The Phantom of the Opera - Gaton Leroux

...long believed, a creature of the imagination of artists, the superstition of the managers, or the product of the absurd and impressionable brains of the young ladies of the ballet, their mothers, the box-keepers, the cloak-room attendants, or the concierge. Yes, he existed in flesh and blood, although he assumed the complete appearance of a real phantom; that is to say, of spectral shade.” --- Gaston Leroux

************************************************************************************************************
...only 17,000 points away from the bronze dot, I’ve decided to change the way I write my reviews. I’m a film historian for the most part, and since last year I began the process of writing film reviews only five at a time, because I don’t want my readers to be bombarded with ops on solely films.

Sure, I’ve written poetry, plays, and several other non-film ops, though I want to expand my horizons and go into a different direction. I ... more

************************************************************************************************************
INTRODUCTION
************************************************************************************************************

“The Opera Ghost really existed. He was not, as long believed, a creature of the imagination of artists, the superstition of the managers, or the product of the absurd and impressionable brains of the young ladies of the ballet, their mothers, the box-keepers, the cloak-room attendants, or the concierge. Yes, he existed in flesh and blood, although he assumed the complete appearance of a real phantom; that is to say, of spectral shade.” --- Gaston Leroux

************************************************************************************************************
INTRODUCING A NEW SERIES OF REVIEWS
************************************************************************************************************

As many of you already know, especially those in my COT, that I’m well known for my film reviews. After writing over 130 ops, and now only 17,000 points away from the bronze dot, I’ve decided to change the way I write my reviews. I’m a film historian for the most part, and since last year I began the process of writing film reviews only five at a time, because I don’t want my readers to be bombarded with ops on solely films.

Sure, I’ve written poetry, plays, and several other non-film ops, though I want to expand my horizons and go into a different direction. I have only written one book op since joining Ciao, and it was a major disappointment in that I got very little feedback---so little, in fact, that it remains the one op in my profile with the least amount of comments, only 4 in fact. I guess I just didn’t sell the book that well, even though it is my favorite book of all time, and I wanted to write a review that did justice to the book. The first candidate I have decided to choose for this new series is “The Phantom of the Opera,” by Gaston Leroux.

************************************************************************************************************
THE MAN BEHIND THE PHANTOM
************************************************************************************************************

As you may have already guessed if you don’t know much about Gaston Leroux, he was born in Paris, France on May 6, 1868. His father, Julien, was a public works contractor and his mother, Marie Alphonse, was the daughter of a rich shipbuilder. The Alphones were shipbuilders outside of Normandy, in the small village St. Valery-en-Caux, and young Gaston would pleasure himself through sailing and fishing. He graduated from the College of Eu in 1889, though not with an English or writing degree, but in fact with law---however, his dream was to become a writer.

After his father died, he decided that same year, he decided to try his luck at journalism, and he soon hit the jackpot when he wrote a passionate sonnet about an actress he liked. For the next 15 years, he made his living as an international journalists, though he managed to carve out his first novel in 1903, “The Seeking of the Morning Treasures.” The impact wasn’t anything to shout about, but four years later he was able to create one of his most memorable characters.

Leroux presented Joseph Rouletabille, a French amateur detective that made his debut in “The Mystery of the Yellow Room.” By now, Leroux knew he had a hit with this mystery series; he said once, “When I sat down to pen that story, I decided to go ‘one better’ than Arthur Conan Doyle and make my ‘mystery’ more complete than even Edgar Allan Poe had ever done.” In 1909, he presented his first horror story, “The Queen of the Sabbath,”; however, at that time, he had only been read by fans of mystery. Soon he would begun to gather some notes together to form the work he would be most remembered for.

During the 1890s, while Leroux was still a journalist he would go see shows at the Paris Opera House. In 1896, a disaster would make headlines when the House’s huge chandelier had mysteriously fallen from the ceiling and had killed a patron during a production of “Faust.” Leroux had already known about the House’s secret passageways and also a lake that was behind the building, and when he recalled the retrieval of a skeleton in one of the passageways, he now had a framework for “The Phantom of the Opera.” In fact, when you sit down to read the novel, in his introduction he stipulates that several key events in the novel are actually true. According to University professor John L. Flynn, “Leroux has able to execute a chilling tale that cleverly walks a fine line between truth and fiction...his vivid, journalistic style provides the reader with a kind of verisimilitude that makes the characters and settings seem borrowed from the headlines of the daily post.”

************************************************************************************************************JOURNEY INTO THE DARK REGIONS OF THE HEART
************************************************************************************************************

While many of you know may know the story from the countless film versions and even Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, it is important to mention there isn’t one adaptation that is truly faithful to Leroux. We may never get a definitive version, and that is why I recommend reading this classic combination of mystery, romance, and rich imagination. The novel actually begins in the 1930s, when some workmen who are excavating the Opera House come upon a skeleton, thus providing a flashback story of the Phantom and its history.

The old owners had been aware of a “ghost” that had haunted the Paris Opera House on many occasions, and now this apparition appears just before the House is about to get new owners. Several sightings are reported and some letters begin to find its way to the new owners with a list of conditions and requests by the Phantom. One of the Phantom’s most treasured possessions is his is own private box, which he refuses to have sold to anyone for use during performances. The new owners, however, refuse to believe in such superstitious nonsense.

