Is there any explanation in the book as to why the Phantom is deformed? I've heard something about acid, but I don't know if that's correct. [Although there are myths and rumours as to the origins of the Phantom's deformity (acid, fires, etc.), it is simply a birth defect. In the novel, the birth defect covered his whole face. The idea of the distortion covering half his face for the musical originated from photographs of World War II soldiers covering half of their badly injured faces. For the film version, makeup artist Jenny Shircore based the Phantom's disfigurement on a medical condition she had seen.]The Phantom of the Opera (2004) - 46 questions
Directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Ciarán Hinds, Emmy Rossum, Gerard Butler, Minnie Driver, Miranda Richardson, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Ellison
The "questions" section is for any random questions that occurred to you while watching this film, or anything you didn't entirely understand, and which Google or the IMDb can't help with. Submit them as a question, and hopefully someone will answer (the bold comments in brackets) - check back regularly. If the answer is wrong, or missing information, please use the "clarify answer" option. Don't feel limited - want to know what music played in a certain scene? Whether this was the first film to use a certain effect? Here's the place to ask!
Is there any explanation in the book as to why the Phantom is deformed? I've heard something about acid, but I don't know if that's correct. [Although there are myths and rumours as to the origins of the Phantom's deformity (acid, fires, etc.), it is simply a birth defect. In the novel, the birth defect covered his whole face. The idea of the distortion covering half his face for the musical originated from photographs of World War II soldiers covering half of their badly injured faces. For the film version, makeup artist Jenny Shircore based the Phantom's disfigurement on a medical condition she had seen.] How come they cut an entire verse from the song "the Phantom of the Opera"? [You'll have to ask Joel Schumacher on that one but basically it's just a matter of making the movie work. There were a number of changes when the musical was adapted to the screen. For example, the falling chandelier occurred just before the end of Act 1 in the musical, but was left until the end in the movie.] How did the Phantom get his white mask to stick to his face? [Despite the fact that the Phantom wears a black wig to cover his deformed head, if you look closely you can see a black piece of elastic that secures the mask around his head.] If the Phantom is so in love with Christine why does he just let her go? We know that he is prepared to kill (and has) for her so it can't be that his moral compass prevents him from forcing her to love him. Seems to be slightly counter productive considering the fact that Christine actually consents to being with him. [It is often said that the biggest gift you can give someone that you love is their freedom. That is why the Phantom lets her go.] Answered by shortdanzr Who is the old man in the wheelchair who puts the music box with the monkey on Christine's grave at the end?I thought it might be Raoul but the box belonged to the phantom and he hated the phantom. [It is Raoul. He gets the music box because Christine obviously loved it, shown by the fact that she had obviously described and remembered it in such great detail many years after last seeing it. He buys it for her as a gift of love, even though she has died.] Answered by mandy gasson What is the point of Raoul keeping his "hand at the level of his eyes" as he descends the stairwell to face the phantom? [It keeps him from being caught and strangled by the phantom's 'magical lasso'. See Buquet's explanation in the scene with the ballet chorus girls to see him show how it works.] Answered by SereeniePrevious Page • 1 2 3
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