Was The Phantom Of The Opera Book Worth All The Adaptations? 

me: :( Dom: *calls us his beautiful watchers* me: :)

"Madame I belive your adopted daughter is in clear and present danger!" "From who?" "From the Angel." "I thought you just said there is no angel." "There isn't!" "... ... ... Thanks for dropping by, Viscount." COMEDY GOLD

Fun fact: The part where a chandelier falls on and kills a concierge was a real life event that inspired this book in the first place.

So basically, Eric realized he was allergic to feelings and died

my ears are burning

About the singing through a pipe bit: It’s possible. I was _obsessed_ with this book as a teen, and I just had to try the singing trick because it sounded so fake. I managed to sing audibly enough for my friend to hear, it really wasn’t much harder than singing normally. As long as the pipe’s circumference is big enough that you can press it tightly around your mouth and you’re swimming slowly (to not be out of breath), it’s actually surprisingly doable. Note: don’t use words. Simple la-la-la mermaid singing will do nicely. I copied Ariel’s singing from the part where Ursula steals her voice, because I was underwater and I was a dramatic teen. Using words would be much harder because you have to press the pipe really tightly against your skin. Doing it in the dark… well, I tried it in a swimming pool the shape of which I knew by heart, and didn’t have any trouble following my friend with my eyes closed. So I’d say with enough practice it’s most definitely doable. HOWEVER! Note that I used to be a competitive swimmer, so maybe my idea of what’s easily doable underwater is a bit skewed, but then again Erik was born a jack of all trades so why not a good swimmer? Still, I also know much easier ways to lure people to look over the edge of a boat in the dark, such as splashing water or tapping the side of the boat with your fingernails. So it’s doable with practice but _really_ fucking theatrical and overly dramatic. Sort of suits Erik, tbh.

Christine's choices: literal sewer Goblin or self entitled pretty rich boy... tough choice. I think the reason their romance reads as stiff is because Raoul was more of a means to an end to escape than an actual romantic interest

In the book, Erik is a very damaged middle aged man, a genius and an emotional child. He's willful, capricious and immature and almost certainly a virgin. And, for such a monster, his dream is really commonplace: he wants to be married and take his wife to the park on Sundays. A fun, extravagant little book. It has really beautiful chapters and poetic imagery, like the graveyard scene, and some slapstick comedy with Mme. Giry and the managers. I enjoy it a lot.

your voice for christine's adopted mother is so similar to terry guilliam's voice for all the ladies he plays in monty python, i'm in tears

"He had to take a day job as a writer." YOU CAN DO THAT!?

The Ratcatcher is my favorite character lmao, just a guy hanging around in the sewers with his rats and completely unintentionally making the opera house seem even more haunted than it already is

Erik: I was hated the moment I was born, everyone runs at the sight of me and I've never been shown a shred of love in my entire life! Frankenstein's Monster: Yes that's very tragic....

The Phantom the Opera is perfect adaptation material. Great idea, a simple plot, room for audio and visual expansion, easy to cut material, and a roughness of execution that leaves room for improvement. It's no wonder producers keep going back to it again and again.

I think the reason that Phantom of the Opera has been given so many adaptations is that regardless of the original story's quality, the image of the Phantom himself is such a powerful visual of Gothic romanticism. He's sort of like Dracula, a character who has outlived his original story and exists as his own sort of thing.

So when it comes to making excuses Eric is Carol from Llamas with Hats. Eric: So I held him underwater till the bubbles stopped. The Parisian: Eric that kills people! Eric: Oh... wow, I did not know that.

Fun Fact: The Iron Maiden song “Phantom of the Opera”, based on this book, was released 6 years before the Webber musical

"Life, like RU-vidrs, can be a real bastard sometimes!" Don't think I didn't see that little smirk, Dominic.

One point of caution, when commenting on the writing quality of something that has been translated from another language: you are really commenting on the quality of the translator's writing. Any translation of a work is already an adaptation. Some things like dialog when translated can come across as incredibly clunky, when in the original language it flows quite naturally.

