Nit picking the Phantom

[Evaline Cuomo]

Does the close up of the pointe shoe in the beginning really bother you? Perhaps not but, it does me...

The pointe shoe that is shown (and the ballet in general) is horribly historically inaccurate. That type of pointe dancing and ballet dancing for that matter (legs up to the ears) did not come about until the 1960's.

So... did you notice any little nit picky things about PO that bothered you?

[The Phantom]

I don’t know much about the ballet aspects of the movie but something that bothered me was the Phantom’s appearance with the mask on. With the mask he looked completely normal, with the bottom part of his face looking healthy where it should have been burned. As soon as he took off the mask though the whole side of his face was burned. Personally, they should have had him in the burn make up the whole time instead of just the few moments when he acted without the mask on.

[Sweet Intoxication]

Hmm I noticed the mask thing too. The makeup artist did that poorly, the burn should have just been on the part covered by his face.

Did anyone else notice how Christine magically changed clothes, when she went to her father's grave? She left, and in the carriage she was wearing a very pretty white flowy type of dress. Then when she arrived she was wearing, what looked like a similar peice of clothing, in black (either that or it was switched, black then white, I forget).

I realize this might be symbolic, with the whole life and death aspects of the grave, but the way they filmed it made it look like it was a mistake. If they wanted it to be symbolic they should have visually shown the audience the transformation, and not just have her walk into the carriage and then walk out in different clothing.

[Opera Ghost]

Hmm, I noticed the same thing about the mask as what Steve said. For example; the mask Phantom wears in "The Point Of No Return" does not cover the whole of his face - mainly just the eyes. So, it shows healthy normal skin on his entire forehead. When the mask comes off, his skin is suddenly deformed on the side of the forehead. It definatly wasn't before.

In the cemetery scene you can see the rings of mist coming from the smoke machine :D Obviously not real mist..!

After "Point Of No Return" the Phantom's hair changes. Before it has dark & closecut, then suddenly it's paler & messy. Wig?

In the picture that advertises the film (click here to view (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v34/Cotume_Ristare/Uploaded%20pictures/mask.jpg)) the Phantom's mask is on the wrong side of his face :D They probably reversed an original shot of him & put it together with one of Christine. Is definaly on the wrong side - it should be on the right.

[The Phantom]

They often reverse pictures because they look better a certain way, though sometimes it makes noticeable mistakes in photos and such. But talking about the Phantom’s hair, he apparently wore a wig the whole time to cover his gray hair. I suppose when it got messy looking that was when he was going more insane and not taking care of himself as he did before. I remember though in the Opera I thought his mask was on the right side?

[Opera Ghost]

Originally posted by The Phantom
They often reverse pictures because they look better a certain way, though sometimes it makes noticeable mistakes in photos and such. But talking about the Phantom’s hair, he apparently wore a wig the whole time to cover his gray hair. I suppose when it got messy looking that was when he was going more insane and not taking care of himself as he did before. I remember though in the Opera I thought his mask was on the right side?

Yes, I guessed that he might have been wearing a wig...when he was getting ready for the Point Of No Return (when he's singing "seal my fate tonight, I hate to have to cut the fun short but the joke's wearing thin, let the audience in, let me opera begin!") his hand knocks his hair & it moves in a way that normal hair wouldn't...that made me think he was wearing a wig.

And yes, the mask is always worn on the right-hand side of his face throughout the film...and I presume, the stage versions.

[sing_for_me]

As to the cemetary scene.

You see Christine go out to the carriage guy and pay him in her nightgown (or dressing gown, or something). She then goes back inside, goes to a rack, gets a black dress, goes toward the camera and it goes to the roses. When she goes back out to the carriage, she has changed into the dress she picked up.

No magic about it! :)

[The Khanum]

...and about the hair...

I think (I think!) they show Erik putting on a wig while he's singing "Seal my fate tonight..." At least, you see him patting down his hair in a wig-ish way... ::shrugs:: I don't know.

[sing_for_me]

Originally posted by The_Phantom_is_Sexy
...and about the hair...

I think (I think!) they show Erik putting on a wig while he's singing "Seal my fate tonight..." At least, you see him patting down his hair in a wig-ish way... ::shrugs:: I don't know.

Yes, he definitely has a wig.

The thing with the wig, though, is that he is obviously wearing one in Point of No Return - but when Christine takes off his mask, it disappears! You don't see it come off, or fall, it just disappears, like his perfect forehead and eyelid do!

