The Phantom of the Opera (2004) - Blu-ray Forum

SmilesLots · 12-16-2007, 11:44 AM

The Phantom of the Opera Blu-ray

The Phantom of the Opera Blu-ray Review

I just finished watching this movie and was quite impressed with the production. I had heard that Minnie Driver was originally trained as an operatic singer, so if she did the actual singing of her part, all I can say is WOW.

BTW - pq and aq seem pretty good as well imho.

lrankine · 12-16-2007, 12:32 PM

This will definitely be part of my BD collection! Andrew Lloyd Webber's finest moment! Minnie Driver was excellent! I also found it very interesting/entertaining watching Patrick Wilson in the role as Raoul. A definite departure from his role as William Travis in The Alamo, which, IMHO is probably the best film made on that subject.

w_tanoto · 12-16-2007, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmilesLots

I just finished watching this movie and was quite impressed with the production. I had heard that Minnie Driver was originally trained as an operatic singer, so if she did the actual singing of her part, all I can say is WOW.

BTW - pq and aq seem pretty good as well imho.

she did not sing her part. the part was sung by margaret preece (if you're a theatre goer from london, then you know who is margaret preece)

The Guardian · 12-16-2007, 05:57 PM

The guy playing Phantom took some getting used to (ie not being an insanely good singer)... but other than that, the only thing I HATE about this movie is that I can't find a version of the soundtrack that doesn't have the sound effects on it...

BStecke · 12-16-2007, 06:01 PM

"The Guy" is none other than King Leonidas himself, Gerard Butler. And no, he can't sing. I also thought he was a bit too young for the part.

I've been on the edge of buying this a few times, but the lack of a lossless/PCM track isn't worth the upgrade to me.

Petra_Kalbrain · 12-16-2007, 06:20 PM

Being a huge fan of stage musical theatre productions I was very unimpressed with the film rendition of this material. Don't get me wrong, Mini Driver and Emmy Rossum absolutely blew me away with their performances, but the film itself should have stayed much more true to the staging. And Gerard Butler as the phantom drove me crazy. He was far too dark and evil a character. I've always come to sympathize with the phantom from the very start. In the film, I couldn't care less about him. In fact, he kept me rooting for Christine to escape him and loath him from the onset.

If this goes into my collection, it will be purely out of having nothing to add to a BOGO sale to make it an even numbered quantity purchase.

cartman781 · 12-16-2007, 06:23 PM

I love Emmy Rossum. Have been since I seen her in Songcatcher. Great movie by the way

OokieSpookie · 12-16-2007, 06:30 PM

I thought it was a great great movie and was one of my first grabs on Blu.
I am a huge fan of the stage play, and see it pretty much every year and pretty much hold Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford on an impossible pedistal.
Also a huge fan of the story by Gaston Leroux, and another book I read many years ago just called "Phantom" which was a great great take on it.
I think Butler was great in it, he allowed the character to come off as being "damaged" yet still sympathetic.
The only character who I hated in the movie was Raoul.

Kristin Simard · 12-16-2007, 08:39 PM

I have this on BD and even recommended it for a Christmas party query on another thread. I enjoyed this film, but I would not call it "the greatest" anything. The greatest Phantom of the Opera IMO is the Lon Chaney "original". (Apparently the 1925 Phantom with Lon Chaney wasn't the first first, there was at least one before that, but it/they are lost to history.) Anyone who has seen the 1925 film can attest to its production qualities.

For musicals I don't put Andrew Lloyd Webber in the same league as the teams of Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II; Rodgers & Hammerstein; Rodgers & Hart; Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe; Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse; Jule Styne, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein; Joseph Stein, Sheldon Harnick & Jerry Bock, etc. nor Meredith Willson; or George Gershwin, etc etc, nor the European "musicals" which really fall into different genres (Rembetiko, Tabor Ukhodit v Nebo....etc). From what I've heard, Webber's musicals sound very similar and don't often have the "catchy" songs of these musical greats.

Still, the production qualities of Webber's Phantom do come through on BD and it is something I can enjoy when I'm in the mood.

EDIT: I have not seen the original stage version of the Webber musical so I do not have that to compare the film to. Often a stage musical production will suffer something when put to screen, just as Shakespeare usually suffers when put to screen. (There are exceptions in both cases.)