Christine pretending not to recognize Raul is perfectly logical when you consider this: She was a woman in the late 1800s. Societal standards forbid her from being too enthusiastic about meeting men, especially if they only met once before. At least from showing it openly. She was probably scared that Raul would think less of her if she happily ran into his arms or something. Women in that time are often portrayed as dishonest and deceptive but being open and honest about your feelings and opinions could give you serious disadvantages. Being seen as an opinionated woman could've gotten Christine kicked out from the opera altogether if the wrong guy dislikes that about her. No such thing as protection from discrimination in the workplace back then. If the boss doesn't like your nose, you're shit out of luck. Other countries were just a little bit more progressive at the time but consider that the French women's suffrage movement began in 1919 and women weren't allowed to vote in all of France until 1945.

The singing to the cat was adorably amusing. "You look absolutely...terrified."

The last time I was this early, Christine’s Dad was still alive

I'm not sure why I found this so funny, but when you were explaining why 'Eric' would not be such an exotic name to a frenchman and then cut to a John Cleese performance when Eric Idle was also part of that comedy group ust cracked me up.

I love the rat misadventure. I feel like that was something the author put in as an early draft but found it so funny he decided to keep it in there.

17:59 - One of the best parts of the book in my opinion simply because how humorous, random, and anti-climatic it becomes, especially when you consider that even Eric, The Phantom himself, didn't notice nor mind the humble rat catcher routinely working in his underground domain.

They never explained “keep your hand at the level of your eyes” in the movie. It bugged me so much

Can we have more Rat Catcher in the future? I think he's my new favorite character.

The fact you went out of your way to dress up in a Red Death costume for a split second bit shows the dedication you have to your show. Keep going strong, Mr. Noble!

I love that Dom went to the Monty Python School of Older Lady Acting.

"He...was...already strangled when I found him?" 😂😂😂

Erik: "I am a genius!" >Christine uses love Erik: "OH NO!" I do not know why I decided to do that. But I thought it would be fitting. Also I couldn't help but picture the Fate/ version of Erik/The Phantom of the Opera. Pulling this off. Absolute madlad.

One correction: It was Brittany where Christine and Raoul met, not Normandy. When I read the novel as a child, I was perplexed by the name “Brittany”, because it’s so similar to “Britain” that I thought they’d left France and gone to England, even though they hadn’t. It’s only recently that I’ve developed a passion for linguistics which led me to learn that the Bretons are Brittonic Celts who came to Brittany from Cornwall, and, considering that, the name “Brittany” in fact makes quite a bit of sense.

Eric is literally the prototypical comic book supervillain. He's like a direct precursor to Dr Doom. Also, yeah Raoul is a twit in the book. Luckily, he's actually way better in the Joel Schumacher movie. One of the few good thngs.

no joke- your red death coming from the side actually scared me, like a slow jumpscare😀

Dom: "Phantom of the Opera trilogy" Me: *Johna hill screaming gif*

The disappointment of the mystery becoming common knowledge makes sense. I feel the same way about Jekyll and Hyde. What was once a clever plot twist has become a plot point no one attempts to treat as a mystery at all.

Watching the book run-through left me with a horrifying realization: that one shitty, animated Phantom of the Opera movie is the most accurate movie adaptation of the book that probably will ever exist

(Sung to Webber's popular tune) "It's there, the RU-vid ALGORITHM!"

I keep forgetting your cat is named Sir Terry... 😢 I'd love to see you talk about HIS Phantom adaptation, Maskerade!

"How did you eve get in here, Sir Terry? The door is closed!" CAT.

With the singing through a pipe, I did that when snorkeling when I was about 6-7. My parents could hear me humming underwater and slightly above water, and it wasn't hard for me to do. Mostly vibrations. So yeah, Eric could be able to hum though a snorkel and be heard.

I finished reading this book this weekend and I really liked it. It was really emotional and Erik's final moments with Christine and how he told everything to the Persian actually made me cry. It takes a lot for a book to do this to me, so I highly recommend reading it. I liked the musical too, especially the 25th anniversary in Albert Hall. Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo are my all-time favorite Christine and Phantom.