[IamErik771]

I think they definitely should have given him a mask that covered more of his face, especially in PONR. And IMO, the deformity should have been much worse than that. When I first saw the film, I kept thinking to myself, "Why on earth did that take 4 hours to apply?!" It was definitely realistic, but I've seen people who looked worse than that in real life! The whole plot changes, so now, it's more about his self-esteem issues than actual ugliness. BTW, I loved the film regardless.

[Requiem]

Okies, to clear up the wig thing - Gerry's Phantom did wear them! While he was down in his lair singing that "Seal my Fate" song, not only was he applying one, it was showing other wigs on his little nightstand that looked the same... I guess he must wear different wigs for different occasions... made from the hair he gets from... rats? :D And btw, Emmy actually does remove both his mask and his wig at the end of Point of No Return :). Subtly though - maybe they didn't want us to see? *shifty eyes*

Yeah, the whole mask thing was a bit of a stuff up. He looked perfectly ok for the most of the film, then she rips off his mask and the whole of the right side of his face is totally radiation-burnt. And even then, he didn't look that terrible that he couldn't live in the real world... dude just talk to him in profile, and you'd be right as rain ;).

[BlondeAngel]

what really bugs me ? the little mistakes in it ... like the Phatom's disfigurament, Meg's wet pants in the end :mg7:, Christine not knowing Erik's voice in the cemetery , Raoul ending up so late when he left just after Christine

[IamErik771]

Other PFN users may remember the in-jokes regarding Christine's stockings. ;) For the rest of you, this little mistake took place between Music of the Night and Stranger Than You Dreamt It. At the end of MOTN, when Erik lays Christine down in the swan bed, she's clearly wearing stockings. When she wakes up before STYDI, the stockings are gone! We PFNers had a lot of fun imagining exactly where they went. Did the rats get them? Did Erik obsessively steal stockings? If so, I guess we know the real reason why socks occasionaly disappear in the wash. :D

[Opera Ghost]

Hair:
It is definatly a wig. Throughout the film, Gerry wears a slick black wig - as said before, you can tell this when he sings "Seal my fate tonight..." because he is adjusting it. That explains his appearance after PointOfNoReturn, because when Christine takes of the mask you can just about see the wig being whisked off as well. That explains the hair style & colour change.

Disfigurement in PONR
As said in the extras of the POTO special effects DVD, whilst wearing the smaller mask (covering eyes and nose but not forehead) Gerry has a sheet of makeup covering his forehead. When the mask is taken off by Christine, the covering makeup is ripped off as well.

[cinty]

Well, to be nit picky...at the little Lotte part, Raoul walks straight into christine's dressing room, without knocking! What if she had been getting changed or somethign??? lol!! It's like, "hey, she knew me when I was a kid, I'm sure she won't mind me just barging in!"
ooh, that sounded like I dont' love RAoul. Not so. I do. but anyway, I just noticed that the other day, it was funny!
I also noticed (it's not a mistake though) that at "i am your angel of music" just before the them song, you can see Gerry lifting his black gloved hand up to open the mirro. :D

[Opera Ghost]

Originally posted by cinty
Well, to be nit picky...at the little Lotte part, Raoul walks straight into christine's dressing room, without knocking! What if she had been getting changed or somethign??? lol!! It's like, "hey, she knew me when I was a kid, I'm sure she won't mind me just barging in!"

Ah, but Madame Giry had just left the room and would have stopped him if Christine was in any state not to be seen by him.

One thing that annoys me - especially in Masquerade - is the female characters. They often have posh dresses with open necks, showing rather too much of their chests...especially Meg & Carlotta in Masquerade :duck:

[IamErik771]

Yeah, and the costumes the slave dancers wore in the Hannibal scene probably would not have been allowed in the 19th century. Waaaay too much skin for that period.

One other thing I was wondering... In the Hannibal scene, Carlotta complains that she can't perform Act 3 because her costume isn't ready. If that was the case, how did Christine get her costume made in one night, when she was picked at the very last minute? She's smaller than Carlotta, meaning the costume makers would have had to start all over! Unless her outfit was simply her own gown, with a few extra jewels added.

[Luciana]

Something else that bothered me was, right before Angel of Music (The Mirror), there's a hand locking the door, but you can't tell if it's on the inside or outside. If it was on the inside, wouldn't Christine have noticed, and if it's on the outside, wouldn't Mme Giry (who's standing right outside the room?) have noticed. If it was outside, woudldn't EVERYONE have noticed, since it was a full room? Then he magically got into the mirror, which no one realized was a door.

