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Gaylesyboo54 (63)
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Movie released 20 years ago today
Delightful Animated Christmas Movie
You need to see this Making of TPOTO video on YT
Plot doesn’t seem farfetched now!
Whatever happened to Burns?
Being re-released to theaters in Japan
Being re-released to theaters in Japan
I love this movie!
Saw Dracula 2000 for the first time tonight in 2024
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I watched it tonight and gave it a 7 out of 10. I was sitting on the edge of my seat plus I was genuinely invested in the characters Will and Lisa.
And released in November 2024 The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland. I found it very entertaining with Gerard Butler voicing Santa Claus/St. Nick/Father Christmas. (Take your pick as to your name for the character. )
In my opinion, yes. I have loved it since it first aired in 1984. Now I have the Blu Ray and watch it every year during the season.
Unfortunately, most people don’t get it. I think it is one of the best Dracula movies. It is well-plotted and the story of Dracula’s origin is clever. New Orleans, its association with decadence and voodoo, and its strong Catholic past makes it an ideal setting for a Dracula movie. I love that the condo tombs ( as we natives call them) was utilized for a key scene in the movie.
The cast, especially Dracula played by Gerard Butler, is composed of actors perfect for their roles. Justine Waddell has a gentle air which is ideal for a sheltered daughter. Butler’s Dracula is attractive which evil usually garbs itself. Otherwise, why would we be lured into sin if it did not temporarily convince us to give in and doom ourselves. Jonny Lee Miller’s Simon is a convincing would-be rescuer.
I can certainly understand that after viewing the video that you linked! Thank you.
Sorry to be late to respond. Friends were visiting from my hometown.
I will always read professional critics’ reviews but I don’t take their writings as gospel truth. Their reactions are the immediate takes. Sometimes they are right on the money; other times they may not get it. And, of course, they may have a personal axe to grind against a particular actor or director or screenwriter. Sometimes all three. In Ebert’s case, he seemed to hate ALW’s music.
So, in the case of this movie, I would say the audience’s reaction is more valid.
Regarding Schumacher, after Phantom was completed, he might have been a case of the well of creativity running dry. I once heard an art history professor say that some artists(painters primarily is what he was talking about) exhaust their creativity after 10 years. Schumacher had a good run, but perhaps he was just exhausted and couldn’t summon the strength. He may have also just not been able to get the financing for better movies.
I recently read Gaston Leroux’s novel. His version is more horrific than the musical. The Phantom/Erik is a pitiful creature in the novel, but he is also a sadist who built torture chambers. Of course, the reader is privy via the Persian to the Phantom’s interesting past so his accomplishments and abilities make more sense. The chapters set outside of Paris when Raoul follows Christine are very scary or should I say mysterious?
You know, I expected to be blown away by the stage production but I was not. Maybe it was just an off day for that particular Broadway production or maybe it was me. I would go see it again if a top flight touring production came to Houston or if it re-opened on Broadway. Most of my friends first saw it in New Orleans and were dazzled by it.
As to the movie, I think the critics were determined to hate it or at least not praise it which no doubt affected the box office. Roger Ebert’s review has some passages about how much he hates ALW’s music for not being full of tunes you walk out humming. Yes, he is correct, TPOTO is not Oklahoma or South Pacific, but therein lies the difference. The music doesn’t advance the plot; it is a part of the plot. If the Phantom didn’t feel the need to have Christine bring his music to life, he wouldn’t be so obsessed with her. So to sum up this paragraph, the movie didn’t get a fair critical assessment because there was pre-existing animosity toward the stage musical.
That leads me to say, the critics were unwilling to give the movie a fair shake and evaluate it on its own terms. Objectively, it is beautifully filmed, effectively creates a past era, and has wonderful performances. I also think the knives were really out for Joel Schumacher because of that disastrous Batman movie. I have read it is a disastrous movie but I have never seen it. You say Schumacher’s work as a director was uneven. While I haven’t seen all his movies, I have been impressed by what I have seen. (There are quite a few interviews with Schumacher on YT. It is amazing to see how he was lionized prior to the Batman movie. I can only conclude that some critical heavyweights and competitors were itching to take him down. That animosity may have permeated into TPOTO’s reception. )
As I said in my earlier post, I was living under a rock at that time so maybe my recollection of an insufficient push by the studio is wrong. I was then a reader of many newspapers and magazines and can’t recall any ads or contemporary reviews. I do know that it was a visiting friend who took me to see it because she felt sorry for me never having seen a stage production. I am eternally grateful to her because I fell in love with the movie.
Thank you for responding. I agree with much of what you say. I saw the movie first in 2004 and loved it. I did not see the stage musical until 2018 when we saw it on Broadway. The tragic tale in the movie touched my heart, but the stage musical did not move me nor enchant me. I have it on Blu Ray and have watched it several times this year alone.
The 2004 movie was the first time I ever saw Gerard Butler or even heard of him. (Yes, I was living under a rock). For me and my friend (who had seen the stage production multiple times), he was a truly tragic Phantom. He conveyed the Phantom’s pain, his longing for love, and his anger so well.
I know people criticize Butler’s singing and would have preferred a trained stage singer, but I thought for the film his voice worked perfectly. He acted through his singing which made his Phantom realistic in the film. Film by its very nature is a medium that projects. (I know you know this fact, but I am just stating my reasons ) Hence, for the film, a more subtle approach was needed. A rougher, more natural voice like Butler’s was required for the film IMHO.
The film was a feast for the eyes with the sets and the costumes I enjoyed Schumacher’s touches, such as the human arms holding the candelabras. Being a big French film fan, I immediately got the references to Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast. As soon as Emmy Rossum was revealed performing Think of Me in front of an audience, I gasped to see her looking identical to Elizabeth of Austria as depicted in he famous Winterhalter portrait.
As for the music, I first fell in love with it when I saw the movie in 2004. Despite having the OCR since 1990, I was never touched by the music. I really tried to like it but no magic came through the OCR.
Thank you for your response. I appreciate receiving the information.
I was heartbroken when IMDB shut their boards. So much was lost about the older stars. As I recall, there was a lot of discussion about Garbo.
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