Last time that I was this early, Michael Crawford was still playing the Phantom on Broadway

Thank you for calling out one of the wildest and most upsetting things Erik did in pursuit of Christine which was to break into her dad's tomb and presumably disinter him in order to play on the violin he was buried with in order to perpetuate the whole Angel of Music thing. (It's been a minute since I read it but that's how I recall the sequence of events. Either way super uncool!) I'm shocked at how often people don't even *mention* that when they talk about the original novel. I get that there's a lot of other stuff to talk about with him but still!! (Also the fact that Erik is old enough to be her father is upsetting too.)

It’s crazy that how I’ve heard people interpret the 2 ‘romances’; Raoul, is the sweet childhood love- Eric, is the more mature adult love - & her choice between them; is choosing between fame & self-attained fortune, with ‘independence’ (though she wouldn’t be independent from Eric, I rather think- though he can’t be physically by her side in public) - or, the safety & security of a respectable marriage that will also give her wealth & status, but it won’t be indivisible from her husband. They both seem pretty rough options to me; one’s a creepy stalker, who extorts money & is a ‘genius’ - the other’s a creepy stalker who’s attractive & has money & a title...

Very good episode! My favorite part: *screaming as rats swarm* "oh, ello. I'm the rat catcher. If you don't move, you'll be fine. So errrrrm, yeah, I'm just gunna go this way with me rats. Byeeee!"

One rather intriguing aspect of the novel is "The Shadow". The mysterious person who wanders around the basement, and who is mentioned by both the Persian and Eric. Leroux even adds a footnote saying he can't reveal who it is due to issues of state, so that has always had me wondering, especially since it's kind of a small mystery that gets so overshadowed by Eric it never really gets brought up.

Anyone else notice the Phantom is basically Quasimodo, in that he's a deformed guy living within a Paris landmark?

Sir Terry, ninja cat And you singing to him has made my day

"Wow he's been married a lot. I thought he was gay." had be laughing the loudest witch cackle. He adapted this novel to a musical for his wife and then they divorced, so I wonder how he feels about it now.

"feeling he'd been so screwed over by life, the universe and everything" I see what you did there

"Wow, he's been married a lot. I thought he was gay." I ' M S C R E A M I N G oh wow. that caught me off guard. there are actual tears.

Phantom of the Opera is one of my favorite books ever but as is the case with Dracula the Phantom has become such an iconic figure in pop culture it is hard for a modern audience to let itself be astounded by the mystery being unraveled, and I agree whole heartedly about Raoul he is very whiny and stalkerish even when Christine tells him off multiple times and he always makes her cry I did not care for their romance (not even in the musical) and Eric is kind of hillarious actually and I do feel for him (not that it excuses all the awful shit he does) but I thought it very powerful that Christine's compasion even when he has put her through hell makes him wanna change not with the purpose of changing her mind to be with him but because he just wanted to experience love and once he did he looked at the world differently.

"Oh he's been married a lot I thought he was gay" is possibly the best line ever in any context. Thank you.

You know you're a Phantom fan when you get indignant that people are spelling Erik's name with a "c" in the comments section

I read Phantom of the Opera because "Hey that's the book that Maskerade is based on!" and was really suprised how many elements Pratchett took from the actual book and twisted around in really clever ways.

Dom singing to his cat while dressed as the Red Death is one of the best things I've ever seen.

Gotta love the pythonesque voice for christine’s adoptive mum. Very good terry jones impersonation 😛

One thing that bugs me is that a lot of online female reviewers hate on Christine. What The HELL is she suppose to do??? Being kidnapped, deceived, and threatened by a murderer. And she's suppose to love Phantom back because he loves her? Or that her childhood friend + love interest is a piece of shit. I can't believe there are women that LOVES to be in her place. I mean I like the characters in the opera, but man people are dumb.

"i'll be using the 25th anniversary to represent the musical" I mean it has Sierra, Ramin, AND Hadley, so it's preeeetty much perfection, so A+ choice.

