The Phantom of the Opera(2004)

Plot Summary

• In 1919, the effects of a dilapidated Paris Opera House are being sold off at auction. Raoul the Vicomte De Chagny (Patrick Wilson), now an old wheelchair-bound man, purchases a coveted music box. During the auction, Raoul spots a familiar figure: Madame Giry (Miranda Richardson), whom he met as a young man. Madame Giry is now an old woman, almost 50 years later. But he is distracted by the next piece for auction, Lot 666, which is a chandelier in pieces which has been restored and newly electrically wired. As the auctioneers display the restored chandelier, the opening crescendo of music wipes away the years of decay from the opera house as the black and white turns into color, and the audience is transported back in time to 1870, the beginning of the story, when the opera was in its prime.A disfigured musical genius called "The Phantom" (Gerard Butler) lives within the deepest recess of the opera house. Tormented by his scarred face, the Phantom lives in the watery labyrinths beneath the Opéra Populaire in Paris. After nearly ten years of quiet obsession with the delicate, ethereal voice of Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum) and the beautiful young soprano herself, he plots to place his protege at center stage.In 1870, the Parisian opera house prepares for the performance of the opera Hannibal, headed by soprano Carlotta Giudicelli (Minnie Driver). Theatre manager Monsieur Lefevre (James Fleet) plans to retire, leaving the opera house under the ownership of scrappers Richard Firmin (Ciarán Hinds) and Gilles André (Simon Callow), who introduce their patron, Viscount Raoul De Chagny.Carlotta refuses to perform after being constantly tormented by the theatre's resident "Opera Ghost", who is said to live in the catacombs below. A stage prop falls on Carlotta and she blames it on the Ghost. Facing the performance's cancellation, ballet mistress Madame Giry suggests that dancer Christine Daaé, Raoul's childhood sweetheart, to stand in for Carlotta. She displays her singing talents and is a success on opening night.Christine tells her best friend Meg, Giry's daughter, that she is being coached by a tutor she calls the "Angel of Music", which had been sent by her late father following his passing. Christine reunites with Raoul and confides that she has been visited by the Angel, but he dismisses her story. That night, the masked Opera Ghost, better known as the "Phantom", appears before Christine from the dressing room's mirror, leading her away to his underground lair. After the Phantom reveals a mannequin of Christine dressed in a wedding dress he made for her, Christine faints and sleeps in the lair.Once Christine awakes and sees the Phantom, she removes his mask. The Phantom reacts violently and covers his face with his hand. Christine returns the mask to the Phantom, who then returns her to the theatre unharmed but orders the managers to make her the lead in Il Muto. They refuse and put Carlotta in the lead part after convincing her to return and give Christine a silent role, which infuriates the Phantom. During the performance, the Phantom switches Carlotta's throat spray, causing her to sing out of tune, and Christine replaces her. The Phantom encounters a stagehand and hangs him above the stage. Christine and Raoul flee to the roof, declaring their love for each other. The Phantom, now heartbroken after witnessing the scene, vows revenge.Three months later, Christine and Raoul announce their engagement at a New Year masquerade ball. The Phantom crashes the ball and orders his opera, Don Juan Triumphant, to be performed. Upon seeing Christine's engagement ring, the Phantom steals it and flees, pursued by Raoul, but Giry (Miranda Richardson) thwarts him. When Giry was younger, she met the Phantom, a deformed young boy, billed in a freak show and abused by the owner. When the Phantom rebelled and strangled the owner to death, Giry helped him evade the alerted authorities and kept him hidden within the theater.Christine is caught between her love for Raoul, her childhood sweetheart who has returned into her life, and her fascination and pity for the Phantom. Jealous and possessive, the Phantom plots to make Christine his, resorting to stalking her wherever she goes as well as killing several people. The next day, Christine visits her father's tomb with the Phantom posing as his spirit to win her back, but Raoul intervenes. The Phantom is also there and tries to lure her to him, but Raoul arrives and fights off the Phantom in a sword battle. Raoul eventually disarms him and is about to kill him when Christine pleads for him not to, "not like this."The performance of Don Juan has finally come and everyone is nervous. Raoul, Andre, and Firmin are positive the Phantom will make an appearance, so they set a trap. Christine is torn. She explains that she can't be a part of the trap without the Phantom taking her back. The play starts and Christine comes on stage singing. Christine sings with the Phantom, expressing her love for him. Raoul, who is in the audience, sadly realizes that Christine loves the Phantom.Raoul and the managers plan to capture the Phantom during his opera, but he usurps the lead tenor Piangi to get to Christine, who soon unmasks him during a duet and exposes his deformed face to the horrified audience. The Phantom then abducts Christine and retreats as he causes the auditorium's chandelier to crash, sparking a building-wide inferno to cover his tracks. However, a mob aided by the gathered authorities forms to hunt him down. Giry leads Raoul to the Phantom's lair to rescue Christine, while Meg also leads the mob.The Phantom imprisons Raoul, who attempts to save Christine, and threatens to strangle him to death if Christine does not choose the Phantom. The Phantom has Christine wear the wedding dress and proposes marriage. Christine tries reasoning with him by admitting that she only fears his malicious acts, not his appearance.Struck by the desperation of his actions as well as a revelation of how dark his past must be, Christine kisses the phantom and displays her pity and compassion for him. Her kindness and the love in her eyes so deeply touches the Phantom that, ashamed of what he's done, he allows Christine and Raoul to leave. Just before she departs with Raoul on the boat, Christine approaches the Phantom, who helplessly tells her that he loves her, and gives him the diamond ring from her finger. Heartbroken, the Phantom begins to cry. Christine and Raoul row away singing to each other and Christine glances back at the Phantom. After they leave, the Phantom then uses a candelabra to smash every mirror in his underground lair and he disappears behind a velvet curtain into an empty glass mirror portal, before the police arrive. Upon entering, Meg (Jennifer Ellison), the ballet mistress's daughter, finds only the phantom's white mask.Later, the grainy black and white picture dominates as the elderly Raoul rides to a cemetery where he goes to visit Christine's tomb, which reveals that she died only two years before, in 1917, at age 63. Her tombstone says "Vicomtess of Chagny" and "beloved wife and mother", suggesting she married Raoul, had children and died of old age. He lays the toy monkey at her grave site, and notices that on the left of the tombstone lies a red rose with a black ribbon tied around it (a trademark of the Phantom) with the engagement ring attached to it, implying that the Phantom is still alive and will always love her.

