Phantom Of The Opera DVD Release: 5/3
 

Ok, I realize I'm the big Phantom dork here (accent on "big dork"), but I thought at least a few others might be interested to know that the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom Of The Opera is being released on DVD tomorrow (Tuesday, May 3rd).

The DVD will be available in three editions... 1-disc full-screen and widescreen editions, and a 2-disc edition with a lengthy documentary on the history of Phantom, from page to screen, three "making of the movie" featurettes, a deleted scene (featuring a new song), theatrical trailers, and at least one Easter Egg.

I'm kind of bummed, because other regions are also getting the four music videos released in the late '80s to promote the original London cast album, as well as several other bonus features not included on the Region 1 special edition.
Oh well.

Some good news to offset that though, is the fact that, as of May 1st (and per Box Office Mojo), the film has earned $153,927,647 worldwide, and $51,193,556 domestically (putting it at #8 on the list of highest grossing movie musicals, 1974-present). :D

The big screen did wonders for this play. :nod: It was one of my favorite movies from this past winter. I was in awe of the visuals throughout the whole thing. I think Minnie Driver roasted goats, though. :( But she is not in it enough to ruin the movie.

<3

Stewy, did you ever see the movie in the theaters, or were you waiting for the DVD?

Also, I shall use the occasion of this thread to post these:

http://www.vh1.com/sitewide/flipbook...3024397_10.jpg

Hayley....


You're my new best friend.


By far.

*takes a bow*

I get annoyed with the movie because I'd totally pick the Phantom. Smoldering, psychotic sex gods always beat whiny little pusses for me.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see it in the theatre (Batman in 1989 still holds the record as the last movie I've seen in a theatre! :o ), so I've been VERY anxiously waiting for the DVD.

Thanks a million for those pics of Gerry... especially that second pic where he looks all sexy and beefy. *growls*
There's "hot," and then there's Gerard Butler, who's in a class all by himself. :nod:

A few to add....
http://film.onet.pl/_i/news/duze/g/gerard_butler_2.jpg

(Have I mentioned I have a thing for guys' underarms?....)
http://pub.tv2.no/multimedia/TV2/arc...er_134742a.jpg

http://www.kinomania.ru/stars/g/Gera...er/vert/32.jpg

http://pds.egloos.com/pds/1/200408/0...2_22203421.jpg

http://www.film.pl/images/galeria/20...5-36828300.jpg

Then how did I slip through? :laugh:

:xoxo:

I would positively die if I couldn't go to the movies for 16 years, love. :laugh: Seriously.

I saw it last week and didn't think it was too bad. I'm glad I saw it on DVD, I don't think I would have enjoyed it much in the theatre. Emmy Rossum is beautiful and has a great voice.

haven't seen the movie, but was ob.ses.sed with the musical. i mean obsessed to a level that is even scarier than my obsession with the Mac. the soundtrack lived in my stereo. i know i'm not alone in this, but i could perform the entire thing... every part, every word. it got to the point where i didn't need to have it playing, i could do the whole thing without prompts. oh, and i was eight.

personally, i think i would have preferred the leads to switch - michael with rebecca, sarah with colm. the vocals would be more complimentary IMO.

i'll buy the dvd after i get back from vegas...

Same here! Even now I can quote some of the random libretto.

I didn't bother with this movie because I loved the Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman recording too much. Seeing it live in Sydney was a different story - while I didn't care for the lead voices, it was just so exciting to be there live. It ran for a couple of years or so in this theatre in Sydney, so they did up the entire theatre like the old opera, so from the moment you walked in the front doors you were at the actual opera house, with extravagant chandeliers and ballustrades etc.

"Lot 666 then, a chandelier in pieces..."

This sounds strangely familiar. I would listen to the soundtrack every night. I knew all the songs and lines...I wasn't eight though. :lol:
Now, my daughter, who's four, is seriously addicted to the soudtrack from the film version. She has to have it playing every night at bedtime, and already knows almost all the songs, and will walk around the house singing them. Between Phantom and the Star Wars films, she totally obsessed...and I still am. :laugh:

:xoxo: :)

Thanks particularly for this one...

http://www.kinomania.ru/stars/g/Gera...er/vert/32.jpg

God, he's hot.

