Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Phantom" finally makes it to film Dec. 22

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

I saw this twice during its San Francisco run several years ago when it became a local legend (and justifiably so) for the guy playing the lead role at the time: Franc D'Ambrosio (http://www.shadowsong.com/franc/), pictured below, with Lisa Vroman as Christine:



Ticket-holders would stand outside the theater back door for two hours after the end of a show (and it gets C-O-L-D in foggy San Francisco) for an autograph. D'Ambrosio was a class act on this: he ALWAYS obliged. He said once that "if they're willing to stand out there and wait for me, I won't let them down." He never did.

:toast:

These are three stills and the movie poster, from the "Rotten Tomatoes" Web Site:







http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10002596-phantom_of_the_opera/about.php

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a disfigured musical genius (Gerard Butler) who haunts the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera, waging a reign of terror over its occupants. When he falls fatally in love with the lovely Christine (Emmy Rossum), the Phantom devotes himself to creating a new star for the Opera, exerting a strange sense of control over the young soprano as he nurtures her extraordinary talents.

[Wat_Tyler]

1. I'm fairly confident it's going to suck massively.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

4. It will be a matter of taste:

1). Many people will think it sucks because it's Andre Lloyd Weber.

2) 1). Many people will mark it on their calendar and stand in line to see it because it's Andre Lloyd Weber.

3). I will tell you right now it is NOT "scary." It's atmospheric, it's a love story, it's a musical. That's the reason why some will avoid it like the plague and others...you guessed it...will mark it on their calendar and stand in line to see it.

That's the short list. My two cents' worth:

1) Good luck trying to convince an Andrew Lloyd Weber fan that it sucks. I'm sure many will be disappointed that the original stage Phantom Michael Crawford isn't starring this. But they will see it for the music, not to see a horror film.

2). Good luck convincing anyone who already thinks that Andrew Lloyd Weber sucks that they should see this. I can imagine many people who have enjoyed the horror version of this film being really, really angry if they don't know in advance what they're getting into.

[Wat_Tyler]

5. That's pretty much how I view it.

With the exception that Andrew Lloyd Webber is an atrocity in human form. :D

[walldude]

16. Yup, between him and Shumacher this is probably another

sign of the forecoming apocolypse..

[AllegroRondo]

2. Too bad Puccini is dead

and can't sue him for plagiarism. Sorry, I can't stand this guy's stuff. He hasn't written anything original since Evita.

[Nikepallas]

3. The Michael Crawford issue will come up again. Anyone else know about it

My Mom's a massive Michael Fan and is in his fan club and all. Well, when the club found out Michael would not be in the movie they went nuts. They wrote letters and everything.

Seems Mr. Webber shook Michael's hand as he said you will be the Phantom in the movie. or something like that.

So it will be interesting to see how fast the Fans will make their feelings felt.

[LibLabUK]

8. Ooh Betty! The baby's done a whoopsie in the corner!

[Nikepallas]

9. Huh? Sorry maybe I'm not fully awake

OH!!! wait! My bad you mean Some mother's have 'em


I really was half asleep:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Wat_Tyler]

10. They won't get it.

I don't think North America ever got Frank Spencer.

[Nikepallas]

11. I just did. Some PBS stations play the show once in a while.

I've seen it a couple of times. IT was really funny!

[Wat_Tyler]

12. There you go then.

Very odd show.

[Catchawave]

17. The Michael Crawford Phantom Movie Page

This was a pretty active group a few years ago, but I think things quieted down after they cast the movie. There was chatter of a major boycott if Crawford wasn't cast in the lead. We'll see.

http://www.phantommovie.com/default2.htm

[YellowRubberDuckie]

6. Isn't this like the 5th time this movie has been made?

:shrug:

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

7. The Weber version is very, very "loosely based" on the story

...it's more of a launch pad for the music, and as I mentioned above, the "horror" element of this will be replaced by something more along the lines of "gothic romance."

[bookman]

13. Saw the play...

..and enjoyed it very much. I'd be interested in a film version. I'm just pretty sure that the general movie going public is not ready for a musical.

It is NOT a horror story.

[Nikepallas]

14. I saw the play and read the book a long time ago.

I LOVED the play. I need to re-read the book. Read it about 15 years ago

[tigerbeat]

15. from the director of "batman and robin"....

....believe me that's enough to keep me away.

that, and i'm of the belief that once weber and tim rice split it became painfully obvious that tim rice kept the worst excesses of that weber fellow in check (for other examples see roger waters/david gilmour) jesus christ superstar is pretty cool, albiet a bit too long and evita is *ok*.....but afterwards?? ladies and gentlemen i give you "cats", "starlight express" and the most bloated musical to ever grace the stage "phantom of the opera". the prosecution rests.

(rice didn't fare much better....but at least he managed a parting shot with "Chess" which is a pretty terrific score in search of a decent story)