Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

BenignPillows Short version of this review (which won't contain any plot summary): **This isn't horror, more drama/Gothic romance. Great writing and acting, gorgeous music even though it isn't a musical, and filmed at the REAL opera house in Paris. See it - if you're able to get it.** I recently rediscovered this 2-part mini series, on YouTube of all places. It doesn't seem to have been shown much on TV, and one has to make an effort to track down DVDs as well. Generally, this has never been distributed the way it should have been IMO, which is a disgrace. We taped it from a Norwegian TV airing when I was a kid and watched it time and time again, yet sometimes it's like it exists in a vacuum.This version might well have the best Phantom of them all, played by Charles Dance of recent Tywin Lannister fame. Wonderfully written and acted, he's pretty different from other versions; a sardonic British gentleman (in manners if not accent), yet passionate and vulnerable. Not insane as much as unstable, and much more sympathetic (and boy did the teen girls on YouTube notice that! Well, at least I hope they're teens..). This Phantom is like if you provided Gerard Butler (2004) with more dignity, less selfishness and a sense of humor. And he STILL comes off more threatening. Christine is played by a young Teri Polo, she's pretty good, but a bit overwrought, and annoyingly naive. Poor Adam Storke gets the ungrateful task of playing Raoul, or Phillipe, as he's called here (his brother's name in the novel). Everybody always hates Raoul, because he gets the girl over the main character even though he's not a traditional hero (in other aspects his characterization varies). However, he remains Christine's childhood sweetheart, and the one who offers her a normal, healthy life, something the Phantom wants to deny her. And Christine does not love the Phantom in a romantic way; she loves Raoul. Storke does a good job if you can look beyond his blonde tresses and raspy voice (was he trying to sound French or what??) His version of Raoul is less condescending to Christine than Andrew Lloyd Webber's. Others worth mentioning are Burt Lancaster in key role and Andrea Ferreol as a very evil AND very funny Carlotta. For a TV movie with presumably restricted budget the production values are truly outstanding. The movie was filmed in the real Opera house Palais Garnier in Paris, apparently as the only Phantom version so far. The sets are very atmospheric and a welcome relief from the kitschy production values of the 2004 movie. The music needs to be mentioned. This is no musical (though was later made into one, very confusing), but uses real operas combined with a haunting original score by John Addison. Christine and the Phantom have opera singing doubles, but believe me, this is one instance where that works, as the voices chosen (Michele Lagrange and Gerard Carino) are exquisite. I love Lloyd Webber's music, but this is just as good if not better.The only problem I can think of with this mini is some pacing issues in Part 2, where it slows down a bit, which makes it all the more annoying that it was never cut down to movie length and released in cinemas. Well, I guess DVDs and Youtube are better than nothing. Unless you loathe romances (this is deeply romantic in an old-fashioned, Gothic way) - see it.

nightmaster I have seen all other film version of this story, and have read the original novel, and I can say this is absolutely the best adaptation. It surpasses the original story, it is presented with A-list actors, superb mounting, flawless film-making savvy across the board, but most importantly the changes to the original story, and the ignoring of every previous film effort, have made this TV production of The Phantom of the Opera the Classic cinema adaptation! I assume the fact of my missing this film in 1998 is due to it being an overseas TV production but the DVD I viewed is available in at least two of the giant rental chains in the U.S. And I found the soundtrack CD on Amazon.

karalynnn Beautiful Adaptation of the Phantom of the Opera. This is NOT the musical Broadway version. The only music here is the Italian operas the opera house is performing. This version based on a stage version of the book, by noted playwright Arthur Kopit, is beautiful and well performed. I love this movie because of its character development and lack of individuals breaking into song for absolutely no reason, what so ever. The use of the Phantom's various masks to convey his mood is a very unique approach, in this film. The climatic duet between Christine and Eric and a beautiful scene with Burt Lancaster and Charles Dance (Carriere and Eric) are both very moving.A beautiful, and tragic love story.

adrian2umortal I saw this 2 parter on NBC back when Andrew Lloyd Webber was sitting on top of the musical world with his Phantom of the Opera. This is a decent musical story version of the Leroux tale. The year before in 1989 Golan and Globus hired up Robert Englund a.k.a. Freddie Krueger to do a slasher movie version of the story which was a total off the original storyline of the Phantom of the Opera. That movie in all honesty, sucks ! When Yestin and Koppit released this mini series they returned Erik to Paris, France and to his beloved Opera House and once again he is deeply in love with engenue chorus girl and understudy to La Carlotta, Christine Daae, who's beauty and angelic voice reminds him of his dead mother, a nice back story line added to the original storyline with one more family member added in for the first time, the Phantom's friend and father played by venerable veteran actor Burt Lancaster. The soundtrack to this movie is available on RCA C.D. and Tapes under the simple name Phantom. It is the original theatrical stage production that this mini series was based on by Yestin and Koppit.