Phantom of the Opera
Jan. 11th, 2005 01:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maderrFinally got to see the movie and it was verra pretty. The music was of course amazing - the opening always sends chills down my spine. And the Phantom has the two sexiest songs in the whole thing. And the guy playing the phantom was dead on. Raoul was a perfectly useless pansy, and the woman playing Christine did very well, even if I hate Christine.
I think it's fairly obvious that I'm a sap. I could probably hold my own in a contest to determin the Queen of Fluff. I know this, I enjoy it, I will probably never change. I love romantic stories.
But romance is my favorite because that, to me, is where you (should) see the greatest character-driven stories. It's the characters I love, seeing them change and develop and clash etc. Fantasy is another good genre for this, though it also gets heavy on other stuff but that's a rant for another day.
Anyway, the whole point of this comes back to the Phantom. Sarah got to hear me rant about this already, which I'm sure she didn't much like.
But seriously. Subtract the romance and what's left of Raoul? Nothing. He has zero personality, zero importance. His sole reason for existence is to play Christine's "good" love interest. He's a ken doll. This annoys me for several reasons. Mostly - why do I care he gets the girl? What makes him so intersting that I would want to see hm triumph? To be honest? I don't. I care about him not at all. Why? Because he's made of freakin' cardboard. If you *really* want to get into his "character" (and this is movie-verse only, not the book), he didn't bother to notice his childhood sweetheart until she was being loved and adored by the audience. I think the phantom said it best: "He was bound to love you when he heard you sing" And yeah, yeah, they were childhood sweethearts. Some sweetheart who doesn't bother to look for a girl after her father (only one she has) dies. But that's the closest he gets to having any sort of character and that's only if you're obsessive and given to pointless rants >_>
Christine is almost textbook OSC. (For those somehow familiar with my ranting, OSC stands for Obligatory Stupid Chick and is a phrase coined by my brother and myself to refer primarily to the idiotic heroines in the video games we play, though the term is obviously applicable to other places.) She's weak, likes attention, is OMFG! Talented and has a not-so-secret fetish for the "dark" but in the end wusses out and opts for the "light" and gets to be the one who Saves the Day! with her sparkly love and kindess. Never mind that she's fickle as hell, can't think for herself, and hurts all manner of people with her selfish behavior. And there's probably plenty I'm not thinking of. So, again, why should I care about her? If I knew her in real life, I'd find her annoying. She essentially plays with the phantom, taking what she needs and then calls him a monster when Sweetheart! Raoul reappears in her life. Not to mention her not-so-secret father complex (though I could almost understand that, really. Can't hold that one against her).
Anyway. I don't like her. She's less cardboard than Raoul, but not by much. And what of her there is, I don't find commendable. So, I guess in the end they can have each other. My second favorite was always the phantom (duh), but only b/c I'm prone to liking the villians and anti-heroes and stuff. He's one of the few that has any depth, and he's as good as he is bad, imho. The coolest character, I can't even remember her damn name right now (rather, I don't recall the spelling and don't want to embarass myself by trying). She's cool as damn hell, in part b/c there's so much to her that's only alluded to or hinted at. She's got a past and a history with the Phantom, and you can see her emotions are seriously conflicted. Phantom should've just hooked up with her, when they were both still young.
Heh, you guys are lucky. I have to get back to work. ^_~
I think it's fairly obvious that I'm a sap. I could probably hold my own in a contest to determin the Queen of Fluff. I know this, I enjoy it, I will probably never change. I love romantic stories.
But romance is my favorite because that, to me, is where you (should) see the greatest character-driven stories. It's the characters I love, seeing them change and develop and clash etc. Fantasy is another good genre for this, though it also gets heavy on other stuff but that's a rant for another day.
Anyway, the whole point of this comes back to the Phantom. Sarah got to hear me rant about this already, which I'm sure she didn't much like.
But seriously. Subtract the romance and what's left of Raoul? Nothing. He has zero personality, zero importance. His sole reason for existence is to play Christine's "good" love interest. He's a ken doll. This annoys me for several reasons. Mostly - why do I care he gets the girl? What makes him so intersting that I would want to see hm triumph? To be honest? I don't. I care about him not at all. Why? Because he's made of freakin' cardboard. If you *really* want to get into his "character" (and this is movie-verse only, not the book), he didn't bother to notice his childhood sweetheart until she was being loved and adored by the audience. I think the phantom said it best: "He was bound to love you when he heard you sing" And yeah, yeah, they were childhood sweethearts. Some sweetheart who doesn't bother to look for a girl after her father (only one she has) dies. But that's the closest he gets to having any sort of character and that's only if you're obsessive and given to pointless rants >_>
Christine is almost textbook OSC. (For those somehow familiar with my ranting, OSC stands for Obligatory Stupid Chick and is a phrase coined by my brother and myself to refer primarily to the idiotic heroines in the video games we play, though the term is obviously applicable to other places.) She's weak, likes attention, is OMFG! Talented and has a not-so-secret fetish for the "dark" but in the end wusses out and opts for the "light" and gets to be the one who Saves the Day! with her sparkly love and kindess. Never mind that she's fickle as hell, can't think for herself, and hurts all manner of people with her selfish behavior. And there's probably plenty I'm not thinking of. So, again, why should I care about her? If I knew her in real life, I'd find her annoying. She essentially plays with the phantom, taking what she needs and then calls him a monster when Sweetheart! Raoul reappears in her life. Not to mention her not-so-secret father complex (though I could almost understand that, really. Can't hold that one against her).
