The Phantom of the Opera (1990) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Tony Richardson

Writers (WGA):

Gaston Leroux (novel)
Arthur Kopit (play)

Release Date:

18 March 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Count de Chagnie has discovered Christine's singing talent on a market place and sent her to his friend Carriere...

Plot Keywords:

Opera | Phantom | Love | Paris | Paris Opera

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Gerard Carriere
Adam Storke	...	Count Philippe de Chagny
Teri Polo	...	Christine Daee
Charles Dance	...	Erik The Phantom of the Opera
Ian Richardson	...	Cholet
Andréa Ferréol	...	Carlotta
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Inspector Ledoux
Jean Rougerie	...	Jean-Claude
André Chaumeau	...	Joseph Buguet
Marie-Thérèse Orain	...	Madame Giry
Marie-Christine Robert	...	Flora
Marie Lenoir	...	Florence
Anne Roumanoff	...	Fleure
Jean Dupouy	...	Alfredo (singer 'Faust')
Jacques Mars	...	Oroyeso (singer 'Mephisto')

Runtime:

168 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Hexatel

Trivia:

Based on a musical by Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston. The idea for this U.S. version came about around the same time Ken Hill's version was playing in England. When Andrew Lloyd Webber produced his own version a couple of years later, the Kopit/Yeston idea was shelved. When Andrew Lloyd Webber's version came to the U.S., they realized that the two shows had different basic elements and direction. The show was revived as a television movie, using real operatic sequences instead of Yeltson's score, and later brought to life as the complete stage play with Yeltson's score, as originally intended. Thus three different versions were made (2 U.K. and 1 U.S) with Webber's being far more successful.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Christine Daae's last name is mispelled on one of the posters for the production of "Faust" inside the opera house.

Quotes:

Carlotta: No-one can sing Bel Canta without lessons, God doesn't allow it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Mask: The Story of 'The Phantom of the Opera' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

La Traviata

And the top three reasons to see this version are:

One, Charles Dance is always terrific, playing good, bad or indifferent guys with equal aplomb and skill. (This time he's a good guy who, unfortunately, is not blessed with good looks.) Two, the sets and music are superb. And three, the final climactic aria is Charles Gounod's fabulous goosebump-raising "Anges Pur, Anges Radieux" ("Angels Pure, Angels Radiant") from "Faust". No, we don't see the Phantom's face....but Christine does, and her expression tells us everything.