The Phantom of the Opera 2004

As the auctioneer’s gavel brings the event to a close, the dusty vaults of Paris’ magnificent opera house are unearthed, unveiling a treasure chest of buried secrets and forgotten tales. Among the flurry of bidders, the esteemed Viscount Raoul de Chagny (Patrick Wilson) engages in a fierce competition with Madame Giry, the enigmatic ballet instructor, over a peculiar music box that features a whimsical monkey playing cymbals. The auction’s crown jewel, however, is yet to come: an opulent chandelier linked to the shadowy saga of “the strange affair of the Phantom of the Opera.” As it takes its rightful place in the auditorium, the narrative transports us back to 1870, a time when the opera house basked in its full glory.

The theatre buzzes with excitement as Carlotta, the leading soprano, prepares to grace the stage for the grand opera Hannibal. Manager Monsieur Lefèvre announces his retirement, passing the reins to Richard Firmin and Gilles André, who introduce Raoul as their esteemed patron. Caught amidst the chaos, one of the ballerinas, Christine Daaé, a gifted orphan with a voice as sweet as honey, locks eyes with Raoul—her childhood sweetheart—only for him to walk away without acknowledging her presence.

As tensions heighten, Carlotta descends into madness, plagued by the Opera Ghost’s ceaseless torment. With the performance hanging by a thread, Madame Giry proposes that Christine step in for the absent diva. On opening night, Christine astounds the audience with her voice, leaving them in rapturous applause.

After the curtain falls, Christine confides in her dear friend Meg, Madame Giry’s daughter, about her extraordinary tutor—the ethereal “Angel of Music” sent by her deceased father to uplift her spirits. Unbeknownst to her, this elusive mentor is none other than the Opera Ghost, who has been watching over her from the shadows. That fateful evening, Christine reconnects with Raoul, sharing her fantastical experiences with the Angel of Music, but he dismisses her tales as mere fantasy.

In a haunting twist, the Phantom of the Opera reveals himself from the mirror of the dressing room, inviting Christine into his subterranean lair. Amid the dimly lit passageways, he lays bare his consuming love for her. However, when Christine stumbles upon a chilling mannequin donned in her wedding dress, she faints, succumbing to the Phantom’s mesmerizing charm. As night falls, she awakens in his sanctuary, which ignites a wave of panic among the opera house staff over her sudden disappearance.

With dawn’s arrival, Christine succumbs to curiosity and lifts the veil from the Phantom’s masked face, triggering a frantic response from him as he shields his visage, tormented by the exposure. Their fleeting moment of understanding quickly dissipates when Christine hastily returns the mask. The Phantom, displaying a momentary kindness, guides her safely back to the opera house, but his goodwill comes at a cost: she must play the lead in the upcoming production of Il Muto. However, the managers ultimately choose to give the role back to Carlotta. Enraged by Christine’s substitution during the performance, the Phantom sabotages Carlotta’s throat spray, leading to a disastrous performance that horrifies the audience. The Phantom’s wrath soon extends to Joseph Buquet, the chief stagehand, as he meets a grim fate, hanging lifelessly from above the stage, further plunging the production into chaos. Amidst the turmoil, Christine and Raoul manage to escape to the roof, where they passionately declare their love for one another, leaving the Phantom in solitude, nursing a broken heart and vowing revenge.

As months roll by with no sign of the Phantom, Christine and Raoul proclaim their engagement at a masquerade ball thrown in the opera house, completely unaware that the Phantom lurks in the shadows, masked and seething with rage. His eyes, glowing with an otherworldly embers, pierce through the celebration as he crashes the festivities, demanding that his own opera, Don Juan Triumphant, be performed. Upon noticing Christine’s engagement ring, the Phantom’s grip tightens around it, allowing him to vanish into the night, pursued by Raoul. Just then, Madame Giry appears, revealing the dark secrets of the Phantom’s past—once a deformed boy in a freak show, he suffered unimaginable abuse before executing his revenge on his captor. Giry had helped him escape, and ever since, he has hidden within the opera’s winding corridors.

The following day, Christine visits her father’s grave, only to encounter the Phantom masquerading as his spirit in a bid to reclaim her. Raoul intervenes yet again, shattering the illusion and setting the stage for a clash that could crumble the opera house’s very foundation.

As Don Juan Triumphant begins, Raoul and the opera managers devise a clever ruse to capture the elusive Phantom, knowing his presence is intricately tied to Christine’s lead role. Under the guise of artistic expression, the Phantom takes control of the performance, usurping the tenor’s role with his hauntingly enchanting voice as he duets with Christine. Seizing the moment amid their musical harmony, Christine boldly unmasks the Phantom, exposing the grotesque visage that has haunted her psyche. The audience gasps in horror as the Phantom retaliates, abducting Christine and orchestrating a catastrophic chandelier crash that engulfs the opera house in flames, his motives clear: to guard his identity from judgmental eyes. As chaos erupts, a frenzied mob, fueled by the authorities and Giry’s guidance, races to find the Phantom.

In his lair, the Phantom proposes marriage to Christine, who is dressed in her wedding gown. She attempts to reason with him, focusing not on his appearance but rather on the malevolence that has defined his actions. Upon Raoul’s abrupt arrival, the Phantom delivers a chilling ultimatum: if Christine does not accept his proposal, Raoul will lose his life. Moved by Christine’s sympathy, the Phantom softens briefly, granting the entranced lovers an escape, but not before offering his cherished music box. As Christine tenderly returns Raoul’s engagement ring as a keepsake, the Phantom makes his quiet exit, leaving only his discarded mask for Meg to discover.

Fast forward to the present day, Raoul stands by Christine’s grave, placing the Phantom’s haunting music box as a tribute. As he prepares to leave, a fresh rose adorned with a black silk ribbon catches his eye—a sure sign of the Phantom’s undying presence—and alongside it, Christine’s engagement ring serves as a poignant reminder that the Phantom’s love for her endures, steadfast and eternal.