I'm just wondering which side his hand was on, and if Mme Giry knew what was going on.

[The_Persian]

It was on the outside, and Mme Giry did notice! But for some reason she didnt do anything.

Something that nobody else has said yet, but that really bugs me is : when Christine is lighting a candle for her father, she takes a stick, supposedly sticks it in another candle thats already burning, and then lights her candle. However, when you get a shot of the whole table-thing , it only has one candle... where did she light up the stick in the first place??

Did that make any sense? Sorry if it didnt. Me=tired

[Luciana]

I think the thing that bugs me the most is the low cuts on the dresses. From what little I know of history, back then, a lady was not to show unneeded skin, but their necklines are practically down to their waists. They look similar to the necklines on shirts today.

I love the style of the dresses, it just doesn't fit in with the timeline.

[Eriks_Angel]

Anna - I noticed that Christine lit the candle in the chapel out of nowhere as well.

Mme Giry was aware of the Phantoms actions, and of pretty much everything else going on. You see her watching everything from the side, silently: Raoul leaving his box and going down the stairs in Think Of Me, watching the Phantom lock Christine's door (he has a key that opens all of the doors in the Opera House). I think Mme Giry knows better than to try to stop the Phantom from doing what he wants, after all, he's half mad and she must know what he is capable of.

One thing that has irked me, is a constant debate I've read on numerous sites, about the old woman in the B&W scenes, being Meg Giry. And that is absolutely incorrect, the old woman is Mme Giry, and although she is 15 years older than Raoul, she is in better health than he is.

I really like Gerry's voice, but I thought he did a lot of 'yelling' when he was singing, and I would have rather he not yelled, and sang those parts, even if they needed to be digitalized (a lot of his singing had to be digitally corrected because he is a smoker and could not carry on the notes as long as they needed to be).

[IamErik771]

Aye. STYDI and the Final Lair scene are the only parts where I feel he needs to be yelling (and IMO, he wasn't yelling enough in STYDI.)

One other thing that bugged me was that nobody made a big deal about Raoul sitting in box 5 like in the stage show. Those in the audience who have never heard the OLC or seen the stage show might not know that he was sitting in box 5 until Erik showed himself.

[Reza Khan]

Originally posted by IamErik771
One other thing that bugged me was that nobody made a big deal about Raoul sitting in box 5 like in the stage show. Those in the audience who have never heard the OLC or seen the stage show might not know that he was sitting in box 5 until Erik showed himself.
I've noticed that as well, but I can't say it bothered me all that much. As a general rule, movies hate explaining things, and anything that isn't directly related to the general plot isn't worth explaining. Stupid movie people... :)

[tatjoker]

Probably the one thing that irks me the most, and is quite a small, unimportant thing, is during the song POTO, when the Phantom sings the chorus, he REALLY pronounces the "t" in "phanTom."

It just bugs me.

Heh. :)

[Claidissa]

Originally posted by cinty
Raoul walks straight into Christine's dressing room, without knocking! What if she had been getting changed or something? lol!
*snicker*

Originally posted by The_Persian
When Christine is lighting a candle for her father, she takes a stick, supposedly sticks it in another candle thats already burning, and then lights her candle. However, when you get a shot of the whole table-thing , it only has one candle... where did she light up the stick in the first place??

I tried debating that in my mind...like maybe she lit the stick with one candle, lit another candle and then blew the original candle out, and we just can't see her blowing...but that doesn't make much sense either...why not just leave the first one lit?

Christine: NO! The candle on the end must be lit! THE ANGEL OF MUSIC COMMANDS IT!

:D

[ForbiddenRomance]

Originally posted by Eriks_Angel
a lot of his singing had to be digitally corrected because he is a smoker and could not carry on the notes as long as they needed to be.

really I didn't know that...How do you digitally correct singing?

[soprano101]

HAIR it is a wig my cuz worked on the movie!!! he told me it was a wig, i've asked him a million times.

[Minoru Inoue]

Originally posted by IamErik771
Other PFN users may remember the in-jokes regarding Christine's stockings. ;) For the rest of you, this little mistake took place between Music of the Night and Stranger Than You Dreamt It. At the end of MOTN, when Erik lays Christine down in the swan bed, she's clearly wearing stockings. When she wakes up before STYDI, the stockings are gone! We PFNers had a lot of fun imagining exactly where they went. Did the rats get them? Did Erik obsessively steal stockings? If so, I guess we know the real reason why socks occasionaly disappear in the wash. :D

It went straight to the "My Size Wedding Christine Doll." Check it out; the doll is wearing the illusive stockings.

