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I love Erik. He is, as we all are, a being of both light and dark. When I first discovered this story through the Lloyd Webber musical when I was about 15-16 (I'm 32 as of 2020), the Phantom stood out to me as a symbol of hope. In spite of all the shit he'd been through, he still found it in himself believing in love and human connection and trying to find it. As the novel says, "He had a heart that could've held the empire of the world, but in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar." There's something very powerful in that, a man striving for his own humanity when he's constantly told, "No," for reasons beyond his control. I especially identify with that as someone who's been visually impaired since birth. Yes, my situation of growing up in the 21st century with loving family and friends is quite different to Erik's, but I think all people with disabilities/deformities will to some degree experience that sense of "otherness" as long as society continues to make us objects of curiosity in various ways. So, yes, "Phantom" quickly gained a very near and dear spot in my heart. I read the original novel and tracked down every film version I could find (basically, all the ones you showed, plus a few more). And yes, I'll admit, I started out as one of those Phans who felt the Phantom was owed someone's love because of his tragic past and saw Christine as just a shallow, selfish bitch who couldn't see past his face. But as cringe-inducing as that phase was, I'm glad I went through and grew out of it. It served as a good contrasting point for how I came to appreciate the story as I got older. Seeing just how toxic and unhealthy Erik and Christine's relationship was, and how he seemed to be more in love with the idea of her rather than her as a person, only made the story all the more fascinating. It painted a psychological picture, from both Erik and Christine's perspectives, that made the story so much more than the sappy, melodramatic love triangle it's often made into. "The Phantom of the Opera", for me, is a cautionary tale akin to "Frankenstein" about what can happen when an innocent child grows up feeling he has no other choice but to become the monster he's already assumed to be.
I love your post. I would argue however that in the end. at least in the Leroux and ALW version, we do realize that Erik truly loved Christine. Maybe he hadn't until the end, but when she sacrificed herself and kissed him, he realized he loved her, which is why let her go. Not a small sacrifice for the man who spent his whole life alone in misery and abuse who had the chance to keep the one person he loved and who showed him kindness with him forever. I think that's the utter tragedy of the book and most of it's adaptions. In the end he truly did love her but it was too late. Poor unhappy Erik.
@@bawoman Oh, I completely agree: By the end of the story, be it in the book or one of the various adaptations, Erik does realize he loves Christine for who she is as a person because she, in turn, acknowledges his individuality. But until that point, for most of the plot, he's in love with what she represents, a doll-like figure, "a wife I can love and walk with in the countryside on Sundays".
I read the book about two weeks ago. This is exactly how I would picture the Phantom. As a Monster. Not a heartthrob. Think about it. He is obsessed. His obsession over Christine nearly killed the patrons in the opera house
think about it is it really his fault? he was a monster in people’s eyes just because he was deformed witch he didn’t choose to be even his freaking mother didn’t like him he is smart and had lots of talent but what people really cared about was his looks the society made him a monster and if i was in eriks possession i would do anything for love too
Think about it he's essentially had to live as a ghost because he was different for his entire life. He's isolated, alone, and hated by all because of how he looks, and by the time he meets Christine the only joy he's ever known is the fantasy world of opera and music and it turns to obsession because for the first time in his life he knows he doesn't have to be alone in a cold unforgiving world. Does it excuse his crimes, no. But like Frankenstein's Monster, he's as much a victim of a family and a society that rejected him
Erik in the book is supposed to be hideous, but in the end, he truly does prove to love Christine, and Christine's feelings towards him were more ambiguous rather than straight-forward. This story is still my favourite! ^_^
Their love was so toxic. I used to be like "christine is such a b1tch and so selfish" but he was extremely obsessed with the idea of them being together. All that just makes the story way more interesting to me
The actual hue of Chaney's make-up was likely a deep yellow only to make it appear as a different hue in black in white. I believe they intentionally went a tiny bit overboard to convey to the audience in black and white that his skin was not normal
@@ChannelingSpirits No actual source, but working with film and black and white, this kind of technique would make sense. He definitely wouldn't have been completely green though. I've just noticed that his skin hue is different than the other actors, and detailed close ups your can see that there is intense makeup on him, I don't doubt that they would've employed a similar technique of making the color (at least on the face) different to sell the idea of him being unnatural, especially in black an white
There was also a 1983 Phantom of the Opera TV movie that was rather well done and was interesting that had Maximillian Schell as the Phantom and Jane Seymour as Maria his love interest and Michael York was in it also. The Phantom’s mask and disfigured face are memorable as well.
