Filmtracks: The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber)


Webber

The Phantom of the Opera: (Andrew Lloyd Webber) It's difficult to describe the religious following created in the late 1980's by The Phantom of the Opera unless you were there to soak it in for yourself. Andrew Lloyd Webber had already proven himself as the leading modern master of musical composition, and as an immediate blockbuster hit in 1987, The Phantom of the Opera would be launched to a perpetual stage presence in London and Broadway, as well as hundreds of venues across the world to this very day. The album of the original cast recording was one of the last widespread and successful LP releases, and the LP and CD together were the first musical to enter the charts at a resounding #1. With over 24 million album sales of that recording since, it's safe to say that Webber's The Phantom of the Opera is a cult, a religion, and quite possibly one of the greatest compositions in the history of the musical and opera genres. Sweeping multitudes of Tony awards, the original show was a perfect storm... a perfect cross section of classical, opera, and rock genres performed by one of the most talented and well-balanced casts of all time. While much press was given to the marriage and divorce of lead actress Sarah Brightman to Webber, the lasting dynasty of The Phantom of the Opera is owed to the majesty of lead actor Michael Crawford alone. The show would propel both actors onto subsequent success in solo albums and other ventures, but it would be Crawford whose enchanting performance as the Phantom would continue to draw in new fans to the recording long after other Webber productions had become culturally outdated. Both Cats and The Phantom of the Opera stand leagues above the other outstanding Webber compositions (including Evita and Sunset Boulevard), but Cats suffers with younger generations because of its very outdated musical styles. With that in mind, any listener needs to accept the ultimate triumph of The Phantom of the Opera in its genre, whether you belong to its cult following or are left baffled by its appeal.

The film version of The Phantom of the Opera has been coming down the pipes for over a decade, with Webber first insisting on a film version just a few years after the play's opening on stage. When production first began in the early 1990's, both Crawford and Brightman, among other original performers, were set to reprise their roles in the film. A whole slew of hindering factors, however, delayed the film's pre-production process, including Webber's divorce from Brightman, and, more substantially, the fact that the rights for the film became hopelessly tied up with Warner Brothers and Webber had to literally buy back the rights to his own production in the 2000's to finally force the film. During that time, Webber had shifted his attention to Evita in 1996, producing a very worthy film version of the show by utilizing the strong charisma of Madonna and Antonio Banderas to carry the composition's energy from stage to screen. By the time casting began a second time for The Phantom of the Opera, the ten years that had passed since the film was first conceived presented a problem. Brightman was too old to portray the young rising star, Steve Barton (the original Raoul) had died tragically in 2001, and questions were raised about the ideal age for the title role itself. A very vocal campaign to retain Crawford was undertaken by devoted fans of The Phantom of the Opera, with ads in magazines leading to thousands of signatures and petitions to Webber. The general argument of the Crawford fanatics was (and still is) that the Phantom is a father figure whose older age is not only appropriate, but necessary for the love triangle of the film to be successful. Webber, however, had set his sights on a younger Phantom, and after dismissing Crawford, he began a search of younger pop-culture actors who could fit into the role. He had already established 18-year-old actress/singer Emmy Rossum and Tony-nominee Patrick Wilson as Christine and Raoul, and after a search rich with rumours, Webber settled on Scottish actor Gerard Butler as the Phantom.

The choice of Butler in the title role was met with immediate skepticism by dedicated fans and the general public alike, for the actor, known more for his dashing looks than anything else, had no formal training as a vocalist. Both Rossum and Wilson had professionally sung, and despite their coaching through the filming process, it was Butler who would necessitate significant coaching over an entire year to prepare him for the role. As filming commenced, Butler and other principle actors would practice and record their vocals in the days before the filming of their scenes, but in the waning days of the project, the process became so hectic that Butler would practice and record only hours before stepping on the set. Even after the principle shooting was finished, many re-recordings and cuts and edits would be needed to meet Webber's standards. Those standards are particularly interesting here, because Webber's most public statement involving the film version of The Phantom of the Opera has been that he holds extremely high standards for the vocals. This is, in short, why so many people were baffled by the casting choices for the film. The directorial hiring for the project was also suspicious to fans of the show. By inserting flashy director Joel Schumacher into the mix, you run the risk of creating a production obsessed with visuals rather than one that concentrates rightly on the music. Indeed, the film has a touch of Gothom from Schumacher's Batman sequels, and the actors chosen to fill those sets are far more pleasant to view than the ones who previously performed those roles. Webber did, though, involve his original co-producer, Nigel Wright, and supervisor/conductor, Simon Lee, in an effort to bring continuity to the screen. Together, they recruited more than 100 top musicians from around Europe (some of whom had previously recorded some variation of The Phantom of the Opera) and recorded in the same Abbey Road Studios as the original ensemble.