They changed the date of the actual haunting for the movie version to ten years earlier, so that they could have the women wear boobtastic dresses. For real. The actual date of the haunting was ten years later, when women were clothed up to their necks. But the director wanted cleavage. What a jerk.

As far as the wig goes, "Phantom of the Opera in Fifteen Minutes," an awesomely hilarious parody, makes a comment about that. At the part where Christine takes his mask off, she screams, "Well, damn! I didn't know all your hair would fall out too!" XD

[AAW0487]

Hm..I would defentally have to say the hair and mask. I can understand why they didn't make Gerard Butler wear the mask every time, just because it probably took so long to put on and take off, but still it kinda takes the deformity of his face away. And his hair looks fine every where else, especially after his fight scene with Raoul. But it doesn't even show until PONR wear Christine rips off the mask to reveal his deformity and his hair.

[HunterX]

I think the Phantom had some sort of cream or something that made his skin look normal, atleast the parts that werent severely bumpy because I think it was right after Notes or right before Don Juan, he puts on something over his face, we cant see what though, then he puts the mask on, and ive always wondered what it was he put on first, but considering the masks he wore in the Masquarade and Past the point really would NOT cover up his distortion, I dont know.. a magician never reveals his tricks, and the Phantom is a magician, lol.

[lisalawless]

Originally posted by Requiem
Okies, to clear up the wig thing - Gerry's Phantom did wear them! While he was down in his lair singing that "Seal my Fate" song, not only was he applying one, it was showing other wigs on his little nightstand that looked the same... I guess he must wear different wigs for different occasions... made from the hair he gets from... rats? :D And btw, Emmy actually does remove both his mask and his wig at the end of Point of No Return :). Subtly though - maybe they didn't want us to see? *shifty eyes*

Yeah, the whole mask thing was a bit of a stuff up. He looked perfectly ok for the most of the film, then she rips off his mask and the whole of the right side of his face is totally radiation-burnt. And even then, he didn't look that terrible that he couldn't live in the real world... dude just talk to him in profile, and you'd be right as rain ;).

Yeah I agree with the fact that his face wasn't THAT disfigured. I mean it was it was nothing to "draw back in fear" off!! In the stage show his face is much more disfigured. I mean there looks like half his skin is falling off in the show but in the film it just looks like his is slight burned. :rolleyes:

[Chance_or_Destiny]

You all have nit-picked this fabulously (which comes from watching it obcessivly over and over again) and i have to agree with pretty much everything said . . . the wig, stockings, makeup, ect. But one of the things that really grates on my nerves wthen i watch it is during Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, when Christine is walking in the snow - but the snow never melts. It sticks on her hair, face, and body but never melts. Then magically it just dissapears - poof.

[phantomfanatic]

I noticed that when Raoul and Christine are making their way towards the roof of the Opera House, Christine's hair is loose. Then when they actually come out onto the roof, her hair is magically pinned back.

[masquerading rose]

I noticed that during the Journey to the Graveyard, its cold enough to snow, and so her breath shows when she breaths. But during WYWSHA, It is still cold enough to see her breath, but you don't. Youdon't see Raoul's, but you see the Phantom's. Wierd.

[Christine]

I noticed that when Raoul and Christine are making their way towards the roof of the Opera House, Christine's hair is loose. Then when they actually come out onto the roof, her hair is magically pinned back.



The same thing happens in the main song title the Phantom of the Opera. When she gets into the boat, it's pinned. Then when she gets on the horse her hair is down.

In Journey to the Cemetery, WYWSHA, and Wandering Child: she acts like she's never cold, when her chest is falling out of her dress in the middle of snowy winter.

Why was she barefoot in Past the Point of No Return?

Where was all of those mysterious lights coming from in the Phantom's Lair when Christine kissed the phantom? After all, they were beneath the opera house... a sewer!


QUOTE FROM MOVIE BLOOPERS:On the during All I ask of You reprise, when Erik breaks the petals off the rose and throws it on the ground, there are only half the number of petals that are supposed to be on a rose and half the number Gerry ripped off.


If you look at the pedals he ripped off, they were in perfect condition. Was he not crushing the rose in his fist, or what? Instead of looking juicy, darkened, and mangled-they look as if they were simply scattered a little daintily.