TheTenth · 12-16-2007, 08:43 PM

there's a version in Germany that has ben re-worked for a better sound (dunno if it's PCM)

sj001 · 12-16-2007, 08:44 PM

I think this film pales in comparison to the play, and really I found it hard to get into at all. Even my GF, who loves PotO, didn't really like it all that much.
Just seemed kind of weak to me, IMHO.

zombie · 12-16-2007, 09:03 PM

Emmy Rossum makes this movie IMO. Very nice PQ & AQ on the BD too.

w_tanoto · 12-16-2007, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cartman781

I love Emmy Rossum. Have been since I seen her in Songcatcher. Great movie by the way

it was supposed to be anne hathaway (which is better IMO). Shame that she had another shooting schedule (Princess Diaries II)

xwingsct · 12-16-2007, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by w_tanoto

she did not sing her part. the part was sung by margaret preece (if you're a theatre goer from london, then you know who is margaret preece)

She sang one of the song at the end credit though.
This is the first BD disc that I bought along with my S-301 player.
Don't forget Patrick Wilson. He got beautiful voice as well.
Gerard was never a trainned singer like he mentioned in special feature but in my opinion he did an excellent job. I never saw the play but I love the movie.

w_tanoto · 12-16-2007, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xwingsct

She sang one of the song at the end credit though.

the title is, i believe, Learn to be Lonely? yes, but in the film, somebody else replaced her voice

KLebda · 12-16-2007, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BStecke

...

I've been on the edge of buying this a few times, but the lack of a lossless/PCM track isn't worth the upgrade to me.

Likewise. I really like the movie, but I think a musical really ought to be in lossless. Hopefully, Warner will re-release this on a 50G, with plenty of room for more soundtracks.

wnicholas76 · 02-22-2008, 10:13 PM

I still haven't seen the latest version of "The Phantom of the Opera" yet, and if anyone has it on Blu-ray, could you tell me if the movie was good and if it would be worth buying? Thanks!

David Craig · 02-22-2008, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnicholas76

I still haven't seen the latest version of "The Phantom of the Opera" yet, and if anyone has it on Blu-ray, could you tell me if the movie was good and if it would be worth buying? Thanks!

I'm a big Phantom fan.

I bought the DVD first and then upgraded to Blu-ray.

Picture on the Blu-ray is better. The sound was about the same.

In terms of the story etc., the girl (Emmy Rossum) is absolutely outstanding!! What a singer.

Unfortunately, Gerald Butler is not the greatest singer around. I wished they had picked someone else.

If you are a big Phantom fan go for it. If you are a mild fan, rent it

Ascended_Saiyan · 02-22-2008, 10:53 PM

^^ I agree. PQ was excellent, but sound was equal or better on the DVD (I believe it had DTS as an option on the DVD).

Bango · 02-22-2008, 10:55 PM

Again, visually looked great. Sound was OK. But if you havn't seen the new version...I think they did a very good job on it.

12-16-2007, 11:44 AM	#1
SmilesLots Member Member since:May 2007 Location:SW Virginia	The Phantom of the Opera (2004) The Phantom of the Opera Blu-ray The Phantom of the Opera Blu-ray Review I just finished watching this movie and was quite impressed with the production. I had heard that Minnie Driver was originally trained as an operatic singer, so if she did the actual singing of her part, all I can say is WOW. BTW - pq and aq seem pretty good as well imho. Last edited by Deciazulado; 09-09-2011 at 11:16 AM.

12-16-2007, 06:01 PM	#5
BStecke Blu-ray Knight Member since:Jun 2007 4K collection:182 Blu-ray collection:567 DVD collection:1 Digital collection:1 iTunes collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 1 Trading Score:6	"The Guy" is none other than King Leonidas himself, Gerard Butler. And no, he can't sing. I also thought he was a bit too young for the part. I've been on the edge of buying this a few times, but the lack of a lossless/PCM track isn't worth the upgrade to me. Last edited by BStecke; 12-16-2007 at 06:22 PM.

12-16-2007, 06:20 PM	#6
Petra_Kalbrain Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Vancouver, BC 4K collection:5 Blu-ray collection:561 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:20	Being a huge fan of stage musical theatre productions I was very unimpressed with the film rendition of this material. Don't get me wrong, Mini Driver and Emmy Rossum absolutely blew me away with their performances, but the film itself should have stayed much more true to the staging. And Gerard Butler as the phantom drove me crazy. He was far too dark and evil a character. I've always come to sympathize with the phantom from the very start. In the film, I couldn't care less about him. In fact, he kept me rooting for Christine to escape him and loath him from the onset. If this goes into my collection, it will be purely out of having nothing to add to a BOGO sale to make it an even numbered quantity purchase. Last edited by Petra_Kalbrain; 06-28-2008 at 08:57 AM.

