The phantom of the opera

Sunday 15 December 2013

If i walked through the opera in Paris, would i possibly hear the angel of music?




Such is what i thought after i finished reading and watching the phantom of the opera.

The book was interesting to read, it is told by the writer himself who claims to have done research about the story of the opera ghost.
Christine Daaé has been blessed with a beautiful voice and she is convinced that her teacher is actually the angel of music of whom her father had spoken when he was still alive. Yet Raoul De Chagny, childhood friend, has another theory. The latter has loved Christine since he can remember and so a duel occurs between the angel of music and the young man. Still, he is faced with one issue, the angel of music is seemingly a ghost, the same ghost that occupies box five at the opera, and that curses anyone who dares to deny his requests.


As i kept reading, i did in fact fear the opera ghost because of his temper. Somehow i was bemused by the way his genius was described but i couldn't deny that he was quite unstable; i tried to unveil the secrets before they were revealed and all that were involved with the opera ghost, which made reading only more amusing.
Until the last moment, the result of the love triangle remained a mystery, but i found the end to be a bit accelerated.

Regarding the movie, there were quite some differences with the book, the opera ghost usually acted without revealing himself too much to the public because they would repel him for his ugliness ( in the book, the phantom has a much more frightening appearance than in the movie). There is a lot of singing during the movie ( more singing that speaking) but the words and the melody were quite enjoyable so it hadn't bothered me. The dances that were performed reminded me of Amadeus. As i watched, i remembered another story: Frankenstein from Mary Shelly.

The opera ghost and the monster of Frankenstein had similar feelings and had almost the same wish. The actors have done an excellent job and it was difficult to hold back some tears at the end. It's a brilliant, intriguing and touching movie regarding love and the passion for music, especially opera music. I believe it to be a great example of expressing emotions through music. If they had only spoken, i doubt it would have had the same result.

After discovering this story, I'm eager to go back to Paris, visit the Opera and remember the tale that highlighted this ancient theater. To think that i had been gazing at it thoughtfully and wondering what were behind those walls. I will certainly put it on my list.

Share your thoughts about the movie or the book in the comments.
 
See you soon!