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13 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Magnificent, absolutely magnificent, 5 March 2005

Author: Libretio

THE PHANTOM LOVER (Ye Ban Ge Sheng)

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound format: DTS

China, 1936: An impoverished acting troupe restores a ruined theatre with the help of a mysterious figure who haunts the backstage area, reopening old conflicts with local villains who want the theatre to remain closed forever.

The late and much-lamented teen idol Leslie Cheung toplines Ronny Yu's superb Gothic melodrama, a uniquely Chinese reinterpretation of Gaston Leroux's 'The Phantom of the Opera'. Cheung plays a famed actor in 1920's China whose affair with the daughter (Jacklyn Wu) of a scheming industrialist is opposed by their respective families, culminating in a terrible disaster that consumes the magnificent theatre in which Cheung made his fortune. Ten years later, an impoverished theatre troupe restores the now-derelict building, and the principal actor (Huang Lei, from Chen Kaige's LIFE ON A STRING) finds Cheung living amongst the ruins, a phantom-like recluse who hides his disfigured face from the world which once adored him. But the villainous factions which drove the ill-fated lovers apart are still active, and history begins to repeat itself, with potentially tragic consequences...

THE PHANTOM LOVER ranks alongside John Woo's BULLET IN THE HEAD (1990) as one of the crowning achievements of Hong Kong cinema. With spectacular Gothic sets designed by the late Eddie Ma and swooping camera-work by world-class cinematographer Peter Pau (whose expansive images demonstrate the full potential of the wide Panavision frame), this sublime masterpiece represents a sensational marriage of old-fashioned storytelling and cinematic technique. The fast-moving narrative is heightened by director Yu's operatic film-making style, a style he perfected two years earlier in the acclaimed fantasy THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR (1993), providing a near-perfect synthesis of plot, characterization and technical virtuosity. The script (by Roy Szeto, Raymond Wong and director Yu) is essentially a reworking of SONG OF MIDNIGHT (1937), an early effort by pioneering Chinese horrormeister Ma-xu Weibang, though Yu's film emphasizes atmosphere and melodrama over outright horror, and the film's central section - the heartbreaking disintegration of Cheung's relationship with Wu - is played to perfection by an attractive cast, underscored by Chris Babida's melancholy score. The only false note is sounded by Cheung's contribution to the soundtrack, a handful of feeble songs which fail to convey an appropriate sense of heartache and tragedy. Otherwise, this is the best adaptation of Leroux's novel to date, a shining example of Pure Cinema. Original title: YAU BOON GOH SING (Cantonese) or YE BAN GE SHENG (Mandarin).

NB. The film was recorded in sync-sound (a rarity for HK movies at the time) with the actors speaking Mandarin, but it was dubbed into Cantonese for domestic theatrical release. However, most DVD versions contain the original soundtrack, along with its dubbed alternative.

(Mandarin dialogue)

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
A Criminally Underrated Modern Classic, 24 September 2007

Author: matheusmarchetti from Brazil

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This beautiful film is a remake of the infamous 1930's Chinese reimaging of "The Phantom of the Opera", with echoes of "Romeo and Juliet".

The direction by Ronny Yu is great and the photography is just jaw-dropping. The acting is fairly good as well and the soundtrack is just beautiful to listen. This haunting love story tells the story of a disfigured opera singer living on the shadows of the opera house he once performed, waiting for the return of his long lost love, who went insane after his supposed death. When a new opera troupe arrives at the theater, the Phantom chooses a young singer who seems very much like him, and coaches him all the way to fame, but the singer just doesn't know the Phantom's real intentions.

Unfortunately, The Phantom Lover is a very little known film and easily one of the few great remakes out there. It should be seen by everyone who enjoys quality cinema and is looking for something new. 10/10

0 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
trivial fairytale in beautiful sceneries, 28 July 1999
Author: annalisa from Finland

This film did not leave me with same kind of enthusiastic feeling as other films with "Chinese fairytales" I've seen. The story itself wasn't that captivating, it somehow lacked the mysterious feeling. The director seems to know his work though: the film was so beautifully shoot, the lights and sceneries were outstanding.

0 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
The songs are the good part of this movie. Other than that..., 11 August 2000

Author: Justin Ching from California, USA

the acting is not convincing. The plot, the set, the indoor lighting, everything looks artificial. It's a mixture of romeo and juliet with phantom of the opera only without the real touch. What a pity that there are not as many good movies made in Hong Kong anymore.

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