The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)

The Phantom of the Opera
Directed by	Joel Schumacher
Produced by	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Screenplay by	Joel Schumacher Andrew Lloyd Webber
Based on	The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber Charles Hart Richard Stilgoe
Starring	Gerard Butler Emmy Rossum Patrick Wilson Miranda Richardson Minnie Driver Jennifer Ellison
Music by	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Cinematography	John Mathieson
Editing by	Terry Rawlings
Studio	Warner Bros. Really Useful Films Joel Schumacher Productions Odyssey Entertainment Scion Films
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	December 10, 2004 (2004-12-10) (United Kingdom) December 22, 2004 (2004-12-22) (United States)
Running time	143 minutes
Country	United States United Kingdom
Language	English and French
Budget	$70 million
Gross revenue	$154.27 million

The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. Directed by Joel Schumacher, the film was also produced and co-written by Lloyd Webber. The Phantom of the Opera stars Gerard Butler in the title role, Emmy Rossum as Christine Daaé, as well as Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver and Jennifer Ellison.

The film was announced as early as 1989, but production only started in 2002 due to Webber's divorce and Schumacher's busy career. It was entirely shot at Pinewood Studios, with scenarios also being depicted with the help of miniatures and computer graphics. Most of the actors had no singing experience, and had to receive music lessons. The Phantom of the Opera grossed approximately $154 million worldwide, and received mixed to negative reviews, praising the visuals but criticizing the writing and directing.

Plot
In 1919, the Paris Opera House is holding an auction. Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny (Patrick Wilson), an elderly wheelchair-bound man, purchases a music box. He spots a familiar figure, Madame Giry (Miranda Richardson), the former ballet mistress. Then, their attention is drawn to "Lot 666", a chandelier in pieces. As the chandelier is lifted, the film then shifts back to 1870, when the opera house was in its prime.

The Phantom (Gerard Butler), a disfigured musical genius, haunts the Opera House, hiding in its catacombs. He falls in love with a young soprano, Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum), and tutors her into becoming the new opera star. Christine is torn between her childhood sweetheart Raoul and her attachment to the Phantom (who is masquerading as the Angel of Music, the spirit of Christine's dead father). Meanwhile, the Phantom engages in obsessive and deviant behavior, such as stalking Christine, murdering people to get to her and terrorizing anyone opposing Christine or himself.

When Christine visits her father's grave, the Phantom pretends to be the Angel of Music to lure her into his clutches. Raoul has followed her and rides up on his white horse in time to rescue her. A vicious sword fight erupts between Raoul and the Phantom, Raoul is wounded, but quickly rebounds and beats the Phantom. Raoul is about to kill the Phantom, but Christine begs him not to. They ride off as the enraged Phantom decides to "Let it be war upon them both!", even after Christine made Raoul spare him.

During the night's performance of "Don Juan Triumphant" (an opera written by the Phantom), the Phantom and Christine sing "The Point of no Return", in which she tricks the Phantom into believing that she loves him. Raoul, sitting in the audience, is also tricked into believing that she loves the Phantom. As the Phantom begs Christine to have a life with him, she unmasks him, revealing his disfigurement to all in attendance. The Phantom kidnaps Christine and causes the chandelier to crash into to the audience. The Phantom, in a rage, believes Christine can never love him after seeing his scarred appearance, but she says the distortion lies in his soul, not his face. Raoul arrives to save Christine, but the Phantom snares him in a Punjab lasso, and tells Christine that if she chooses Raoul, he will free her, but Raoul will die; if she chooses him, he will release Raoul, but she must stay with him forever. Christine agrees to enter into this unholy bargain to save Raoul's life, even though he begs her to let him die so that she can live her life. Christine sings to the Phantom, tells him he's not alone, and they kiss passionately. Touched, he frees both her and Raoul. The Phantom realizes that Christine could have loved him, but his horrible deeds and anger have destroyed all chance of gaining her love. He realizes that if he truly loves Christine he must let her leave with the man she loves, Raoul. Christine returns the ring the Phantom gave her, then forces herself to leave with Raoul. She glances back a final time, knowing she loves him deep inside. Heartbroken, the Phantom, understanding he destroyed their love, grabs a candle-brier and smashes the mirror, disappearing behind it and a curtain. When the mob arrives, Meg (Jennifer Ellison), Christine's friend and Madame Giry's daughter, finds only his mask.

The scene shifts to the music box which fades to black and white in 1919. Raoul visits the cemetery and sadly places the music box at Christine's tombstone. On the ground next to the grave he sees a fresh red rose tied with a black ribbon (the Phantom's trademark) and the engagement ring the Phantom gave to Christine, signifying that his love for her will never die.