The Phantom of the Opera is a musical set in the Paris Opera House in 1870. It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is about the relationship between Christine, Raul and the Phantom. Christine was adopted by Madame Geri and grew up in the Opera House where she was coached by a secret "angel of music"-who was the phantom. He fell in love with her and revealed himself to her. But his love soon overtakes him and makes him act in violent ways such as killing people. The characters sang almost all of the movie long. Their dialogue is expressed in song. The phantom reveals himself at a Masquerade ball and demands that the next opera be Don Juan. Here he terrifies Christine, and she rips off his mask- revealing his scared hideous face to everyone. He takes her down into the underground lair below the Opera House where there is a lake and Raul follows them. Here, the Phantom makes Christine chose himself or Raul. She kisses the phantom and tells him that his soul is scared, not his face. He frees them both and she and Raul leave the Opera House as it burns. She and Raul stay together until her death and the phantom makes one last mysterious appearance at her grave- a rose with a black ribbon and the ring.
The Phantom of the Opera shows the elements and principles of design. The use of color is especially important- the Phantom's color was black, and red represented drama. Like when the Phantom entered the Masquerade wearing a red suit. Harmony is also very important, the costumes were all very intricate and yet they flow together into a scene. The lines of the stage and in the underground lake lead the viewers to the focus of the camera. The shape of the phantom's mask was very important as well. It was crafted so that it fit perfectly onto his face, it was white which could've represented innocence or uncontrollable things because the Phantom wore it to cover a malformity that was not his fault.
The meaning of this movie is like many-love. Operas are usually about love. The Phantom loved Christine, Christine loved the phantom's voice, but loved Raul. It seems like a sticky love triangle to me. I would say that the musical has a social meaning about the effects of love. Love can bind us and set us free. In the end Christine was set free by loving the Phantom enough to be kind to him and he let her go be with the one she loved the most. We also learned that even the most passionate, brilliant humans can remain undiscovered because of physical appearance. This musical stresses the importance of the power of looks. In the end Christine reveals that she is not bothered by the Phantom's face, but by his soul. But his face is the reason that he acts the way he does.
I really enjoyed this musical. I would like to see it on Broadway. The songs were amazing as well as the singers. I could understand how those not used to seeing Broadway shows could dislike the constant singing. But, I feel that it adds beauty to something that could just be said in words. It takes some maturity to be open to the idea of "musicals" because they are not realistic at all and you have to see their artistic appeal.
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