Same here... I was surprised to see how well Leonidas could sing lmao. I see a lot of people giving the movie shit. I know it's not perfect, but it was still a wonderful experience. I loved the songs and loved Gerard Butler as the Phantom of the Opera. I think I'll be looking into the 80's musicals next. Maybe even the novel.
@@debrawebster1356Then the Phantom wouldn't be appealing 😏 There are many versions of the Phantom and some has the character gruesome, so it's great to have a hot version of the Phantom too
I want to make a proper film version of the musical, change some things here and there (like giving Erik a full face mask and mummy-like face), but nobody can probably do anything until Andrew Lloyd Webber passes. The dude is VERY strict with his work and he's also kind of a bad man. There, I said it. Fight me, prove me wrong.
You're not alone. I have so many ideas of changes for Phantom of the Opera I want to share. And yes. I would like to see the Phantom with a *FULL* mask instead of a half mask. One half of his face distorted doesn't work well. And I certainly don't want to make the Phantom a sexy hunk heartthrob. Booooooo!!! He's supposed to be a monster *AND* a bad guy!! Just like in the book!!
@@jasminnemcdonald94A Worth noting that that's just the Gerard Butler one. In the actual musical, yes, he LOOKS like a heartthrob, but it's a carefully-constructed lie, for he is, true to the book, very old.
Why don't you wanna make an adaptation of the book then? The rights of the books are public domain. A full.mask monster is more likely the book, not the musical
I used to have an abridged novelization when I was a kid (early 90s) that had some really weird illustrations. It almost reminded me of the Scary Stories books, although I know it wasn't the same illustrator.
Altho I liked the 1925, 1943, 1962 & Charles Dance MFTV versions as well as the Broadway Musical, I like it better when he is portrayed as being born with his deformity, as he was in the Leroux Novel. That's the way Gaston Leroux intended it! As he was in the 1925 version, The Made For TV Version w/ Charles Dance, & The Broadway Musical. Also, Alicia, I found your comments very insightful!
To jasminnemcdonald94A, if I may make one small point. I have read the book multiple times and while you are correct about the phantoms obsession, several of the events that occurred in the theater were accidents. The phantom simply took credit for them. Like the chandelier. That was an accident. And Joseph buqet was not killed by the phantom but the ohantom hung his lifeless corpse and allowed everyone to believe he was responsible
0:39 and owns an amusement park 😅NGL when i was 5 and first seen the 25th anniversary one, i fell in love ❤️ both with Erik and the whole franchise and fandom.
I’ve watched all the film versions of The Phantom Of The Opera & the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical & its sequel Love Never Dies. What did Christine Daae’s voice sound like? I’ve heard Susanna Foster, Heather Sears, Teri Polo & other women who played Christine sing in the film versions, but Sarah Brightman’s portrayal of Christine in the Lloyd Webber musical is my favorite.
There game call mazm: the phantom of the opera is back in 2018 but when Christine kidnapped by Erik there girl name melek who is trukey and blind woman she is erik blind servant because he kidnapped her after refused to marry him melek try escape but he alway caught her melek abandoned idea plan to escape she was be take to Christine adopt mom home her family do not worries her she now live happy life with her cat
Nice job going to the original text. It's rare to find a channel that gets a chick who sounds like every word is cut-and-pasted but still has a good video.
Another issue issue with going so far into the past is what was considered luxury would not necessarily compare with the current day. There would be wealth and grandeur, but also filth and squalor. Medical treatment would be worse, and human rights were mostly worse. Technology was worse, sanitation, science, and so much else.
Lon chaneys phantom was the best. Such a shame that nobody knows about it because of that shitty andrew lloyd webber musical and its "hunky" phantom. He should be grotesque not a lil bit burned on one side of his face
What if we took Raul out of Phantom of the Opera and put just Christine Justice Phantom just Meg and Madame Jerry and Gustave and this is set in Coney Island 1988
I have an idea for a movie about a war between the Classic Monsters and the modern slasher movie guys; it's revealed that the Phantom and Jigsaw are playing both sides for fools.
The phantom did exist,i know he did because god created him just like he created aliens and werewolves and vampires and ghosts and witches so therefore he created the phantom of the opera
