The Phantom of the Opera

Question: Why are the Phantom's footsteps walking distance when he runs to the statue? Also, when did he learn to climb so swiftly?

Answer: Not everyone runs in big strides. The phantom has also had most of his life to master climbing, sneaking, hiding, etc. To see and take what he wants from the theatre without being seen, in his youth he had little to do except explore and learn everything about the place and the fastest ways to get where he wants to go.

Purple_Girl

Question: One mistake refers to Christine's "sexual awakening". Did she actually sleep with the Phantom of the Opera or did she just spend the night there?

Answer: She just spent the night there. The whole time while she was asleep he was playing music.

Question: Who is the old lady at the auction with Raoul? I thought it was Madame Giry because that is what the announcer called her but the age doesn't make sense so I thought that it might be her daughter, Meg. Anyone have the answer?

Answer: It is Meg. If she didn't marry then she would have kept her maiden name of Giry. Mme Giry was about 20 years older than Raoul so that would have made her in her 90's.

Question: When the Phantom takes Christine's engagement ring at the Masquerade ball, does she ever get it back, or is it the same ring he has proposed to her with?

Answer: In the movie, the ring that the Phantom gives Christine at the end of the movie is the same ring that he took from her at the ball and is the same one that he left at her grave (since she gave it back to him before she left).

Answer: The ring that Phantom gives to Christine is a different one. In the stage production, the Phantom never takes the ring.

No, its the same ring he proposed to her with, at least in the movie.

Answer: Christine recognises him as soon as he opens his mouth - you see her being slightly shocked. Raoul takes a bit more time, and it's not as obvious. I'd say when you see him getting half up, that's when it dawns on him, but that's open to interpretation.

Sereenie

Question: When the Count rides in, what does he leave sitting on the seat in the carriage?

Answer: It is the family crest.

Question: Why do they sometimes put "La" in front of Carlotta's name? I'm sure it's something to do with the Italian/Spanish language but I took the class a long time ago.

Answer: It is a common practice to refer to an operatic diva as La , e.g. Leontyne Price as La Price and sometimes you'll even hear Barbra Streisand called "La Streisand".

Myridon

Question: Where can I find some hand held fans like the ones used in Masquerade? I'm pretty sure they don't sell them in regular department stores, like Wal-Mart or something, but I can't think of where to look.

Answer: They have them at Party City. Try other party goods stores or costume shops.

Question: During "The Phantom of The Opera", when the Phantom takes Christine to his lair using the mirror passageway to his lair, it was well lit up with candles but when Meg discovers the passageway, it is dark and filled with rats. Were the candlabras just in Christine's imagination or were they real?

Answer: Almost assuredly real. The candelabras were in the Phantom's control to make appear or disappear. He brought them forward to light their entrance into the lair. However, it was generally in his best interests to keep the passageway dark and shadowy. The rats were always there, regardless. But, as rats are won't to do, scurried away from light and human movement.

Michael Albert

Question: Did Raoul actually love Christine? Or did he just take interest in her because she was the lead role who was also pretty?

Answer: He was in love with her.

raywest

Question: I know that Minnie Driver's vocals were dubbed for the singing roles by a true opera singer, but were her speaking roles dubbed as well? Did she lip-sync her entire script?

Answer: Margaret Preece provided the "Singing Voice of Carlotta" only (as listed in the closing credits). Minnie Driver provided all remaining aspects of her performance herself as documented in numerous interviews both live and in print media.

OneHappyHusky

Question: I've always been bothered by the pronunciation of Raoul's name. Based on the spelling, I would have thought that it would be pronounced "Ra-ool", but for the most part in the movie, it's pronounced "Ral" (like 'Ralph' without the 'ph'). Which way is correct?

Answer: It all depends on the native language and dialectual region of the person with the name. In Spanish, the name would be RA ool, but in other regions, it's rowl, ral, and other things. As another example, Ralph is pronounce rAfe in many regions.

Myridon

Question: How come they cut an entire verse from the song "the Phantom of the Opera"?

Answer: 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.

Answer: Emy Rossum had difficulty hitting the E6 at the end of the original song. By removing the final verse, they avoided a key change, which enabled Emmy to sing the final note as a C6, instead. It was mainly just a matter of making the song suitable for the cast to sing.

Answer: Incorrect. Beginning in the late 90's it was kinda just the thing to do. Current stage versions also cut out that verse.

Question: I have an oddly specific question. I am writing a fan fiction of the Phantom of the Opera, and only using the movie as source material. Does the movie ever state that the Phantom's name is Erik, or is that just from the book?

Answer: They don't state his name in the movie.

Answer: Giry had known the Phantom since they were children, knew what his life was like then, and she has great pity for him (and great admiration, as a lover of the arts herself.) She deliberately distances herself from his wrong doings until Raul convinces her to speak up. She also understood the Phantom didn't intend to harm Christine.

Purple_Girl

Question: Why does Christine unmask the phantom twice in the movie? First unmasking: During first Christine's first time in Phantom's lair. Second unmasking, in front of everybody, after the phantom shows up on stage and sings with her.

Answer: The first time is done out of curiosity. The second is Christine realizing that it's the Phantom singing instead of Piangi and doing it either out of fright or to alert the police.

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: He has spirit gum (glue safe for human skin application) allowing the mask to stick to his face.

Question: What's the deal with Phantom's magical lasso? One of the actors talks about it. What is this magical lasso, and did Phantom ever use it?

Answer: It's what he uses to kill Buquet, and what he tried to strangle Raoul with at the end. It's not really magical though - that's just Buquet over exaggerating for the sake of his story.

Sereenie

Chosen answer: Because at that point, as unlikely as it seems, pretty much everybody else thought that was still Piangi (whom the Phantom killed just before replacing him). Since Christine has been used as a lure, she had to show the others that he was there.

Sereenie

Question: I really liked the deleted song, "No One Would Listen". Is it available on any versions of the movie soundtrack? The one I've got only includes "Learn to be Lonely".

Answer: There are currently two versions of the movie soundtrack in English. A one disc version contains the primary songs from the movie and a two-disc version that includes a complete production, including dialog. Neither contains (sadly) the song, "No One Would Listen." But Learn to be Lonely is simply a different version of No one Would Listen in which Minnie Driver (Carlotta) sings.

OneHappyHusky

The Phantom of the Opera mistake picture

Deliberate mistake: As Christine approaches the Phantom in his lair (just after he has abducted her), we see that she is wearing very dark black eye-shadow. Back in the dressing room after coming off stage, as she talks to Raoul, we saw her face in close up and she was not wearing any eye-shadow at all, even though the Phantom leads her through the mirror just after she has managed to slip on a robe over her undergarments and she has not yet changed to go out to supper (Raoul says she is to be ready in 2 minutes). Her hair becomes 'bigger' and wilder, too. The change in her appearance is a reference to her descending (voluntarily, I might add - he didn't drag her through that mirror) into the Phantom's dark existence and to her sexual awakening. (00:28:45 - 00:37:10)

More mistakes in The Phantom of the Opera

Christine Daae: Angel of Music, you've deceived me. I gave you my mind blindly.

More quotes from The Phantom of the Opera

Trivia: Christine's attire during her performance of 'Think of Me' for Hannibal is copied from the most famous painting of Emperess Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sissi.

Sereenie

More trivia for The Phantom of the Opera

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