12-16-2007, 08:39 PM	#9
Kristin Simard Special Member Member since:Aug 2007	I have this on BD and even recommended it for a Christmas party query on another thread. I enjoyed this film, but I would not call it "the greatest" anything. The greatest Phantom of the Opera IMO is the Lon Chaney "original". (Apparently the 1925 Phantom with Lon Chaney wasn't the first first, there was at least one before that, but it/they are lost to history.) Anyone who has seen the 1925 film can attest to its production qualities. For musicals I don't put Andrew Lloyd Webber in the same league as the teams of Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II; Rodgers & Hammerstein; Rodgers & Hart; Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe; Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse; Jule Styne, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein; Joseph Stein, Sheldon Harnick & Jerry Bock, etc. nor Meredith Willson; or George Gershwin, etc etc, nor the European "musicals" which really fall into different genres (Rembetiko, Tabor Ukhodit v Nebo....etc). From what I've heard, Webber's musicals sound very similar and don't often have the "catchy" songs of these musical greats. Still, the production qualities of Webber's Phantom do come through on BD and it is something I can enjoy when I'm in the mood. EDIT: I have not seen the original stage version of the Webber musical so I do not have that to compare the film to. Often a stage musical production will suffer something when put to screen, just as Shakespeare usually suffers when put to screen. (There are exceptions in both cases.) Last edited by Kristin Simard; 12-16-2007 at 09:11 PM.

02-22-2008, 10:13 PM	#17
wnicholas76 Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Memphis, TN (for now...) Home Theater Gallery:188 4K collection:495 Blu-ray collection:1068 Blu-ray reviews: 24 Trading Score:12	How is "The Phantom of the Opera" on Blu-ray? I still haven't seen the latest version of "The Phantom of the Opera" yet, and if anyone has it on Blu-ray, could you tell me if the movie was good and if it would be worth buying? Thanks!

12-16-2007, 12:32 PM	#2
lrankine Member Member since:Dec 2007 Location:Asheville, NC Blu-ray reviews:3	This will definitely be part of my BD collection! Andrew Lloyd Webber's finest moment! Minnie Driver was excellent! I also found it very interesting/entertaining watching Patrick Wilson in the role as Raoul. A definite departure from his role as William Travis in The Alamo, which, IMHO is probably the best film made on that subject.

12-16-2007, 05:57 PM	#4
The Guardian Expert Member Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Kitchener, ON Blu-ray collection:9 Trading Score:1	The guy playing Phantom took some getting used to (ie not being an insanely good singer)... but other than that, the only thing I HATE about this movie is that I can't find a version of the soundtrack that doesn't have the sound effects on it...

12-16-2007, 06:23 PM	#7
cartman781 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Sep 2007 Location:In a van down by the river Blu-ray collection:2074 DVD collection:257 Digital collection:18 Blu-ray reviews: 7 Trading Score:99	I love Emmy Rossum. Have been since I seen her in Songcatcher. Great movie by the way

12-16-2007, 06:30 PM	#8
OokieSpookie Banned Member since:Nov 2007 Trading Score:1	I thought it was a great great movie and was one of my first grabs on Blu. I am a huge fan of the stage play, and see it pretty much every year and pretty much hold Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford on an impossible pedistal. Also a huge fan of the story by Gaston Leroux, and another book I read many years ago just called "Phantom" which was a great great take on it. I think Butler was great in it, he allowed the character to come off as being "damaged" yet still sympathetic. The only character who I hated in the movie was Raoul.

12-16-2007, 08:43 PM	#10
TheTenth Special Member Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Clermont-Ferrand, France Home Theater Gallery:9 4K collection:98 Blu-ray collection:681 DVD collection:1 Blu-ray reviews:11	there's a version in Germany that has ben re-worked for a better sound (dunno if it's PCM)

12-16-2007, 08:44 PM	#11
sj001 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Rochester, NY Blu-ray collection:317 DVD collection:17 Trading Score:5	I think this film pales in comparison to the play, and really I found it hard to get into at all. Even my GF, who loves PotO, didn't really like it all that much. Just seemed kind of weak to me, IMHO.

12-16-2007, 09:03 PM	#12
zombie Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:May 2004 Trading Score:864	Emmy Rossum makes this movie IMO. Very nice PQ & AQ on the BD too.

02-22-2008, 10:53 PM	#19
Ascended_Saiyan Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Sep 2006 Location:Atlanta, Georgia Blu-ray collection:608 Trading Score:1	^^ I agree. PQ was excellent, but sound was equal or better on the DVD (I believe it had DTS as an option on the DVD).

02-22-2008, 10:55 PM	#20
Bango Active Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:San Diego, CA Trading Score:4	Again, visually looked great. Sound was OK. But if you havn't seen the new version...I think they did a very good job on it.

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