Christine and Raoul's footprints are missing on the snowy roof during AIAOY Reprise, though you can clearly see the phantom's (which is weird, b/c you're under the impression that Erik hopped onto that statue not too long after the happy couple left, which means that the snow shouldn't have covered their footprints that quick)

If Erik could hear Christine singing Think of Me from under the opera house, then shouldn't have someone heard Erik and Christine's loud singing notes and angry bellows (ex: POTO Main Title song, and Stranger than You Dreamt It)?

[masquerading rose]

On "Notes" when Firmon is reading Mme. Giry's note from Erik, he reads it and it is actuallyquite long, since the part he sings, is also written down, but the note is only about half a page-to a page long, and yet, Firmin's first note was shoerter, but took up more room.

[Christine]

When Christine and Erik are in the gondola, Erik never takes the oar out of the water. This would mean that the boat should not have been moving very quickly, but it was anyway considering. I just think they should have tried to cover more the fact that the boat was being pulled mechanically under the water.

[masquerading rose]

When Erik is taking Christine down to his lair, the golden-angel-candel-creepy-peoples arm's move. Is that a blooper or is that just me being dumb?

[Christine]

Neither. The arms really are moving. Christine is seeing another reality (which is the moving candle arms) that the phantom is giving her. Really, it looks like the creepy tunnel that Meg saw.

[Christine]

I'm watching the movie now, and Gerry tripped on screen! It's when the phantom is getting the chandelier ready in case he just so happens wants to drop it on everybody, right after Raoul tells everyone to perform Don Juan. Erik is climbing down from the crawl space and he gets his foot caught on something and slips!

Right after this, Raoul finds Christine in the Chapel and she tells him she doesn't want to be in the phantom's opera (Twisted Every Way), if you look closely just as the camera focuses on Christine at the beginning of this (she's on the floor with her hand to her face) you can see that she's wearing a very modern day tank top under her 18th century blouse.

[masquerading rose]

On the roof, the snow is falling lightly at first, but then right before the song All I ask of You, it gets thicker, and then quickly lightens again. Snow amounts do change, but not as quickly.

[Skoteinos Metamfiezomai]

Someone mentioned how the 'oar' never comes out of the water in during PotO. Actually, I think it was supposed to be a pole. They're used to dig down to shallow-ish water and catch on the bottom or rocks, then push off them.

One thing that no one's mentioned that bugged me: there were a few instances of pretty poor filming positions... Like, after MotN, when Christine woke up, her wrist looked like her elbow. Also, before PotO, the special effects were kindof off (when her head was expanding, etcetera). The sword scene was a bit hard to follow because of the positioning of the camera, although that may have been deliberate.

[Taka]

I hate it how the Phantom didn't look all that bad with the mask off. He's supposed to be a corpse.

[masquerading rose]

He's not supposed to be a corpse, he's supposed to resemble a corpse and he's supposed to exaggerate and call himself a living corpse. A corpse is dead, Erik was not at the time, therefore he is not a corpse; just over dramatic.

But the 'deforomity' in the movie looked like a horrible, gastly, painful sunburn. But at the time, any type of deformity, espescially those of the face were frowned upon and shun and scorned and made fun of, and people ran and screamed when they saw it. Simply because it was a deformity. It was different. And, now a days, people can go get surgery for facial deformities. People see deformities practically everyday. But back then people prayed that they had a beautiful child. Now, we just pray that we have healthy children, and that they can live a normal life. If a rich family gave birth to a deformed child, it would be everywhere in the local news. Erik was born into a well respected family, they weren't royalty or anything, just well respected. And when Erik was born, his mother was ashamed of his face.

I believe my little rant is over, anyone, feel free to correct me.

[Christine]

I agree totally! I've been meaning to mention that myself, but thank you for finally bringing it out into the open when no one else did.

Back then, even the slightest difference in someone's appearance or personality was persecuted. Think back to Salem: on girl looks a little prettier than the other, another likes to do things frowned upon by religion, and smack!- you have a witch hunt! People did not accept things that stood out in their society. Now people can walk around with a split tounge and a third arm (the second part is an exaggeration, I know...people would definitely notice the third arm) and no one would so much as glance. People have numbed what they call taboo, whereas before you could be beaten up for being different. Like when everyone thought that black people were lesser than whites. It's all the same concept. Erik was raised being told that he was a monstrous, horrible child. And that he shouldn't be seen by the world. At the time it was true, if anyone had seen him they would have agreed. So think about history a little before saying "it wasn't that bad". Because back then, it most certainly was.

