Il fantasma dell'opera (1998)

User Rating:

4.1/10   

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Gaston Leroux (novel)
Gérard Brach (writer) ...

Release Date:

20 November 1998 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Romance

Plot:

Gory remake of the Gaston Leroux classic story, only this time, the phantom is not disfigured, but a man who was raised by rats deep under the Paris Opera House.

Plot Keywords:

Phantom | Opera | Rat | Paris | Death

Cast

Julian Sands	...	The Phantom
Asia Argento	...	Christine Daaé
Andrea Di Stefano	...	Baron Raoul De Chagny
Nadia Rinaldi	...	Carlotta Altieri
Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni	...	Honorine
István Bubik	...	Ignace, the rat-catcher
Lucia Guzzardi	...	Madame Giry
Aldo Massasso	...	Pourdieu
Zoltan Barabas	...	Poligny
Gianni Franco	...	Montluc
David D'Ingeo	...	Alfred
Kitty Kéri	...	Paulette
John Pedeferri	...	Dr. Princard
Leonardo Treviglio	...	Jerome De Chagny
Massimo Sarchielli	...	Joseph Buquet

Also Known As:

Dario Argento's The Phantom of the Opera (UK) (video title)
Phantom of the Opera (USA) (video box title)
The Phantom of the Opera (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/gore and sexuality.

Runtime:

99 min | Italy:106 min (director's cut)

Country:

Italy | Hungary

Language:

Italian | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Italy:VM14 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Cine 2000

Trivia:

Rumour has it that Dario Argento's original cut of the film ran almost an hour longer and that the version which was finally released, has been heavily re-cut and changed by the producers to assure the film's appeal to wider audiences.

Quotes:

The Phantom: The role is yours
Christine Daae: I don't want it
The Phantom: I said that it's yours
Christine Daae: I said, I don't want it. Tell me how many life did it costs, huh
The Phantom: You shall sing Julliete and I shall be there with you.
Christine Daae: I hate you!
The Phantom: Yes. Well, hate and love are one.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Phantom of the Opera (1989)

Soundtrack:

Lakmé: Air des clochettes

Worth seeing, if only for the dwarf's demise!

Dario Argento's adaptation of Gaston Leroux's classic tale is a below-par offering from the Italian master of horror - but even Argento's worst films still manage to be thoroughly entertaining, thanks to his energetic direction, unconventional storytelling, lavish production values and graphic gore.

Dario's daughter, Asia, is Christine, an understudy at the Paris Opera. Christine is lusted after by suitor Raoul – but Raoul has competition in the form of crazy killer, Erik, The Phantom of the Opera. Erik, abandoned at birth and raised by rats in the underground caverns beneath the opera house, uses telepathy to woo Christine and lure her to his lair. Then he bonks her.

Crazy Erik then sabotages the opera house, killing members of the audience and injuring prima-donna Carlotta, which results in Christine becoming star of the show. On Christine's first night, the opera house's ratcatcher (who secretly spied on Erik and Christine getting it on) reveals that Christine is 'the Phantom's whore'. The Phantom rescues Christina from an angry mob, who pursue them underground…

Although Dario's film is far from a masterpiece, it is hugely enjoyable thanks to the inventive gore (courtesy of Sergio Stivaletti), wonderfully preposterous characters (the ratcatcher is a scream, as he and his dwarf sidekick take delight in slaughtering rodents) and a good deal of gratuitous nudity.

So, in a nutshell, this isn't classic Argento... but it is fun!