Okay, now be honest. Who were you rooting for? And I'm not talking about the book here, not even the Broadway production, but the movie. The one with Gerard Butler as the Phantom. And be honest with yourself. Did you give a silent cheer when the Phantom let Christine and Raoul go? Or were you like me, who found a deep loathing for the very presence of Raoul from his very first scenes? If you are like me, you were disappointed when Raoul managed to escape from the random water trap, and you cried every time the Phantom was rejected. You found yourself thinking that he really wasn't such a bad guy, that he was just misunderstood, and that if Christine had a brain under that pretty face, she'd go with him willingly. You found yourself justifying all sorts of bizarre blackmail, and even murder, on the basis that the poor Phantom had been mistreated.
Can anyone tell me why this is?
I think my first area of sympathy lies with the fact that I appreciate the twisted-ness of his plans. Hang the stage hand on the stage. During a rehearsal. Drop the chandelier on the audience during a performance. Give the annoying chick the hiccups. Write an opera. Stuff like that. Right up my alley.
My second bias in favor of the phantom deals with the Phantom himself. He's not very creepy. As I understand it, the original Phantom in the book was completely deformed and sadistically insane. Butler's Phantom is young, strong, likable, intelligent, and quite handsome in a little white mask. Even without the mask, there's something rugged about the way his face looks like it was melted slightly by radiation. Scars are supposed to be manly, aren't they? The only time he looks at all the part of the deformed maniac is when he crashes the ball at the beginning of act two. And even then, it's more quirky than anything else.
The third factor in this is my bias against Raoul. Where the Phantom comes across as the brusque manly man, Raoul is simply a pretty boy. And a little bit of a brat. Quite frankly, I was surprised when he didn't get lanced by the Phantom at the cemetery. He comes across as the type of guy who would carry around a gun with no bullets, just because it looked good. I let out a silent cheer when the Phantom finally got a noose around his neck and started mocking him with taunts such as "Order your fine horses now, raise up your hand to the level of your eyes!". Makes Raoul look a little foolish, and once again, is more quirky for the Phantom than it is terrifying.
I suppose this really comes down to a matter of personal preference, but as far as I am concerned, when the Phantom presented the choice to Christine to stay with him, she should have taken it. Of course, then there wouldn't have been that tender moment at the end with the Phantom's emotion laden, "You alone can make my song take flight. It's over now, the music of the night!". And seeing as how that may have been the determining moment in my hatred of Raoul (because let's face it, if the he'd gotten the girl we wouldn't feel nearly as sorry for him), maybe it's a good thing it happened that way.
So that's where I stand. I'm curious to know what everyone's take on this might be. Let's take a tally. The Phantom or Raoul?
Can anyone tell me why this is?
I think my first area of sympathy lies with the fact that I appreciate the twisted-ness of his plans. Hang the stage hand on the stage. During a rehearsal. Drop the chandelier on the audience during a performance. Give the annoying chick the hiccups. Write an opera. Stuff like that. Right up my alley.
My second bias in favor of the phantom deals with the Phantom himself. He's not very creepy. As I understand it, the original Phantom in the book was completely deformed and sadistically insane. Butler's Phantom is young, strong, likable, intelligent, and quite handsome in a little white mask. Even without the mask, there's something rugged about the way his face looks like it was melted slightly by radiation. Scars are supposed to be manly, aren't they? The only time he looks at all the part of the deformed maniac is when he crashes the ball at the beginning of act two. And even then, it's more quirky than anything else.
The third factor in this is my bias against Raoul. Where the Phantom comes across as the brusque manly man, Raoul is simply a pretty boy. And a little bit of a brat. Quite frankly, I was surprised when he didn't get lanced by the Phantom at the cemetery. He comes across as the type of guy who would carry around a gun with no bullets, just because it looked good. I let out a silent cheer when the Phantom finally got a noose around his neck and started mocking him with taunts such as "Order your fine horses now, raise up your hand to the level of your eyes!". Makes Raoul look a little foolish, and once again, is more quirky for the Phantom than it is terrifying.
I suppose this really comes down to a matter of personal preference, but as far as I am concerned, when the Phantom presented the choice to Christine to stay with him, she should have taken it. Of course, then there wouldn't have been that tender moment at the end with the Phantom's emotion laden, "You alone can make my song take flight. It's over now, the music of the night!". And seeing as how that may have been the determining moment in my hatred of Raoul (because let's face it, if the he'd gotten the girl we wouldn't feel nearly as sorry for him), maybe it's a good thing it happened that way.
So that's where I stand. I'm curious to know what everyone's take on this might be. Let's take a tally. The Phantom or Raoul?
Do you think there was a reason Joel Schumacher decided to portray the phantom in a, ah... not so maniacal way? -Compared to the book/ musical that is. I mean, you're right. Gerard as the Phantom is young, strong, likable, intelligent, and quite handsome... and quite irresistible. Why?
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the post though, when it comes to either man, Christine seems to throw them both for a loop. (Which just goes to show the power of a woman over a man.) When Christine rejects the Phantom he doesn't seem so "manly" anymore; and when she's ripped from Raoul, he doesn't seem so "pretty boy" either.
And is it plausible for Christine to run off with the Phantom and have her wildest dreams come true? Or is Raoul the practical one who can support her? Does this tie back to every girl's dilemma between what she can have but doesn't necessarily want or what she truly desires beyond all compare but knows she cannot have...
Wow... I'll admit, I think my analysis was way more superficial than yours, but I think that's a valid point. I suppose in the main it could be that Christine is in fact the main point, and both of the guys were structured in the way that they were to provide a perfection of opposition for her to react to... Of course, I'm still ruling in favor of the Phantom, which I suppose would mean that I'm slightly more in favor of his position. Weird, never thought of myself that way before.
ReplyDeleteHaha! Well...as much as I would have chosen Raoul before thinking this through, I think, (if I HAVE to chose) I may have changed my mind.
ReplyDeleteNever seen that movie, but I heard the music enough to memorize every line. It was written to portray the Phantom sympathetically and create internal conflict for Christine. If you like the Phantom despite his anti-social tendencies, it's because they made him likable. They (the writers and director) wanted you to like him, to give you the same conflict Christine faces. It's a character-driven story.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I have a tendency to reduce stories to digestible chunks. Makes it sound like I know what I'm talking about.
Ironically, Ann Marie's favorite character in my new book is the girl who gives in to her desire for power and does terrible things. She's a sympathetic character largely because I feel sorry for her, and I'm telling the story.
I've always thought Raoul was a pansy and a bit of a sap myself. The phantom had the awesome songs and lines. (In the musical, of course. The phantom in the book is a very different character.) There is definitely an attraction for women to the unatainable man. Take Spock, for example. Kirk may be the 'ladies man', but you can bet, given the choice, most real women would choose Spock. And he was the only character given an extended romantic relationship with another main(ish) character. Mostly one sided, granted, but there it is.
ReplyDelete