The Phantom of the Opera
The classic musical comes to the big screen for the first time.
Country
Budget
$70 000 000
Box office
$154 648 887
Director
Actors
Scenario
Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe
Producer
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jeff Abberley, Julia Blackman, Ralph Kamp, Louise Goodsill, Paul Hitchcock, Austin Shaw, Keith Cousins
Camera operator
Composer
Artist
Anthony Pratt, Anthony Caron-Delion
Audition
David Grindrod
Editing
Terry Rawlings
Whole Team (71)
Whole Team (71)
Short description
Deformed since birth, a bitter man known only as the Phantom lives in the sewers underneath the Paris Opera House. He falls in love with the obscure chorus singer Christine, and privately tutors her while terrorizing the rest of the opera house and demanding Christine be given lead roles.
What's left behind the scenes
- Over the long thirteen years that the film was in development, quite a few notable figures felt involved in the project, albeit not for a long period. Only one candidate was approved from the very beginning – director Joel Schumacher. The author of 'The Phantom of the Opera', Andrew Lloyd Webber, invited Joel after seeing the film 'The Lost Boys'.
- When the Phantom first leads Christine to his lair, they walk through a corridor where human hands protrude from the walls, holding burning candelabras. This is a quote from Jean Cocteau's film 'Beauty and the Beast' (1946).
- Keira Knightley was one of the contenders for the role of Christine Daaé. Among the other applicants were Charlotte Church, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Martina McCahon, Jessica Simpson, Andrea Corr, and Anne Hathaway. Katie Holmes almost landed the role of Christine, but the director considered her too "old" for it.
- The film's makeup artist, Jenny Shircore, developed the Phantom's disfigurement design based on a case of congenital pathology she once witnessed.
- At the beginning of the film, in the auction scene (as in the musical), the chandelier's lot number is 666, the biblical "number of the beast" mentioned in the "Book of Revelation."
- During the main aria, “The Phantom of the Opera,” the boat moved along special rails located underwater.
- Joel Schumacher invited Gerard Butler to the project after seeing the actor in "Dracula 2000".
- In the musical, the chandelier falls at the end of the first act. But in the film adaptation, this event is moved to the end of the movie. This plot device was later incorporated into the Las Vegas version of the musical. Because the chandelier now falls in the 'wrong place,' the lyrics had to be slightly altered: Monsieur Firmin in the musical at the Masquerade raises a toast 'to the new chandelier,' while in the film this line was replaced with 'to the friends that are here.'
- It took approximately 4 hours every day to apply the makeup for Gerard Butler, who played the lead male role.
- Schumacher suggested considering Colin Farrell, but abandoned the idea after becoming convinced of the actor's complete inability to sing.
- Carlotta speaks with an Italian accent – Minnie Driver lived in Venice as a child and borrowed the accent from an Italian neighbor.
- The project was ready for launch as early as 1990, and at that time, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman were intended to be its main stars (as they had performed the lead roles on stage). However, shortly before work on the project began, Andrew Lloyd Webber divorced Sarah Brightman, and the project was shelved.
- In April 2004, the audience attending the eponymous play in London was asked to stay after the performance to record sound effects for the film.
- The final scene of the film took a whole week to shoot.
- Among the candidates for the director's chair were Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and John Woo.
- Sets were specially built to audition actors for roles in the upcoming film. The actors even had to wear costumes.
- Minnie Driver (Carlotta) performed only one song in her own voice – "Learn to be lonely".
- Throughout the film, the Phantom utters only 14 lines. The rest is vocals.
- Director Joel Schumacher wanted to achieve realism, so in the fire scene, the theater sets were actually burned to the ground.
- All the actors in the film sing themselves—with the exception of Minnie Driver. While she is a professional jazz singer, Margaret Price, a professional opera singer, was hired to provide Carlotta's soprano vocals. Incidentally, Price also appeared in the film as the confidante in the 'Il Muto' scene.
