Continuity mistake: The lower lid of the Phantom changes from looking normal (when he's got his mask on) to deformed (when he takes the mask off). No makeup could hide that and considering the size of the mask's holes, this should be easily visible at all times.
Continuity mistake: When Christine first enters the Phantom's 'lair', one perfectly shaped lock of hair is on her left shoulder. Then, throughout "Music of the Night", it gets thinner, longer, and less curly two or three times. Then it goes back to its original thickness, length, and amount of curl.
Continuity mistake: The aspect of the Phantom's deformity undergoes a major change between when Christine takes his mask off on stage and the later parts of the movie. (01:55:25 - 02:00:00)
Continuity mistake: As Carlotta is finishing the Hannibal song, she looks with contempt at André and Firmin and puts her hands on her hips, but in the next shot, her hands are by her sides. (00:11:45)
Continuity mistake: When the Phantom in "Music of the Night" goes to show Christine the wax figure of herself there is a tall lit candle behind him. When she faints he moves in front of it to catch her and when he then moves away the candle is out - the only way the flame could have been put out was if Christine's hair had smothered it (which would of course have set her hair alight). (00:39:40)
Continuity mistake: In the graveyard, when Christine walks down the main alley, her arms are hanging by her sides, but in the next shot, she is holding her bouquet in front of her hips. (01:36:40)
Continuity mistake: Right before Christine pulls off the Phantom's mask for the second time, at the end of The Point of No Return, his wig has already moved up to the point where you can see his real hair underneath before Christine even touches him.
Continuity mistake: When the Phantom approaches Christine while singing "Only then can you belong to me" he places his hands on her face slowly moving them down her neck. When it cuts his hands are suddenly moving over her shoulders. His hands couldn't have moved that fast. (00:37:20)
Continuity mistake: When the new owners of the opera are being introduced, one dancing girl says to another while looking at the new owners, "They must be rich." You can see Christine and Meg in the background. However, when they introduce Raoul, you see Christine and Meg climbing the stair to get to the stage and the "They must be rich" girls coming up behind them. (00:09:40)
Continuity mistake: During All I Ask of You, Christine and Raoul are walking on the rooftop, and he even picks her up and swings her around. When the Phantom sings the reprise almost immediately afterward, there is a shot of him on the statue that shows the entire rooftop area, and his footprints in the snow are the only ones visible. This rooftop is a closed area and the only way in or out is the door and steps we see Raoul and Christine using. Furthermore, the Phantom was spying on the lovers by hiding behind a statue almost next to them, and it was not snowing nearly heavy enough to have completely covered up Raoul and Christine's footprints.
Continuity mistake: At the very beginning of the movie when Andre and Firmin first arrive in their coach in front of the opera house, you can see one footman (wearing red) running to meet them from some distance to escort them inside. The camera angle changes and now, that fotman turned into two, standing and even waiting at the coach. (00:05:55)
Continuity mistake: When Christine reaches the centre of the stage during her first appearance in Don Juan Triumphant, her arms are at her sides and she holds the basket in her right hand. The next shot, she is holding the basket in front of her, with both hands. (01:48:40)
Continuity mistake: When the Phantom is singing and close-ups are done on his face, you can see his right eyebrow peeking out from under the mask. But we see later, when he is shown without his mask, that he has no eyebrow at all on that side as a result of his deformity.
Continuity mistake: After the the auction, the old Madame Giry bows her head at Raoul. In the following shot, we can see her reflection in Raoul's window, bowing her head once more. Furthermore, Raoul's car leaves before her head is back in the up position. (00:47:50)
Continuity mistake: When old Raoul is watching the young couple outside the Swarovski shop his eye turns brown as we move back in time, but young Raoul's eyes are blue.
Continuity mistake: After Christine removes the Phantom's mask for the first time, he looks at himself in a mirror: his 'bad side' (the right one) shows no sign of deformity. (00:45:30)
Continuity mistake: When the young phantom is murdering the carnival man, young Mme Giry walks though the gap in the tent, and turns so all you can see of her is her eye and the side of her face. In the next shot of her, her whole body is inside the tent.
Continuity mistake: When Messieurs Lefèvre, André and Firmin interrupt the rehearsal, just as the conductor is saying, "Monsieur Lefèvre, I am rehearsing," André and Firmin get a lot closer to Lefèvre between shots. (00:08:45)
Continuity mistake: In the gypsy fair scene the Phantom has a dirty back. In the next scene when he's running away with the Dancing Mistress to go under the Opera House, his back is clean.
Continuity mistake: As the Phantom and Christine approach the Phantom's lair for the first time in the boat, we see 2 sets of candle holders each with 3 layers of candles rise out of the water. When the approach scene finishes, there are 2 layers of candles lit on the left hand set of holders. However, on the long shot the 2nd row of candles are not lit, and light up shortly after. (00:33:55)
Answer: During "Point of No Return, " the Phantom shares a stage with the very vulnerable Christine. He is still masked, though it is a mask other than his trademark white face covering. The Phantom is well known as a murderer and an escape artist. This is the the equivalent of a hostage situation. To rush the stage might risk lives, and everyone in the know is proceeding with caution. During the song, we do get glimpses of police moving about, and Raoul and others looking concerned, subtly signaling one another and considering their next move. The stage crew seems confused. The dancers go on with the show. And law enforcement officers await the right moment to advance. It also gives us the opportunity to enjoy a dramatic musical number that rushing the stage would interrupt.
Michael Albert