That original group of players for the 1986 recording was considerably smaller. Roughly 60 players were involved in that recording, with even less gracing many of the individual productions of the show during their runs across the world. But an important distinction must be made with the original 60 performers and their outstanding product. Their performances were overdubbed to accentuate their size and scope, and the result was a surprisingly crisp orchestral backing that often sounded --quite logically-- like all of these extra performers were playing in perfect unison (and of course they were... they were often the same performances overlayed several times). It had always been Webber's wish to give his underscore for The Phantom of the Opera a fuller treatment. And rightfully so, for the score had many outbursts during which the ensemble would perform one of the songs at the height of their own talents. There has been an interest over the years in having only the orchestral elements of the original recording released by themselves, and the beefing up of those performances in the film version also begs for their own solo release. The wandering focus and inherent format of the film would necessitate some new score material by Webber in 2004. Despite the general similarities in nearly every piece, Webber has expanded here and there, cut a bit from the middle or end of songs, and has inserted new underscore for non-singing sequences. An entirely new theme accompanies the second half of the film; it is one of solace that is introduced when Christine journeys to the cemetery and culminates in a full, lengthy brass statement during the final underground confrontation. New score is provided for a flashback to the Phantom's youth and, as Webber had done with Evita, a short end credits song is provided as certain Oscar bait. Interestingly, these new themes rarely cross over between the realms of score and song. In the end, though, casual listeners of The Phantom of the Opera --the kind who pull it off the shelf once every three years (or haven't pulled it at all since the early 1990's) are not likely to notice any earth-shattering differences between the stage and screen renditions. This is, after all, how Webber wanted it.

What Webber certainly didn't want to hear, however, was the absolute pounding that critics immediately leveled on the film in its pre-release screenings. Response across the board was both consistent and savage, with most of the critics aiming their disdain and shock over the film in the direction of Gerard Butler as the Phantom. It would seem that the early viewers have confirmed the most general worry of Phantom fanatics: visuals were priority #1 and the music was priority #2. The British have been the most vividly spectacular in their negative criticism of the film --after all, the production was their brain child originally and they have the right to claim its successes and denounce its failures-- and one writer from The Herald summed up the critical response by stating, "I approached this with an open mind. I really did. And it made me want to claw out my own eyeballs and use them to plug my ears." But could it really be that horrible? After all, how could one of the greatest compositions of modern times be so thoroughly ruined?

Indeed, the music for this film version of The Phantom of the Opera is an unimaginable disaster of staggering proportions.

If Webber truly thinks that the performances of this film version live up to the standards established by the original recording, then he has completely lost his mind. Rossum's voice is very pretty and elegant, but it is badly underpowered and often unable to enunciate itself clearly beyond the volume of the orchestra. In subdued moments, such as much of "Wishing You Were Here Again," she does reasonably well, and her voice is well matched to Wilson's (as Raoul). Wilson does suffer from the same problem of lack of power, which may be either a characteristic of his own voice or once again a mixing problem involving the orchestra and sound effects. The supporting cast is very disappointing, with the monsieurs of the theatre (Firmin and Andre) often muddled and lacking in inflection. Minnie Driver does not perform her own operatic vocals (she's talented in a more modern pop sense, as heard in the new closing credits, but does not have the talent necessary for the role of Carlotta), but Carlotta vocalist Margaret Preece lacks the ability to sing with the convincing pompousness needed for the role. In every corner, the roles are performed without emphasis on words, without pizzazz in moments of triumph, and without the enthusiasm that saturated the performances of the original cast. In some places, their performances are all passable, but on the whole, they leave a somewhat sour impression. Butler's performance exists on a whole other level of hideousness, though, and it is this unbelievable error that renders the film recording of The Phantom of the Opera as both horrendous and painful. Butler's lack of formal vocal training is blindingly obvious, with the man shouting his role rather than singing it. He cannot hold notes worth a damn, and the entire demeanor of his voice is wrong for the role. The Phantom was both mysterious and romantic. There was something overpowering and seductive about his voice, as captured perfectly by Michael Crawford. Butler does well with the anguish and anger, but that's it. Volumes could be written about the particulars of how this actor was terrible for the role, but at some point, you have to just denounce the poor guy as the wrong choice and move on.

