my family including my college age kids best friends.
We saw Howard McGillam as the Phantom. He was incredibly powerfull!
I was so moved I then brought my parents.
The play was even better on the second take.
I've recently read the book, and have seen the movie once.
The movie is excellent!
The play is excellent, also!
It's obvious that the movie scipt has more depth than play.
I'd recommend that anybody buy this movie, see the play, and read the book.
The most talented composers, screenwriters and author of the last century bring to us an unbelievably wonderful work of art.
See the movie, go to the play, read the book!
Seeing the play on Broadway is like one of 7 greatest things you can do!
The Majestic Theater was remodeled in 1985 just for this production.
The Phantom rocks! Nov 08, 2009
Gerald Butler's performance is excellent and the score music was great sound. The video quality on Blue-ray is outstanding.
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Phantom DVD Nov 03, 2009
I enjoyed this DVD purchase. Shiping was quick and product was in excellent condition. I have never had any problems with any vendors I've used through Amazon. Always a pleasure ordering from you.
Thanks
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Visually stunning adaptation of the old literary warhorse Oct 28, 2009
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
(UK/USA - 2004 - color & sepia)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)
Theatrical soundtracks: Dolby Digital / DTS / SDDS
France, 1870: The Paris Opera House is haunted by a mysterious figure (Gerard Butler) who tutors a young opera ingénue (Emmy Rossum) and becomes enraged when she falls in love with a handsome nobleman (Patrick Wilson).
Joel Schumacher's long-planned adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's ultra-successful stage musical opens with the greatest set-piece of this director's career: A spine-tingling shift from grainy monochrome to saturated color as the timeframe switches from 1919 to 1870, restoring the dilapidated Opera House to its former glory in a swirl of visual effects trickery. It's a powerful moment, one which encapsulates the very essence of this venerable cinematic warhorse. What follows is every bit as sumptuous as the stage show, with a younger cast in familiar roles: Newcomer Rossum is an angelic Christine, beautiful and talented in equal measure, while Wilson shines as her lovestruck admirer, whose dalliance with Christine invites the Phantom's wrath, played with strength and conviction by Butler. Simon Callow and Ciarán Hinds provide comic relief as the Opera's new owners, and there's strong support from Miranda Richardson (the Opera's ballet mistress, bound to the Phantom by more than mere coincidence), Minnie Driver (generously eccentric as the obstinate diva whose monstrous ego and limited talent prove to be her undoing), and veteran Murray Melvin as the frazzled orchestra conductor (a sublime, near-wordless performance).
The film is a spectacle in all senses of the word, designed and photographed to glorious cinematic excess. Webber and Schumacher financed the production independently, so the finished product is true to their respective vision, but while the results are a feast for the senses, it's also compromised in unusual ways: Except for the chandelier sequence and an earlier scene in which the Phantom murders a nosy stagehand (Kevin McNally), Schumacher de-emphasizes the horrific elements of Gaston Leroux's original novel in favor of Gothic visuals (note the Cocteau homage during Christine's first visit to the Phantom's subterranean lair), and he's too quick to reveal the Phantom as a flesh-and-blood creature without any supernatural trappings, which undermines his potency. Those unfamiliar with the stage show may also bristle at the amount of dialogue which is SUNG rather than spoken, draining several crucial scenes of their dramatic urgency, especially during the film's final stretch, though the climactic pay-off is genuinely heartfelt. Romantic, resplendent, defiantly old-fashioned, this 'Phantom' overcomes its minor obstacles to emerge as a triumph in every department.
 very enjoyable production Oct 24, 2009
I saw the stage version of "Phantom" in Toronto in the early 1990s. It was a fantastic experience. When I saw this movie version was available, I read the reviews and decided to purchase it. It is excellent entertainment! If you liked the stage version, you will also like this HD DVD version of the movie.
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