When it comes to "Phantom" and most of its adaptations, those adapting it leave out what I feel are the most intriguing and moving parts of the story. Sure, at first glance, it's a murder mystery dressed up as a love triangle, but I think there's more to it than that. For me, "Phantom" has always been less of the sappy melodrama many portray it to be and more of a tragic cautionary tale about what happens when an innocent child (Erik) grows up believing he has no other choice but to become the monster he's assumed to be. In that sense, I place it alongside novels like Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" or Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "The Man Who Laughs". And, maybe it's just me, but I think there's something to admire in Erik. No, obviously not the blackmail, stalking, and murdering, but the fact that, after all he went through, he still found it in his heart to yearn and strive for love. The line that captures him perfectly in the book is, "He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world, yet in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar." That says so much. I first encountered the novel when I was about 14 or 15, right when I really needed a story like it, or rather, a character like Erik. The bittersweet mix of unrequited love's pain and the joy of finding an eventual sense of peace, the striving to carve out a corner of the world for yourself (even if it is cellar-sized) in the name of your own humanity, those themes spoke to and comforted me. I've been visually impaired since birth and, while I was fortunate enough to grow up in a loving family and had confidence in myself as a child, I went through a tough dark night of the soul during my teenage years. I think most people with disabilities do. Adolescence and puberty are awkward times as they are, but add them on to the fact that you're already physically different from everyone else and . . . yeah, it's no picnic. But I digress. The point is, Erik is a wonderful character, a creature of both light and dark, as we all are, and stories need to include more characters with disabilities. And lastly, Daroga needs more love. The excerpts from his narrative are the best parts of the book.

Woohoo! I'm very excited for this series! Phantom has such a bizarre history... I don't remember Raoul being overly rude or stalkery with Christine, or the Phantom drugging her. 😲 Time for a reread I guess.

Ok but, imagine what kind of story it would've been if Christine did fall in love with Eric. Is there a fanfiction where she would team up with the Persian to chastise her husband when he kills people?

I know you're looking at the musical, but you really should check out the 1925 silent film with Lon Chaney. Probably the most faithful adaptation of the book, and a very good watch in and of itself. Chaney's make up still has the ability to gross you out years later.

Dom: "Hello, my beautiful watchers..." Me: *feeds the algorithm* You have us well trained, Dom.

Having read the book, this was awesome. Also laughed so hard at the bloopers I almost puked. 10/10 would watch again. Looking forward to the rest of this series

I never realised how insane this story was. I have the book but never got around to finishing it

Dom, in costume, singing to his captive cat is all I needed to smile tonight. Thank you

So... is nobody going to talk about the adorableness of Red Phantom Dom holding his cat in his arms and stroking it like Ernst Stavro Blofeld as the cat is just laying there like, "Yes my beautiful human! Sing... FOR ME!!"

French speaker here , and your way of pronouncing Leroux sounds much cuter than painstaking, which - to me at least - largely compensates for the few scorched names (I'm no judge when it comes to the Three Musketeers review because I didn't go deep into this series - the book upsets me and I don't care for anything related to it).

One thing the Broadway show has are the effects. It does feel like the Phantom might have magical powers especially when can appear and disappear out of nowhere.

23:21 Eric: I do not kill people. That is, that is my LEAST favorite thing to do!

“That [twist] is pretty much common knowledge now, even for people who have never seen any incarnation of the story.” Uuuuuuuuhhhhhh was I the only one who didn’t know?

The Dom in drag looks like Eric Idle dressed as women.

Doms cat also has a system of secret tunnels and pathways through the house to reach his scratching post at any time he wants to.

"Are you wearing a wedding ring?" _"Whaaaaaaaat? Nooooooooooo..."_

The original novel of “Phantom” is very much different to the adaptations we’ve seen. But in a way, it’s one of the great gothic thrillers of all one. However, Leroux was no Victor Hugo: but he was an excellent storyteller. He is no master of language, and the book is no masterpiece. But it’s a ripping yarn that not a lot of people can put down. And you’re quite right. A lot of the characters aren’t likeable. Raoul annoyed me no end. I sat while reading going like “are you sh***ing me?” Neither Erik of Raoul really deserve her. They’re both manipulative characters and she’s very much the mould of the heroine who is to be saved but ends up saving them. The book was far from a bestseller but it had an extensive following in France when it was released finally on volume form after its serialisation. His other words have sort of dropped off the radar which is sad, because “The Mystery of the Yellow Room” is actually his most popular, after “Phantom.” He is an excellent and vivid storyteller, and you can tell the influence of Poe and Dickens and Conan Doyle are very present. You did a wonderful and amazing breakdown of the whole story and I applaud you for it, as a Phantom fan!