Some people might argue that it is unfair to humiliate Butler by comparing him to Crawford. True, the Phantom has been played by hundreds of men around the world (some of whom African American... yes, indeed! Why not?) and few of them, if any, could compare to Crawford's triumph in the role. The problem with Butler is that he's not even in the same league with these actors. His voice is so young, pop-influenced, and untrained that his performances sound like those you would hear in local high school or college productions of the play. Yes, it's that bad. The fact of the matter is that Crawford set the bar so high that Webber would either have had to hire him once again for the role or search much harder for an equal talent. The producers of the film, though, would make two arguments in favor of Butler. First, they'd state that Crawford is too old now for the role. This is nonsense. Crawford, in case you had not heard him recently, can still sing quite beautifully, and his knowledge of the songs and score is unsurpassed. Second, they'd tell you that the film would be more successful if targeting younger audiences by utilizing a younger, more dashing Phantom. This notion is also complete nonsense. What Webber and Schumacher did was sacrifice the quality of the music so that they could get a handsome young Phantom who, as an actor, was somewhat established. Besides, the Phantom is supposed to be an older character. Christine confuses him with the ghost of her father, and he is a presence in her life from childhood. He uses his age and genius to generate his power over her, and it is that distinction that makes the love triangle between them and Raoul so dramatic. How can we believe that a Phantom who can't reach or sustain certain musical notes is powerful enough to brainwash a beautiful young singer with vocal charm? The truly stinky moments of the film recording are those near the end of the production when Christine, Raoul, and the Phantom are all singing over each other during their argument about the choice that the Phantom has given Christine. You cannot tell the difference between Butler's voice and Wilson's. Likewise, Butler's voice is not commanding enough to make him frightening during the note-reading sequences.

Having ranted long enough about the problems with the vocals, let's shift to some of the specific (and sometimes positive) changes. A rambling blow-by-blow description follows next, so if you're impatient with this review already, then skip to the end. The opening auction sequence has no notable changes. The overture that follows is extended for the film, with more of the pop rhythm of the title song performance transferred here. After the organ does its job, though, the brass section has a badly muted sound, with its lack of clarity perhaps due to an overzealous mixing of the bass elements. An extended introduction of Christine and Carlotta are a welcome addition after the Hannibal piece. In "Think of Me," we begin to hear dialogue spoken rather than sung, though the song remains a highlight of the production. One very curious change in "Angel of Music" and "The Mirror" (the reprise of the former) is the absence of the thumping bass strings that would be established as the foreshadowing of a Phantom appearance. Without those pulsating basses, the orchestra has a very shallow in presence in these two tracks. We hear the Phantom in full song for the first time here, and his voice is far too soft for the poorly mixed orchestral climax before the title song. Why would Christine follow such a weak voice into the mirror? The popular title song is extremely disappointing. It won the Tony award for the show by itself and is likely the most recognizable piece from the play (its descending five note theme to announce the Phantom is still heard around sports arenas today). If you remember back to the late 80's, there was an MTV video version of "The Phantom of the Opera," with Brightman and a substitute for Crawford performing. This film version reminds a lot of that pop treatment, even down to the ridiculous clapping sounds. The orchestra is less powerful in its propulsive background rhythm, and where a lighter acoustic guitar has replaced the electric bass, an electric guitar has been allowed to wail away in the background. Only a cool and ghostly background female vocal adds new character to the song. The most irritating aspect of this version of "The Phantom of the Opera" is its shortened length; a quarter of the song is simply missing (the section that starts with the Phantom: "In all your fantasies..."). As with a few other parts of the album, previously fully sung parts of the Phantom's performances are done in a whisper, including the introduction to "Music of the Night."