- The film is based on Gaston Leroux's novel "The Phantom of the Opera" (Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, 1910).
- In the episode when Christine makes her debut on the theater stage, her costume is different from the original musical—that is, it is not a costume for the opera 'Hannibal.' Her dress, jewelry, and hairstyle are copies of the portrait of Empress Elizabeth by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1865).
- The Phantom's white half-mask, worn by Gerard Butler, was sold at an eBay auction for 6,350 pounds sterling.
- The project was ready to launch as early as 1990, and at that time, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman were to be its main stars (they were the ones who played the lead roles on stage). However, shortly before work began on the project, Andrew Lloyd Webber divorced Sarah Brightman, and the project was shelved.
- John Travolta and Antonio Banderas both auditioned for the role of the Phantom. The latter even took vocal lessons specifically for the part.
- Hugh Jackman was considered for the role of the Phantom.
- Neither Gerard Butler nor Emmy Rossum had seen the musical before receiving their roles. Joel Schumacher also hadn't seen the theatrical version.
- Weber wrote about 15 minutes of new music specifically for the film. He also invested 6 million dollars of his own money into the movie's production.
- Carlotta speaks with an Italian accent; Minnie Driver lived in Venice as a child and borrowed the accent from an Italian neighbor.
- Neither Gerard Butler nor Amy Rossum had ever seen the eponymous musical before landing their roles. Joel Schumacher had also not seen the theatrical version.
- A chandelier (weighing 2.2 tons) was specially made for the filming of this movie.
- Hugh Jackman auditioned for the role of the Phantom.
- Director Joel Schumacher wanted to achieve realism, so in the fire scene, the theater's sets were actually burned to the ground.
- Minnie Driver (Carlotta) sang only one song in her own voice: 'Learn to be lonely'.
- Joel Schumacher invited Gerard Butler to the project after seeing the actor in the movie 'Dracula 2000'.
- In April 2004, the audience attending the play of the same name in London was asked to stay after the performance and record sound effects for the film.
- It took around 4 hours each day to apply makeup to Gerard Butler, the lead actor.
- Webber did not take part in the casting process; his only condition was that the actors had to sing in their own voices.
- John Travolta and Antonio Banderas both vied for the role of the Phantom. The latter even took vocal lessons specifically for this part.
- During the masquerade, Raoul chases the Phantom and ends up in a mirror room. It's not in the original musical, but the mirror room is present in Leroux's original novel.
- During the long thirteen years the film was in development, many prominent personalities were involved in the project, albeit for short periods. Only one candidate was confirmed from the start—director Joel Schumacher. The author of 'The Phantom of the Opera,' Andrew Lloyd Webber, invited Joel after seeing the movie 'The Lost Boys'.
- Weber did not participate in the casting, his only condition being that the actors sing in their own voices.
- The white half-mask worn by Gerard Butler as the Phantom was sold at an eBay auction for £6,350.
- Filming took place in the United Kingdom from September 2003 to January 2004.
- The beginning of the film, the photograph of old Paris that then transforms into black-and-white film footage, is a reference to Baz Luhrmann's film musical "Moulin Rouge!" (2001).
- All the actors sing in the film themselves—with the exception of Minnie Driver. She is a professional jazz singer, but to have Carlotta sing soprano, Margaret Preece, a professional opera singer, was brought in. Incidentally, she also appeared in the film—as the companion in the Il Muto scene.
- Specifically for the film, Weber wrote about 15 minutes of new music. He also invested $6 million of his own funds into the film's production.
- At the beginning of the film, in the auction scene (as in the musical), the lot number for the chandelier is 666, the biblical "number of the beast" mentioned in the "Book of Revelation" (the "Apocalypse").
- The beginning of the film, featuring a photograph of old Paris that transforms into black-and-white cinema footage, is a reference to Baz Luhrmann's musical 'Moulin Rouge!' (2001).
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Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