Well said masquerading rose!

[Taka]

Thanks. I never fully understood that until now. . .

[cornholianphantomess]

I noticed that in the lair,after erik pushes chrissy,and he has his face covered when he is cursing her.But when he says"This is what you wanted to see!!!!"He takes his hand off his face,but the deformity isn't there,its fine.But then he covers his face.
And after Joe Buquet was hung,Raoul finds Chrissy and says"are you okay?",but when chrissy says"Raoul we're not safe here"her lips don't move,her mouth is agape.
In the final lair scene,Raouls ropes are arranged differently almost every other shot.
And when Erik and Chrissy kiss,you can see the string that they used for the prostetics to make his droopy eye.

[Ange de Musique]

Okay, this is admittedly gross, but it drives me nuts! :mad:

In the All I Ask of You scene, when the Phantom starts to cry, he gets a visibly noticeable runny nose! But no tears! Ooo, I could get over it if there were tears and a runny nose, but to have one and not the other bugs me to death! :mad: Somebody should've fixed that.

The other thing I noticed was that during the PONR scene, Christine has several large blemishes not covered well enough on her forehead. :D

I usually don't nit-pick, but this is what this thread is for! :D

Laura

[Andrew_Phantom]

This is something not too big that I noticed, but at the end of the POTO song when Christine sings the high note, the camera shifts to her as Erik gets out of the gondola and her mouth is not open, but shut.

[The Countess]

During PONR, when Christine sings 'in my mind I've already imagined our bodies...' she rolls back her eyes slightly. I know that it's for dramatic effect, but it's always made me shift in my seat a little.

[tiannangel]

I think it's mostly for effect, though I haven't actually noticed it....
One thing I don't really get about the film is the fact that, at the very begining, Madame Giry is standing up straight, not looking very old at all, but Raoul, who is at least 10 years, if more, younger than her, is sitting in a wheelchair, acting and looking WAY more older than she is.
I don't really get this.
Anyone care to explain?

[*Phantom's Revenge*]

I think the movie was just trying to (vividly) show show us how old they were so that when it went back in time, they looked really young and energetic. Also, I think that by having Mdm Giry stand upright, it kind of a gave an insight into her character--strong-willed, independent, etc. Personally, I do not think she looked any younger than Raoul, just more physically healthy. :D

As for the original question, why, if I nit-picked at every single thing I've noticed about the movie, I could write for hours! I do love it, though, and will continue to watch it...no matter how many things I notice wrong with it! ;) I do have to say, though...the first and biggest thing that I do not like about the movie is when the Phantom's on the rooftop and he's holding the rose and crying. It always bugs me that his nose is running! I know it's supposed to give it a realistic effect, but it just bugs me! :D Hehe, okay, I'll stop complaining now!
--Alex :mask:

[tiannangel]

Hm...I haven't noticed that before..though now you mention it, it does seem kinda annoying, for the fact there are NO tears whatsoever, just a really sad expression and shuddering body.

[The Countess]

This is more of Joel's fault, but I don't like how they made the movie so colorful and cheery. I can understand 'Masquerade' being that way, but songs like MOTN are supposed to be dark and passionate. This is why I sometimes wish that someone like Tim Burton directed the movie instead of Joel.

[tiannangel]

Oh yes! I can totally see Tim Burton directing it XDD
And then he'll cast Johnny Depp as Erik XDDD
Though I guess he won't be that bad, just not sure about his singing....

[LostWannabe]

And Tim Burton would cast his wife (dont know her name sorry:p) as Christine

[tiannangel]

You mean Helena Bowman Carter?
Some how...I seriously can't see her as Christine...she...I dunno.
It doesn't seem to suit. Though knowing him, he probably will :P

[The Countess]

Her voice wouldn't at all. It's mild and passable but not very beautiful, you know. Oh, and she's just his girlfriend I think.

Back on topic...

[The Countess]

...half a year later? Wowzers...

Anyway, I hate how in the movie, everyone pronounces "populaire" (like pop) when it's supposed to be populaire liek pope. It's highly irksome.

[Madame le Courayer]

Paraphrasing Mr. Darcy as he gazes upon Lizzie Bennet, "It is tolerable!"