A music video was also made of "Music of the Night" back in the 1980's, this time featuring Crawford in full costume and on set. The song, reprised with a flourish in the waning moments of the story, is also wildly popular with audiences, and Butler's inability to sing is simply confirmed as a certainty in his performance here. He has no class, no style, and no allure in this song, and it seems that some cutting, mixing, and artificial extending have been done to help hide Butler's inabilities (one such cut is at "where you long to... be"). A strong orchestral finish to the song does showcase the increased depth of the new performing group, but only exaggerates the difference in quality between the players and the lead voice. The "Magical Lasso" cue has no notable changes. The de-masking performance following further exposes Butler's emphasis on an extremely strained, angry performance rather one that would merit a response of pity. The "Notes" and "Prima Donna" sequences are the first chance to hear how this new set of actors can perform in complex layers. Unfortunately, the theatre monsieurs aren't as crisp, with the overlapping of voices too muddled. In this environment, the Phantom still overcomes the owners' voices in the reading of notes, but not in a convincingly menacing fashion. Carlotta's performances cut corners and reduce the amount of flair in her singing personality (high operatic notes for counterpoint are removed). The track is kept intact until a new ending which completely strips away the Phantom's warning and a second ending to the song. In the opera leading up to the first disaster, when Carlotta is made to croak like a toad, several unfortunate deviations are made. When Carlotta does begin croaking (which doesn't sound much like croaking here), the Phantom's maniacal laughter has been removed. In fact, nearly all the Phantom's devious sense of humor (or outward craziness, if you choose) is removed from this version, which is extremely disappointing. A lengthier, stronger build-up to the live performance disaster has a fantastic orchestral adaptation for the first chaos sequence, though. Once again, the orchestra outshines the singers, despite the enhanced sound effects of the chaos on stage and in the fictional crowd.

In line with the discussion of the Phantom's less striking personality, his longing repetition of the "Christine" quote is muffled in "Raoul I've Been There" cue. The hit song "All I Ask of You" is perhaps the best adaptation of a song on the album, with good chemistry between the vocalists despite their slight weaknesses in projection. The reprise that closed out the first half of the show is not structurally different, but Butler's vocals are so outrageously awful in this cue --perhaps his worst of the entire film-- that this sequence will make any devoted Phantom fan sick. Likewise, the abbreviated version of the "Entr'acte" is also a souring factor, though it's understandable given the lack of an intermission in the film. After only 30 seconds of that "Entr'acte," a shorter version of "Masquerade" ensues, with much of the engagement talk between Christine and Raoul curiously spoken instead of sung. The swirling, dancing score in "Masquerade" is still a symphonic highlight of album, and Webber introduces his new "Learn to be Lonely" theme in the underscore as the Phantom crashes the party. The sound effects of swords and breathing that follow are a bit annoying, however. The next cue is an all-new flashback tale of the Phantom's youth, and its carnival music (despite filling some plot holes nicely) is not very pleasant to hear. In "Journey to the Cemetery," we hear the prized new score cue composed by Webber for the film, introducing a 'solace theme' that will later explode into full symphonic force near the end of the film. For fans of Webber's orchestral composition --regardless of the vocals-- this is a particularly intriguing addition. The song that follows, "Wishing You Were Here Again" is very elegant, although Christine's voice continues to be underpowered (once again, a mixing problem?). Definitely underpowered are the Phantom's attempts to lure Christine in "Wandering Child," with poor vocal chemistry between the two leads and incompatible tones combining with the barely present thumping bass strings to suck all the magic out of the piece. New score also accompanies "The Swordfight," as well as significantly more sound effects that make the enjoyment of that score difficult.

In the brainstorm session of "We Have All Been Blind," there is a striking underperformance by Rossum, who features nearly none of the desperation necessary in here solemn solo ("...in this, the phantom's opera"). A great orchestral outburst of "Prima Donna" and nice mixing of the monsieurs and Phantom in the note reading are commendable, although the great spat between the two leading ladies (when Christine refers to Carlotta as "you evil woman") is missing. The "Don Juan" performance is largely the same. By the time of the fans' sentimental favorite song, "The Point of No Return," the two leads are having a difficult time meshing well and hitting any concurrent notes --likely a mixing problem again, but if they're not performing at the same tempo, then that could be a fatal flaw, too. Not only are the lyrics altered in this piece, but the lightly tapping drum in "The Point of No Return" is absent as well. The second total chaos sequence in the film version now involves the chandelier (instead of the strangling of the male opera star), and the extended score for this scene is done well despite, once again, the significant sound effects that hinder the clarity of the music and dialogue. The conveyance of the organization of the raiding party is poorly mixed and might leave a plot hole in the film. Substandard performances and questionable mixing destroy the climactic series of reprises in "Down Once More," including the trio reprise of "The Point of No Return." The words "deep as hell" are mangled by Butler, and the "track down this murderer" lyrics of the opera house ensemble are too faint to be effective. We are treated, however, to a resounding and powerful performance of the new 'solace theme,' which is another highlight of the album. As mentioned before, the moments when all three principal voices are performing at once are a disaster, with Butler not distinguishing himself to any degree above Wilson's voice. The releasing of prisoner sequence is well done, with no structural changes, but the grand finale of the film is once again a major detractor. For the Phantom's last "Music of the Night" reprise he whispers the formerly magnificent line "you alone can make my song take flight" instead of singing it, and with no extension in his final vocal, Butler crucifies an otherwise good orchestral performance of the closing notes.