Storyline

• Begins when an opera ghost terrorizes the cast and crew of the French Opera House while tutoring a chorus girl. He finally drives the lead soprano crazy so she and her friend leave. The girl is able to sing lead one night but the soprano doesn't want her show stolen so she comes back. The ghost demands they keep giving his protégé lead roles. Meanwhile, His pupil falls in love with the Vicomte de Chagny, but the Phantom is in love with Christine, his student. The Phantom is outraged by their love and kidnaps Christine to be his eternal bride. Will Raoul, the Vicomte, be able to stop this dastardly plan? — Niki Our story begins with Opera Populaire's manager, Lefevre, leaving. His successors, Andre and Firmin, take over the opera, and bring with them their new patron, le Vicomte Raoul de Changy. To celebrate their new managers, the opera throws a gala, at which the leading diva refuses to perform, due to the mysterious 'Opera Ghost' who seems determined to have the screeching diva leave. Without a diva, Andre and Firmin are strong-minded to find a new leading lady, so they invoke the talents of a young, chorus-singer named Christine Daae, who has been taking lessons from a mysterious tutor. Raoul, Christine's old childhood sweetheart, who recognizes her at her triumphant gala performance, wants to bring Christine back into his life. But, suddenly, Christine's mysterious tutor reveals himself to her... Now, will Christine ask everything of Raoul or listen to the Music of the Night? — phan007 Deformed since birth, a bitter man known only as the Phantom lives in the sewers underneath the Paris Opera House. He falls in love with the obscure chorus singer Christine, and privately tutors her while terrorizing the rest of the opera house and demanding Christine be given lead roles. Things get worse when Christine meets back up with her childhood acquaintance Raoul and the two fall in love. The Phantom decides to kidnap her and imprison her with him in his lair. Raoul is now the only one who can stop him. — rmlohner The story of a young chorus girl, Christine - a young talented singer who, with the right training, could become world famous. While rehearsing at the Opera Populaire, where weird and unexplainable things happen, she captures the attention and the heart of The Phantom, or as the Opera Populaire call him...The Opera Ghost. But he is no ghost - he is a disfigured musical genius who has hidden away for years to avoid the cruel stares of strangers. With the Phantoms help, Christine becomes the venue's leading lady, but tragedy awaits as the young soprano has fallen for the charms of handsome noble Viscount Raoul De Chagny, not realizing her Angel of Music is deeply in love with her. Insane with jealousy and unable to see the object of his affection, and ultimately is obsession, in the arms of another man, The Phantom kidnaps Christine - unaware of the lengths Raoul is prepared to go to get her back. — Shinyhappypeoples 1 more See all