It could have been so, so, so much more! My biggest pet peeve with POTO 04 is GB's makeup, followed by his singing, which is again tolerable, but....that's antoher thread.
I would have been much more impressed with less folderol and more horror...a more funereal atmosphere. If Gerry could have acted and sung the way he did with a more grotesque face (think corpse, not sunburn!!!!) I think I could have found the Phantom much more believable. Yes, all in all for me I think it comes down to that face....

[Lot666]

I think the movie was just trying to (vividly) show show us how old they were so that when it went back in time, they looked really young and energetic. Also, I think that by having Mdm Giry stand upright, it kind of a gave an insight into her character--strong-willed, independent, etc. Personally, I do not think she looked any younger than Raoul, just more physically healthy. :D
--Alex :mask:

Or- and I think I read this somewhere- Raoul might have gone to fight in the civil war and been injured, while she as the ballet mistress had a lot of excersise and was healthier. Just a thought.

[SoulLily]

Heh, prepare yourselves for a long-winded rant here.

What really bothers me is the droopy eye. The eye holes in all his masks show a perfectly normal eye, but when it comes off in PONR it suddenly goes droopy? I mean the rest of it you can sorta explain, like some kind of second skin-esque thing could be covering the forehead, but the droopy eye makes no sense!! :mad:

Another thing is Raoul's accent. All the accents, really, because all these people are French but Mme. Giry is the only one who has a French accent. But Raoul especially, because at least everyone else does something of an English accent, but he scarcely even manages that!

Some other little details like Meg's wet pants drying at lightning speed, which was mentioned already, and how when the Phantom's setting up the chandelier or something just before PONR he pulls a lever and it doesn't move. And just the fact that in PONR he's way across the stage from Christine, away from anyone else and he's a painfully clear shot but Raoul still signals them to hold fire! Dramatic effect, sure, but what was the point in having them there if you're not gonna use 'em?

Ah! I was forgetting one: the operas are so unprofessional! I mean, I'm no expert, but there are a few things that bug me in the actual performances of the operas. Il Muto, for starters. 1) The way the three performers scuttle downstage when the curtain opens, having to be prompted with "Go, go!" from the wings. 2) The way the little guy looks under the purple lady's skirt (maybe that was part of the acting, but either way it still bugs me). 3) The way Carlotta goes offstage in the middle of the performance for her throat spray. I know the Phantom just interrupted it anyway, but still. And I have one more criticism for Don Juan, which would be Carlotta doing this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ6J-aiIM8E) during a performance.

And a couple more Il Muto nit-picky things (then I'll shut up, I promise)... Meg is in Poor Fool He Makes Me Laugh, and then when that goes awry an instant later she's in the ballet. Miraculously quick costume change! Actually it amazes me that the ballerinas were all conveniently in costume even though they had to bring the act forward... And at least one of them is wearing leg warmers, which I doubt they had back then.

Anywho, rant over for now.

[The Countess]

Adding onto your rant:

In Il Muto, it's just silly that they cast Christine as the Pageboy. True, in operas, young woman are cast to play young boys so they still sound young but can still sing difficult music but not if the role is a silent role! It's silly!

I hated how Meg had an actual role in the opera. What the hell? She's a dancer, not and actress or singer. Her part is silent as well. Was this opera composed for the mute's aperication or something? God...

[angelgirl]

This is my nit-picking and it really has to do with Phantom in general. It annoys the crap out of me whenever Erik is spelled with a C, even if that's how it's supposed to be spelled. I get mad and yell at the tv, newspaper ,whatever, "It's spelled with a K!"
Just thought I'd share it with all of you!
A.G.

[SoulLily]

I do the same. Seeing it spelled with a C just drives me nuts. Even if it's not talking about him, even if it's just some random guy with the same name I always feel a need to spell it with a K.

Speaking of which, it bugs me that the Phantom doesn't get to be called Erik in the movie. Not having a name just makes him seem less human and takes away from the sympathy you can have for him.

[angelgirl]

This is another one, (has nothing to do with the movie.)

Has anybody else noticed that on the DVD cover of the 1990 miniseries, the review talks about David Staller and Elizabeth Walsh, and those are so NOT the people who play Erik and Christine in the miniseries. That just annoys me everytime I look at it.

Anybody else noticed this?
A.G.

[SoulLily]

Okay, I can't believe I never noticed this until today, but it bugs me that all the dancers in Hannibal have that blue eyeshadow on except for Christine and Meg! It's not like their roles are special compared to the other dancers; they should be wearing the same overdone makeup!