To end the film, Webber has added another song as did with Evita in 1996. In that film, however, Madonna performed it herself, and the tone was appropriately mournful and subdued. For The Phantom of the Opera, Webber has concocted a seemingly unrelated, light pop song performed by Minnie Driver, who is Carlotta's speaking voice. The song's construct has nothing to do with the rest of the production, has the wrong tone, is performed by an auxiliary character, and does not gel with the album's contents. If the Academy awards this song with a nomination or win, it will be a tip of the hat to Webber's previous success with The Phantom of the Opera, and not this particular song. "Learn to be Lonely," along with the entirely mysterious foul-up of an overall package, raise a plethora of questions about Webber's common sense on this adaptation. Why did he not write the end credits song based on the 'solace theme' and make the performance by Rossum or Butler? Or better yet... Crawford? Sure, why not... even for just that one song? Why were the orchestral performances throughout the score so badly mixed? Why did so many sound effects end up on the final cut of the album? Why were tempos altered so drastically in certain key sequences? Why were lyrics unnecessarily changed? Why were awesome lyrics changed to spoken word? Why was Christine consistently mixed too low compared with the ensemble? Why was the orchestra not as involved with emphasis and style as the original, smaller group? Or, more succinctly put, how could 60 players recorded in 1986 sound so much better in parts than 100+ players in 2004? Why was there such dry overall sound mixing in the recording, especially for moments when the Phantom's voice is supposed to echo? On the whole, where did the romance go? Where did the magic go? The sensuality? The true operatic spirit? The crisp clarity of voices? The dynamic explosiveness of the chaotic moments? The sense of humor? The extra little flair in Carlotta's performance at high ranges? The undeniable pity that you're supposed to feel for the Phantom at the end despite all of his flaws?

This awkward remake solicits just too many questions to ask. Webber's intentions were obviously well natured, but this result is one of the most spectacular failures of execution anyone could ever have predicted. It is nearly impossible to imagine Webber's The Phantom of the Opera as a stumbling failure, but the film's recording is so wretched that this reviewer --one seemingly among many who have had the same horrible realization-- is left stunned and exceedingly irritable by this film's albums. The album situation, should you be brave and actually risk tarnishing your opinion of the musical, is similar to that of the play. A "highlights" album with the traditional black cover features the major pieces. A two-CD "special edition" album with a pink and gray cover (can it get any stranger?) has nearly the full score and will be the only option for those of you seeking the interesting new score material from Webber. If you have never heard the original cast recording, you may find this new version of The Phantom of the Opera to be somewhat of an average musical. But if you're a fan of the original, and you, like most of the world in the 80's and 90's, went to see the production in a major venue, then the film recordings will either make you bleed at the ears or shock you into a state of stunned semi-consciousness. The choice of Butler as the Phantom is clearly the stake in the heart of this production, and if Michael Crawford had indeed returned for this production, his magical voice alone would have made the whole endeavor worthwhile. But without any redeeming vocal aspect to this recording even outside of Butler, there is no reason to have any hope in either the film or its albums. We can only hope that the possible, if not probable total failure of this film doesn't curse Webber in his efforts to continue the transition from stage to screen. He is supposedly working on adapting his 1993 hit Sunset Boulevard to film next, and let's pray he chooses a mature, established actress to play Norma Desmond, because it's been proven now that talent on the level of Madonna is necessary to truly make his song, like the Phantom's, take flight. The music of the night is not only over now, but it left a cold, foul stink in the room.

*****

FRISBEE