The Phantom of the Opera (1998)

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.

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Gaston Leroux (novel), Gérard Brach

Stars:

Julian Sands, Asia Argento, Andrea Di Stefano

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Standard story of the Phantom does have one major variation - The phantom is not a disfigured individual, but rather is an unwashed orphan abandoned in the sewers under the Paris Opera & raised by rats. The Phantom invokes death upon anyone who dares harm his beloved rats. In fact, The Phantom's nemesis is the chief exterminator who develops a rat-catching machine.

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Plot Keywords:

phantom | opera | rat | death | phantom of the opera | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence/gore and sexuality

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian French

Release Date:

20 November 1998 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Phantom of the Opera

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Medusa Film, Cine 2000

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 106 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cinematographer Ronnie Taylor has worked on three other adaptations of Gaston Leroux's novel "The Phantom of the Opera". He was cinematographer in Dario Argento's previous Opera (1987), as well as camera operator in Brian DePalma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974). He also did the cinematography for Popcorn (1991), which is considered to have been inspired by the novel.

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Quotes

Christine Daae: I beg you pardon?
The Phantom: For what?
Christine Daae: I thought you said something
The Phantom: I said nothing. But I caught myself thinking about you. Thoughts that surprise me. And I'm not easily surprised.
Christine Daae: Thinking about me? Why?
The Phantom: I wanted to tell you, your voice fills my heart with divine light. Shhhhs. Listening too you is sublime, wonderful. This must be our secret. Tell nobody, then no one will know we'll meet again.
Christine Daae: How?
The Phantom: When you hear my thoughts, you'll know where to go

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Connections

Version of The Phantom of the Opera (1962)

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Soundtracks

Lakmé: Air des clochettes
Music by Léo Delibes
Lyrics by Philippe Gille and Edmond Gondinet

User Reviews

wonderfully bad

Being a fan of horror films, I was naturally intrigued to see that Italian horror legend Dario Argento had made a version of Phantom of the Opera. I rented it without hesitation. Well, it certainly isn't his best work, to put it mildly. The film introduces several new and interesting elements to the Phantom story, which by now has been rehashed ad nauseum. Some of these elements include - the Phantom having been raised by rats, the Phantom is not (externally) deformed, and therefore, does not wear the mask that is almost mandatory for the part (despite the fact that it appears on the cover - though it does make a haunting appearance in one scene, if you can catch it in the background). Unfortunately, the potential of these new ideas is never fully explored, rather, they are reintroduced and reintroduced as if to say, "Hey, look what I thought of! Isn't that great?" It seems that Argento got so caught up in the atmosphere and style of the movie that he forgot there was actually a story going on. The commitment to atmosphere is obvious - the costumes _are_ positively marvelous, and the cinematography is also quality. Beyond that, the film more or less falls apart. The acting is, for lack of a better word, absolutely terrible. I was sighing with relief everytime one of the few actors who managed mediocrity came onscreen. Julian Sands as the Phantom is flat, not surprising for an actor who fell off the face of the earth ten years ago. Andrea di Stefano as his rival Raoul is neither good nor bad, but certainly inexperienced. Asia Argento as the singer is disappointing compared to some of her other performances - but as one reviewer noted, she always seems to be holding back when working for her father.

The biggest problem I had with it was the hideous line dubbing. At least I _hope_ some of those lines were dubbed. Another problem is just how quickly the movie takes things for granted. Almost before I had time to take my popcorn out of the microwave and sit down, the singer and the phantom were madly in love and communicating psychically. Yes, psychically, another new idea that is interesting of its own right but doesn't work because it is presented far too suddenly and with very little supporting detail.

Overall . . . it has its moments. Those moments could have made for a very refreshing look at the Phantom story, as well as a darn good movie. Unfortunately, it managed to do only some of the former, and none of the latter.