Anyway. I don't like her. She's less cardboard than Raoul, but not by much. And what of her there is, I don't find commendable. So, I guess in the end they can have each other. My second favorite was always the phantom (duh), but only b/c I'm prone to liking the villians and anti-heroes and stuff. He's one of the few that has any depth, and he's as good as he is bad, imho. The coolest character, I can't even remember her damn name right now (rather, I don't recall the spelling and don't want to embarass myself by trying). She's cool as damn hell, in part b/c there's so much to her that's only alluded to or hinted at. She's got a past and a history with the Phantom, and you can see her emotions are seriously conflicted. Phantom should've just hooked up with her, when they were both still young.
Heh, you guys are lucky. I have to get back to work. ^_~
oh my god
Date: 2005-01-11 06:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-11 06:53 pm (UTC)Secondly it's Madame Giry (jear-ie)
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Date: 2005-01-11 07:50 pm (UTC)Eh, it's a bad habbit of mine. But I'm used to getting into full scale debates with my cohorts. Gomes especially is good for destroying movies.
See, that's what I thought. But the spelling doesn't look right.
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Date: 2005-01-11 08:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-11 09:28 pm (UTC)yeah, you're always so quiet. you like movies so much, you should say something about them.
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Date: 2005-01-12 03:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-11 07:35 pm (UTC)I've not seen many musicals (althought I did get to see Phantom on stage in Toronto years back), but from what I have seen, I've yet to come across one that could stand on its own if it wasn't for the music. As much as I love seeing musicals, take away the song and dance, and they're really not all that great. (Some aren't even good with the music - Anna and the King ate my brain and if my sister's friends hadn't been with us, I'd have ranted and raved the whole way home.)
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Date: 2005-01-11 07:51 pm (UTC)Mmm, true. But this isn't even taking the music into account. I mean, being that it's a musical it would only make sense, I guess, that it lose something with the music gone.
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Date: 2005-01-11 07:44 pm (UTC)What if the Phantom went after Raoul? Maybe he might learn the boy something new?
I haven't seen Phantom, but I have to disagree with you. If what you say about Christine is true, then she DOES have character, it's just that it's a selfish, scheming bitch type character that is well hidden.
Maybe I should go see it and see if you're right.
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Date: 2005-01-11 07:49 pm (UTC)*facepalm* I swear to got that said 'bad'
If all I said was *in* the movie, then yeah I would be wrong. But it's just my private suppositions, there's nothing really actively in the movie to support me. It's just how I read the character. But you're probably right - she's not very creative but I guess as the lead she would have to have some character. I'm just running off at the mouth as I am want to do.
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Date: 2005-01-11 08:26 pm (UTC)^_____^
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Date: 2005-01-11 09:46 pm (UTC)Undoubtedly. A good thing about Christine though (and this is more about her wardrobe really) is that she had very nice cloaks XD
...
Okay, yeah that was my opinion.
Although I think she had some serious issues with her father O.o; ....have you ever heard of the movies in 15 minutes thing? yeah. there's some funny stuff in there XD
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Date: 2005-01-11 11:11 pm (UTC)She did have pretty cloaks. My personal favorite was wearing the lingerie down into the depths. I was like 'you're not cold because? oh, wait. hot man singing to you. I wouldn't be cold either"
And yeah, she loses her real woman status. I mean, pansy or phantom. There's really no choice there.
Oh gods, I think reading the 15 minute version would probably kill me dead with laughter.
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Date: 2005-01-12 12:28 am (UTC)Lukekind of way...Yeah I mean really. and technically, if you're right about raoul and his I-dont-want-to-see-you-after-your-father-dies (and seven years old = childhood sweetheart? um. ew? what seven year old thinks of that?) and I think you are (right, that is XD) then phantom has known her much longer. and through the most trying times of her life too.WHERES THE LOYALTY DAMNIT?!!!?!
er. Anyway.
Yeah. You should go read it XD apparently the directors of Really Useful Films who usually does ALW stuff on film saw it and passed it around the office. IT's hysterical XD
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Date: 2005-01-11 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-11 10:59 pm (UTC)Hehe
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Date: 2005-01-12 02:23 am (UTC)Eh, I look at it from the point of view of an actor and stage person, so I kept noticing design stuff and acting technique. Don't get me started. :) And I think the Phantom is "take me now" sexy, but none of the characters are worthy. Except maybe Giry, but I dunno. Once again, the ages don't work.
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Date: 2005-01-12 03:47 am (UTC)And same for Christine, conceited little immature bitchbag. She can have Raoul, because she sure as hell didn't deserve that sexxy man Phantom. The Christine in the A&E is much more filled out and decent.. and Susan Kay's book is beyond filled out and mad awesome. I'm tellin' ya, ya gotta check em out.
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Date: 2005-01-12 02:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-13 10:46 pm (UTC)I love the Ken doll thing... that is definitely right on target, I agree with McLeod there.
The Susan Kay book fills in a lot of gaps and it's a lot more satisfying. You feel good after you read it... in a lot of ways... :P
P.S.
Date: 2005-01-13 10:54 pm (UTC)RAOUL IS A PUSSY.