Wow -- I enjoyed reading that comparison. It's been a while since I saw the movie, so I don't remember all the details (I've blocked all memories of Patrick Wilson in favor of the Adorable!Raoul I saw on stage in February). But yep, I was the understated-visuals complainer, and the Masquerade scene was exactly what inspired that gripe. The movie definitely had some decent visuals -- I liked the hectic backstage glimpses -- but there was so much I would've changed. I'd still love to see a Baz Luhrmann interpretation of the musical (or even of the original novel).
"But the stage show, or at least the one I saw, also suffered from a lack of extravagence."
The traveling version I saw seemed pretty extravagant, although I don't have much to compare it to (aside from The Boy from Oz, which was mostly just Hugh-on-a-stage, LOL). But I'm sure a lot of it has to do with theater size and whatnot. Because of my limited experience, I don't know how to judge whether a theater is big or small. ;)
"The movie-Phantom just looked like he'd got a bit of a sunburn and really bad hives. Psshaw. Psshaw, I say!"
YES!!! Stage-Phantom had gaping wounds that looked wet and weepy (the view from the front row was perhaps a little too good at that point). Movie-Phantom looked like he'd clear up with a medicated cream. ;D
I also felt like Movie-Phantom roared and yelled a lot instead of singing. He was an angry Phantom, but not all that unhinged. On the other hand, I felt the same way you did about Stage-Phantom -- the one I saw was a bit *too* unhinged. I need a middle-of-the-road Phantom.
"In the stage version I saw, when the Phantom shows Christine the dummy he's made of her in a wedding dress, the dummy half-fell forward when she moved towards it, giving her a much stronger reason for fainting"
Agreed again. That whole moment was sort of muddled in the movie.
"The stage version had the Phantom clearly visible on top of the tomb, where Christine and Raoul could see him; hiding him until he attacks Raoul and making a false trail with the light from inside the tomb was more effective."
But then there was that stupid swordfight instead of the Phantom throwing explodey-light-balls at Raoul. ;D Changes like that made the Phantom a little too human for me -- I like him with a greater supernatural air.
"Plus I got tired of all the close-ups of her big cow-eyes."
Indeed.
"And is it my imagination, or does the Phantom, having been dark-haired all through the movie, start turning blond when his mask gets ripped off that last time?"
I wondered the same thing. I couldn't tell if it was the lighting, or what.
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"But the stage show, or at least the one I saw, also suffered from a lack of extravagence."
The traveling version I saw seemed pretty extravagant, although I don't have much to compare it to (aside from The Boy from Oz, which was mostly just Hugh-on-a-stage, LOL). But I'm sure a lot of it has to do with theater size and whatnot. Because of my limited experience, I don't know how to judge whether a theater is big or small. ;)
"The movie-Phantom just looked like he'd got a bit of a sunburn and really bad hives. Psshaw. Psshaw, I say!"
YES!!! Stage-Phantom had gaping wounds that looked wet and weepy (the view from the front row was perhaps a little too good at that point). Movie-Phantom looked like he'd clear up with a medicated cream. ;D
I also felt like Movie-Phantom roared and yelled a lot instead of singing. He was an angry Phantom, but not all that unhinged. On the other hand, I felt the same way you did about Stage-Phantom -- the one I saw was a bit *too* unhinged. I need a middle-of-the-road Phantom.
"In the stage version I saw, when the Phantom shows Christine the dummy he's made of her in a wedding dress, the dummy half-fell forward when she moved towards it, giving her a much stronger reason for fainting"
Agreed again. That whole moment was sort of muddled in the movie.
"The stage version had the Phantom clearly visible on top of the tomb, where Christine and Raoul could see him; hiding him until he attacks Raoul and making a false trail with the light from inside the tomb was more effective."
But then there was that stupid swordfight instead of the Phantom throwing explodey-light-balls at Raoul. ;D Changes like that made the Phantom a little too human for me -- I like him with a greater supernatural air.
"Plus I got tired of all the close-ups of her big cow-eyes."
Indeed.
"And is it my imagination, or does the Phantom, having been dark-haired all through the movie, start turning blond when his mask gets ripped off that last time?"
I wondered the same thing. I couldn't tell if it was the lighting, or what.