:nod: I want!

Here I thought you were talking about the Lon Chaney silent!

The 1925 Lon Chaney silent version is already available on DVD... has been for several years now.

In fact, the most recent DVD release of that version, contains the original cut of the film... transfered from the only available print... as well as the more well-known 1929 re-scored, re-edited and tinted print.

80 years later, and it remains the definitive film adaption (and a must-see, if anyone hasn't). :nod:

But is it really a must-see? Rather, isn't the Pabst "Pandora's Box" a must-see?

I hate to be the naysayer...
 

But I HATED HATED HATED the film.

It's probably because I loved the show so much (twice, once on B'Way and once at the Curran we-filmed-the-stage-scenes-of-All-About-Eve-here in SF.)

It was the first stage musical I saw on B'Way and has always had a soft spot in my heart. So I was so excited about the movie. I was in agony within 10 minutes of the movie. As HOT as Gerry is, he sucked as The Phantom. People complained about Madonna having to rework 'Evita' songs, but Gerry just slaughtered his.

I hated the lyrics that were used as dialogue, I hated the new scene.

I did like Emmy Rossum. She did Christine right, even better than Brightman. I liked Minnie Driver, she was hilarious. And I liked the new song. (It should have won an Oscar, and Beyonce should not have sung it.)

Sorry JS...

I don't think he's much to look at, personally, but other than the fact that he can't sing for beans, I thought he was fine. I suppose I feel lucky that he was cast and not *barf* Ewan McGregor. I got a kick out of Minnie Driver and an even bigger kick out of Patrick Wilson's horrific hair (long hair does not suit ya, babe). Emmy Rossum made the movie, in my opinion. She was great. Too bad I hear that she's a diva bitch, though. :laugh:

On another note, when I think about it, I think Evita has some of Madge's finest singing ever. She's no Lupone by ANY means, but she lent a lot of sweetness and, dare I say, elegance to those songs.

OMG, I agree with you 98%...I think the Phantom should have been older. It was hard to get my head around the 'father figure' aspect of the character when he was played by someone so young.

You are right about Madge and Evita. She was at her vocal peak. No, she was no Patti, but who is? I still get chills when I watch that movie.

(Hey, maybe in 20 years, Madge can do the movie of the musical of the movie 'Sunset Boulevard.')

What didn't you like about her performance, Curtis?

Carlotta was supposed to be an obnoxious, insufferable twit of a woman... and very high-camp... and I thought Minnie pulled it off perfectly.

It's one of those things I've learned to live with. But it helps that there are very rarely any movies that I wouldn't rather just wait to see on DVD anyway!

I know you're not much of a romantic, and Webber's 'Phantom' is unabashedly romantic... so I actually expected that to be a turnoff for you.

Glad you liked it (or, at least, didn't hate it)! :)

I had the completely opposite reaction.
I've been listening to the original London cast recording since 1988, so when I first heard the soundtrack to the film, I wasn't sure if I liked it or what.
It grew on me as I listened more though... and then when I finally watched the film this past week, I was blown away.

Some of the things I disliked about the soundtrack... speaking lines that were originally sung, and so forth... made complete sense within the context of the film, once I watched it. (Though I still would have liked if they had sung the "Secret Engagement" parts.)

I've watched it a couple of times already, and it's extremely rare for me to watch a movie... even one that I really enjoyed... more than once in a matter of days.

You really thought he was that bad?
I had to get used to his voice in comparison to Crawford's, but I have to confess... as blasphemous as this may sound... I've come away from it appreciating his interpretation of the character even more than Crawford's.

I thought he was especially effective throughout "Down Once More," where he sounds so anguished and desperate.

The swordfight in the cemetary? I liked that, too. :o :laugh:

S'Ok, Ran... I still love ya. :xoxo:

It really is a shame you didn't enjoy it more though -- but I'm sure glad that I did! :laugh:

Emmy was 16 when they filmed it, and Gerry is more than twice her age. Definitely old enough to be a father figure.

