Phantom of the Opera

Phantom of the Opera 2004

Gim and I just watched Phantom of the Opera yesterday. It was *beautiful*. I loved the music especially (well, *duh*, it was a musical). My favorite piece was “All I Ask of You” performed by Raoul and Christine as they fall in love. I know my singing voice most often resembles the wails of a mating cat, but I still love to sing it anyway.

ALL I ASK OF YOU

[Raoul]
No more talk of darkness
Forget these wide-eyed fears
I’m here, nothing can harm you
My words will warm and calm you

Let me be your freedom
Let daylight dry your tears
I’m here, with you, beside you
To guard you and to guide you

[Christine]
Say you’ll love me every waking moment
Turn my head with talk of summertime
Say you need me with you now and always
Promise me that all you say is true
That’s all I ask of you

[Raoul]
Let me be your shelter
Let me be your light
You’re safe, no one will find you
Your fears are far behind you

[Christine]
All I want is freedom
A world with no more night
And you, always beside me
To hold me and to hide me

[Raoul]
Then say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime
Let me lead you from your solitude
Say you need me with you here, beside you
Anywhere you go, let me go too
Christine, that’s all I ask of you

[Christine]
Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime
Say the word and I will follow you
Share each day with me, each night, each morning

[Christine]
Say you love me

[Raoul]
You know I do
Love me,
[Both]
That’s all I ask of you

Anywhere you go, let me go too
Love me, that’s all I ask of you

Awww. Gimmi, hear that? “Love me, that’s all I ask of you!” Hehe, forgive my *corniness* (yes, I know that’s not a word), usually that part’s performed by you.

Much as Raoul and Christine’s romance was inspiring, what really moved me to tears was Erik’s (the Phantom) rendition of “All I Ask of You”. It was heartbreaking because he knew it was the last time he could hold Christine in his arms, right before he would allow Christine to run off with Raoul, and he knew that Christine would never sing that song to him as she did Raoul. (Is it obvious I was rooting for Erik the entire time? Hehe. Reminds me of the time I was flabbergasted and outraged because Esmeralda didn’t end up with the Hunchback of Notre Dame!)

PHANTOM: Say you’ll share with me
One love, one lifetime
Lead me, save me from my solitude

Say you want me
With you here
Beside you
Anywhere you go
Let me go too
Christine that’s all I ask of…

By the way, Gerard Butler did a great job as the Phantom, given that his only musical background was playing vocals in a rock band. Also, until the audience actually sees how good the movie’s crew are at screwing up his character’s countenance, Gerard Butler really comes off as a handsome and enigmatic mystery (much like Gimmi, only older, corny!!!!). He’s also a superb actor (even under his mask, you can see his emotions onscreen as if you were reading it on paper), unlike the one who plays Raoul. (He was so boring and bland that I didn’t bother searching for his name.) Emmy Rossum also does an okay job, but her character is so helpless that she’s reduced to staring blankly into space most of the time.

All in all I would say, this movie is great! Not so much the acting (except for Butler) but the music, the sounds, the costume, and the cinematography are all just — fantastically enchanting.

So, um, if you were wondering… I really, really (no, really!) wouldn’t mind it if somebody decided to send me the DVD, the book, or tickets to the play. It’s in my Froogle wishlist! =)

Phantom of the Opera 2004

Oh, and isn’t this Phantom adorable?

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2 Comments

  1. you are so right, this movie was just so awesome! i was singing “all i ask of you” for days afterward. and i actually cried in that last scene after christine kissed erik and he decided to let them go. i so pitied him. aww…

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