[Madame le Courayer]

Maybe they're supposed to be the child slaves and don't wear blue paint! :biglaugh: I don't know...nearly five years later and the mistakes and inconsistancies in the movie really get to me! I think it's safe to conclude that, with the exception of a few great scenes, ALW and JS are a lethal combo...and not in a good way either!
And yes, I have the 1990 CD POTO and it says that on my case. Weird but I think such mistakes are pretty common with certain overseas releases. I wonder if this is even a bootleg???? Of course I'd be a hypocrite if I said I was appalled! *snickers*

[Hidden Away]

Okay, I can't believe I never noticed this until today, but it bugs me that all the dancers in Hannibal have that blue eyeshadow on except for Christine and Meg! It's not like their roles are special compared to the other dancers; they should be wearing the same overdone makeup!

I think it was because Meg was the 'innocent one'...hah (not really).
I've heard it said that petite dance rats would over due their makeup even for rehearsals. I'm not sure why Christine and Meg weren't the same. But it was in the show that Christine immediately went from the Hannibal rehearsals to the Gala....I have no idea why that matters now that I think of it.

Alright something that I have to say!!! If you watch the Phantom of the Opera (theme song) scene and watch Erik and Christine enter the lair, you will see the water, water light reflections, and candle lights moving ridiculously fast. I really want to say that the boat was moving so fast that they just speed it up...but that wouldn't make sense. It still does bother me though...*shrugs*

[The Countess]

I love how Erik's outfits often look more expensive or nicer than Raoul's who us a Vicomte. Erik's rich too because of his monthly salary but I don't think that he would be trying to impress anyone underground with his spiffy duds.

The actual costuming of the entire movie peeves me because of its inaccuracy. No matter how beautiful they are, it's still not right

[EriklovesLea]

I love reading all your posts dissing something that in general, at least to me and thousands of others was so beautiful.:confused: So they made a few mistakes. So what!! I have a bad habit when I read, and I read tons of books, of finding a mispelled word, a grammar error or such. But I can still enjoy the book if it is good. Now if there are copious errors throughout, wither the editor was bad or the writer couldn't spell, or there was a typo etc.
Most of the errors you have to be reminded by others to look for, like Meg's pants. I never noticed it until someone brought it to my attention. It did nothing to spoil the movie, however.
And I must admit I am partial now to Erik spelled with a "K" rather than a "C". But that is probably because I love Erik.:tp1: I tend to notice on checking that there are some who do spell it that way, but more with a "C", Again, that is the parents, and the nationality. Erik with a "K" is mostly a Scandinavian name. If you REALLY want to be correct, living in France, his name should be "Erique."
Now something I didn't notice until just recently, not an error, was that when Erik has Christine in the lair in the final scene and they talk about his being virginal (joys of the flesh) he reaches for her and she backs off. That is all I had seen through many watchings. But I finally saw that he grasps a strand of her hair and gently pulls it through his fingers. The longing on his face is heartbreaking.:crying: It is little gestures and things like that which I remember, not whether Meg put her pants in a dryer on her way to the Phantom's bedroom.:spin2:
Anne

[The Countess]

Well that's why it's called nit-picking, m'dear. We're not looking at the good things. As phans, we're disecting this film for little mishaps or where they majorly screwed up.

[Hidden Away]

Nit-picking is somewhat fair. Directors do it when they watch the final rehearsal of a show. But in the movie they are expected by critique standards and the fans to have a perfect movie. In the show it's either hard to remember--coming form distance from stage or the disadvantage of not being about to rewind the stage action--or too small for anyone to notice. In the movie you see everything. You can rewinded, evaluate, heck I remember being in a commercial for my school and watching the footage back and I said thank God the TV can't rewind--technology..how it has grown!

By the way. So since the entrance into the grotto/lair, I'm surprised the didn't film it backwards so thatthe lights could go down and douse in the water. But yes it would be heard to have Gerry steer backwards and what not, but I think it would have improved the quality of the water's gleam. It just was so distracting to me.

[The Countess]

I agree with you, PJ. I can understand not filming Gerry backwards (because that just wouldn't be fair to him) but could have at least filmed the candles rising and then edited the two together. Perhaps that would be too ambitious for the editors, though. Oh well, you can't please everyone, can you?

[Hidden Away]

Actually I can merge something like that if I had the tools like at school, so it will be a breeze for them up there in Hollywood. Seriously! I just think that the candles could have been done better. buaha nit-picking.