In Chapter II, we are then introduced to the pivotal character of Christine Daae, a young, beautiful and extremely talented singer who makes her long-awaited stage debut. She is catches the eye of Raoul de Chagney, a friend that she had spent some of her childhood with. When, Raoul approaches her, she does not recognize him---or, at least, she doesn’t acknowledge the fact that she does. Anxious to spend time with Christine, Raoul waits patiently outside her dressing room, and when he is about to enter unannounced, he here’s a man’s voice saying, “You must love me!”

Meanwhile, the owners are getting more frustrated with these supposed letters of threat from this supposed “ghost” over his proposals, and try to their best to ignore them by selling the Phantom’s private box, and ignoring the letters. Despite the confession of Madame Giry, a celebrated box-keeper who believes the Ghost is real because he always gives her candy after each show for taking care of his box, the owners still think it is a joke; needless to say, she is fired.

At the same time, detailed mostly in Chapter V, Raoul continues to pursue the lovely Christine, while the mysterious man she sees on a regular basis is still very much present in her life. She refers to him as the “Angel of Music,” and actually gives her inspiration to do her performances. The narrative hook of the story surfaces in Chapter VII, when the Ghost makes one final request, and if the owners don’t follow it the Opera House will be under a curse. During a performance of “Faust” one night, the star Carlotta, loses her voice, and then the huge, prized chandelier falls on the audience causing complete chaos. The ghost had wanted Christine as the star, and his wish wasn’t granted; soon after that, Christine disappears.

Granted, I must say that it took some time for me to work up to Leroux’s narrative, but once it focuses mainly on this triangle between Raoul, Christine, and the Phantom, the novel becomes a grabber. I was hooked, and when I finished the novel, I actually came away a believer. Of course, there is so much more to the story, though I think I set it up appropriately for first time readers. Leroux’s words flow at a brisk, riveting pace and while the book is hardly a horror story, it generates feelings of anxiety and suspense that I have rarely read in other novels, particularly ones coming out in the present.

************************************************************************************************************
THE PHANTOM ON FILM
************************************************************************************************************

The novel was first published in 1911, and the response was curiously mixed. During the first few months, the book was sold quite infrequently, and even Leroux’s original audience wasn’t that impressed. Sounds hard to believe, to be sure, though when the novel debuted in the United Kingdom and the United States, the popularity had risen substantially. On April 15, 1927, Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux died at age 59 due to an acute urinary infection; because of this health problems, he was unable to see the very first film version of “The Phantom of the Opera,” though he had certainly “hoped that cinema would do his story justice.” Well, to many fans, it did.

While three of his novels, including “The Mystery of the Yellow Room,” would be adapted to silent films in 1913, 1919 and 1923; it wasn’t until 1925 when his most popular novel would come on the screen---and the character of the Phantom would be given to one of the most respected and distinguished actors of the time as well. Lon Chaney, Sr. was known as the “Man of a Thousand Faces,” because he was a master at early screen make-up techniques. To this day, this is the only film version I’ve seen of the novel, and while it is not very faithful to its source, it is still eye-popping, to this very day. The famous “unmasking” scene when Christine (played by Mary Philbin) looks upon the face of the Phantom still packs a wallop, even though the film will be turning 80 years old next year.

Over the years since Leroux’s death, the story would be adapted to the screen more than 20 times, though some of the more famous ones are a 1943 version with the brilliant Claude Rains, a 1962 British version with Herbert Lom, a 1989 version with Robert Englund (who played Freddy Kreuger in the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET films), and also a 1999 version directed by horror specialist Dario Argento, who cast his daughter, Asia, as Christine. In 1987, the most seen and admired version of the classic story would surface---not on film, but on stage.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has become one of the biggest theater composers in the past 30 years, as he has made such hits as “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Cats,” “Evita,” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Admittedly, I’m not a big fan of Webber’s work, though I must admit also that I am looking forward to seeing his version of “The Phantom of the Opera,” on film. Directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom, Emmy Rossum as Christine, and Patrick Wilson as Raoul, the film will be released in the UK on December 10, 2004...so, I would advise all of you to start getting advanced tickets, as I have already, as it will no doubt be sold out for at least the first weekend.

************************************************************************************************************
FINAL THOUGHTS
************************************************************************************************************

If any of you wish to take up the challenge by reading the book, I surely do recommend it, especially if you want to prepare ahead of time for the film. The novel is available through literally dozens of publishers, though the two I would stick with are Penguin (Amazon ISBN #0140621741) and Signet Classics (Amazon ISBN #0451528158). Most copies are for only 5 pounds or less. The 2004 Phantom of the Opera film companion book, which was released with last week with a foreward by Webber and Schumacher, is also now available on Amazon.co.uk for 10.50 pounds and the ISBN number is #1862056919. In addition, if you are interested in watching any of the previous films, most are available at Amazon, though the one I would stick with is the 1925 version.

Thank you very much for reading this op and I hope you will consider picking up a copy of this classic book. Look forward to any comments you have for me, and don’t forget to make those reservation tickets for the film well in advance---it truly is going to be huge! Cheers for now!! Chris xxxxx
 

...less