Phantom Of The Opera DVD

 Fairy Tale Macabre
Made shortly after the disappointing 'Stendahl Syndrome', this movie (not the same film as his 'Opera') marks both a return and a departure for Italian director Dario Argento. He returns to larger budget,and goreous photography, but departs from his famous earlier giallo. The story is a fantasy retelling of Leroux's novel, with Julian Sands as the somewhat sympathetic title character. In Argento's vision, the Phantom is not horribly scarred but physically flawless and hiding a violent, amoral underbelly (due to his having been raised by rats). This 'hidden other nature' theme is echoed in the opera house itself with its underground catacombs, in Asia Argento's diva with her hidden passion, and several other characters, including the pedophile patrons of the ballet academy. But, you ask me, is there any good gore? Well, yes, and in a lavish film such as this, the beheadings, bisections, stabbings and rat mutilations are all the more shocking. The only drawback of the film is the handling of the opera scenes themselves, as it is obvious as the singers are lip synching (and not projecting as is necessary in a large theater), the conductor is pathetically waving his arms, about to fly away, rather than having any hint of how to conduct an orchestra, and no one at the organ has the slightest clue what to do with their fingers on the keys. Rather than film around these flaws, Argento lingers on them lovingly, as if we are being transported by the prerecorded music, rather than laughing at the silliness of it all. If more care had been taken to direct the actors in these scenes, the film would be elevated beyond a genre film into masterpiece or classic status.
Submitted by a reviewer (PA, USA) 
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