How much older do you think he should have been, Ms. LeTourneau? :laugh: ;)

I like Gerry better than Crawford, too. There was no way they could make everyone happy... personally, Michael Crawford was always much too theatrical for me. Too over the top and bombastic. For the film, anything approaching that would've been awful. I thought Gerry managed to make the Phantom human- tortured, frightening, intimidating, but still completely compelling- in a way I've never thought Crawford or any of the stage Phantoms could.

I mean, on film, it's completely different anyway. But I liked Gerry's voice and was actually not all that fond of Emmy Rossum.

I'm really glad you loved it, Stewy, and weren't disappointed. All this talk about it actually made me go out and rent it today. I wasn't planning on seeing it again after I saw it in theaters.

Yeah, what she said! :nod: :D

Crawford was good in the role, but I've never been his biggest fan.
I always wanted to hear Steve Barton sing the Phantom's parts actually.

Still, being so familiar with the London cast recording, it was really difficult to not compare Gerard Butler to Michael Crawford. At least initially.

Thanks, Mrs. Stew!

I hope you enjoy it as much the second time around, as you did the first time.

I just rented this last night and I really, really, really liked it. A lot.

I had seen the play here in KC many years ago. The sound that night was horrendous. You could only hear about every third word. And I was really disappointed trying to figure out what was going on. I mean I knew the basic story, but when you can't hear the words, it's a bit difficult to follow what's happening at any given time. So when the movie came out, I didn't bother. Now I'm sorry I didn't go.

I had never heard of Gerry Butler until last night. That man is smokin' HOT. I definitely have a new crush. Thanks for the pics, guys. Wow.

Cute.

I always picured the Phantom in his late 50's early 60's. If you want a Phantom story that will make you cry for days, read 'Phantom' by Susan Kay. She wrote it a year after the debut of the musical. It tells Erik's entire life story from when he was born to the time he becomes the Phantom. Absolutely heartwrenching.

I was just pissy that she didn't sing her parts like everyone else did. :o

I think if they had gone with a much older actor than they did, audiences would have had a hard time understanding why teenaged Christine was so torn between Erik and Raoul.

Patrick Wilson versus Gerard Butler would be a difficult choice for a 16 year old girl.
Patrick Wilson versus someone as old as Michael Douglas... not so much. :laugh:

Read it, loved it, bought the t-shirt. ;)

It's an excellent book... very compelling and heartbreaking. Dare I say it succeeds in places where even LeRoux's original did not?

Frederick Forsyth's 'The Phantom Of Manhattan,' on the other hand, was a major letdown. I didn't like that thing one bit. :distress:

:laugh:

I was kind of surprised they went with Minnie, truth be told. I expected them to hire someone a little zaftig, and who could sing those arias.

She pulled it off though (dubbed vocals notwithstanding), and I was suitably impressed. :)

Just got finished watching this DVD for like the 10th time since I bought it last week. I guess as someone who has never seen it live before I probably have a different opinion than those who have. But, I LOVE it. It is amazing! I went out and bought the live CD from the original show after watching the DVD a few times, and although I miss that that the movie has some differences (the different timing of the chandelier crash, the omition of the second song about the letters, and some spoken stuff that was originally sung), I think it is brilliant. I cannot stop watching this movie! I agree that the movie seems to drag in parts...at least that is what I thought the first couple of times through. Now though, I can't get enough of it. I didn't care too much for Masquerade the first couple of times through, now I love it. I think how they did it with a silver/gold/black/white concept is amazing; it looks so great.

I will be seeing it in Houston in July from the 3rd row and "I Can't Wait." I think it's going to be everything I love about the movie and +10 more.

Anyway, just wanted to share my affection for this movie. I highly recommend it to anyone to see, especially those that have never seen it live before and can go into it with a completely blank slate like I did.

Wow, I'm up late...off to bed...or maybe I'll stay up a couple hours more and get Sonic breakfast since I can't get Chick-fil-a on a Sunday!

Brad