You should do a Mini episode for the film Phantom at the Paradise. It's definitely just inspired by the book (and Faust and the Picture of Dorian Grey) and very acid trippy since it was made in 1974.

Paused after 1:30 to say I hope he makes mention of the Lon Chaney silent adaptation. While I've never seen it, I know enough about the man to realize what a genius and innovator the man was. As an actor, he had to do what they have makeup and effects departments to do today.

Actually, between The Blair Witch Project first being advertised and running in theaters, the actors had to lay low in motel rooms and stay out of sight for an entire year. They really committed to the bit.

This whole video was great, but I absolutely died laughing at the outtake of you singing to Sir Terry in Eric's "masque of the red death" costume. That was hilarious! Totally something I would do with my cat!

From your description I picture the Persian being Toby from the Office. The Persian: "You can't just murder and kidnap whomever you like, Eric. There are rules against that" Eric: "Who let the lemon head in?!"

Is that a new theme my eardrums register? I like.

A little while ago, I finished one of Gaston Leroux's earlier novels, La double vie de Théophraste Longuet, usually found in English as "The Black Feather". He does use the same narrative tricks in it, but the story is about a mild-mannered middle class Parisian who finds out that he's the reincarnation of an 18th century bandit. This leads to a Jekyll & Hyde struggle and a lot of criminal shenanigans (including what pretty much amounts to parkour a good century before it became a sport). The English title comes from a weird example of reincarnation of a bird. Overall, the book has a slow start, but does have a good pace until the last few chapters, in which the title character escapes into the catacombs and discovers an utopian society of blind people, and then it just becomes a satirical critique of modern society with the protagonist being completely passive.

10:22 when talking like the adoptive mother it sounds like terry jones as a housewife in Monty python. I love it so much

I think the problem with Phantom is that NONE of the adaptations have honoured the book...I do think a loyal adaptation could make a beautiful film!

Is it just me or does the physical description of Erik sound like a nice guy who lives in his parents’ basement? Like he’s the ultimate nice guy.

Please, can we have the red-cloaked skeleton singing to a cat as a gif? :¨D

Thanks for mentioning the way they both treated Christine.

Always a good day when a new video drops! Good job, Dom. Loved the outtakes, including Death singing and cuddling SirTerry (which is a Discworld callback on several levels, "Death liked kittens...").

So excited you're finally doing Phantom! Beware watching the Phantom 25th Anniversary performance. The performers are wonderful, and I am so glad we have a filmed version of the musical that's not the 2004 version, but the actors playing Christine and the Phantom also originated the roles in the show's sequel (Yes...there is an unnecessary sequel called Love Never Dies based on The Phantom of Manhattan by Fredrick Forsyth), and you can tell the relationship between the main trio are influenced by that. Especially the cold nature of Raoul.

Your content is fantastic, but also I'm so happy you include your bloopers. Reminds me of classic Pixar. :')

I found this channel by accident when you're LiA of The Bad Seed popped into my suggestion feed. I was instantly hooked!!! I went to your channel and watched as many as I could. I could listen to you pick these things apart all day. You just have a voice that's easy to listen to, and I love your videos. Thanks Dom!!

Why is Eric's backstory not the plot to a "JoJo's Bizzare Adventure" story? Get on this Tetsuro Araki!!! The Persian is Speedwagon.

I never understood why fans of the musical hated Raoul so much. Damn, after watching this, musical!Raoul is a perfect saint compared to his book counterpart

Certainly one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. Was very pleased to see you're doing a 3 parter on the story and it's adaptations

This was amazing!!! I just randomly discovered your video and I can’t wait for the next one!

Love The phantom of the Opera same in the background Dominic.

Your Terry Jones "female" voice is OUTSTANDING.

Fascinating stuff, great work Dom!

I never knew I needed Dom to sing Angel of Music to Sir Terry until I saw it. IT'S EPIC, MORE MORE MORE