Frequently asked questions about the phantom of the opera movie
[Q: Is this movie going to be a musical? ]
A: Yes! This is Andrew LLoyd Webber's movie version of the stage production running on Broadway for more than 16 years. All the songs from the musical will be included with minor changes.
[Q:Are there any new songs? ]
A: Yes, there is a new song named "No one would listen," but apparently it was replaced by another song called "Learn to be lonely" which will be sung by Minnie Driver and will play over the final credits. but
[Q:Are the actors singing their parts? ]
A: Most of them are. Patrick Wilson and Emmy Rossum have a musical background: he worked in Broadway musicals and she started singing at the Metropolitan Opera (New York) at age 6. We already know that Gerard Butler had extensive training before filiming. Music director, Simon Lee, and Nigel Wright (music co-producer) spent a lot of time with him to get the vocal performance he needed for the Phantom role. Minnie Driver is a pop singer who is about to release her first CD. She plays a soprano (italian diva Carlotta) and since she is not able to reach the highest notes, her part will be sung by Margaret Preece (the actual Carlotta in the London cast). In all cases, their voices will be enhanced to perfection with the help of sound engineers and computer technology, so there is no need to be worried about this. The singing will be mind-blowing.
[Q:What's with the Phantom's deformity?]
A: According to the official website: "Like the design of the Phantom's costume and mask, his underlying physical deformity had to be rendered convincingly, without alienating the audience in the process. "We didn't want his disfigurement to be horribly grotesque," Byrne acknowledges. "It was about trying to find the real person behind the mask. We want the audience to see his attractiveness, his anger and his vulnerability." Shircore, an Oscar winner in 1999 for her work on Elizabeth, based her design for the Phantom's disfigurement on a medical condition, underscoring the character's backstory as a misunderstood societal castaway."
[Q:Why weren't Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman cast for the roles of the Phantom and Christine ? ]
A: ALW and Joel Schumacher decided to cast young actors. MC and SB where the first choices when the movie was about to be made in the late 80s. At that time Sarah and Andrew chose to separate amicably and the production was postponed until now.
[Q: Why does the mask in the poster appear in the wrong side of the Phantom's face?]
A: The reason the Phantom's mask was flipped (and this is pure speculation as a
graphic designer) is that it fits the composition. Had the composition been maintained and the mask returned to its original side, it would not be visible due to the lighting scheme of the poster and therefore do away with the signature look of the character for the lay public to recognize at a glance. Had the image itself been flipped, it would have faced the text and made the poster appear cramped. Switch the text to the right side of the composition and the copy would be less likely to be read (since in this society we read
from left to right).