The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux: A Review by Warren Bull
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston
Leroux was published in French in 1910 and in English the following year.
Reviews at the time were lukewarm. Most readers read it as a newspaper serial.
A researcher for Universal Pictures found the story in the newspaper. In 1925 a
movie starring Lon Chaney was released. The movie made Chaney a star and became
a classic silent film. The story has been told since then in more than half a
dozen other films, nine theatre versions including musicals and an untold
number of written forms.
The novel is rich
with elaborate setting and details. Apparently the Paris Opera House, which
inspired the author, was a remarkable building that included underground
passages, a lake and a stable for fifty horses. It was used as a military
warehouse and a station for balloons before it was used as an opera house.
During a performance one of the counterweights holding up a massive chandelier
fell on a member of the audience and killed him.
As a novel, I
found The Phantom of the Opera hard
to slog through. I admit to several starts and stops plus more than a little skimming
in my reading. There were many impassioned speeches, declarations of undying
love and spooky events. And they all became rather boring with repetition after
repetition. Actually, I thought the book started pretty well. Unfortunately,
even making allowances for the time period, and its purple prose, the plot
limped along slowly thereafter. After a time I started to hope the Phantom
would include the boring main characters among his killings, but alas he did
not.
Some of the
retelling of the story is marvelous. The most recent musical has wonderful
music. Despite the limitations of
the original, the underlying story remains a source of inspiration.
I tried to read Phantom of the Opera once, and gave up. But the story itself is a wonderful classic, and I like the adaptations, esp. the dramatic performance, much better. Which is rare--usually I like the book better than any subsequent variations.
ReplyDeleteI love the musical and play the CD's when I'm mopping floors or painting walls. I gave up on the original book a long time ago. The Phantom is an inspired character.
ReplyDeleteIt is a pretty skimpy story, but it was a framework for a wonderful Broadway show. How interesting that the story had such staying power. I agree with Margaret - the Phantom was an inspired character.
ReplyDeleteI love the music and the play, however after reading your review and what others said, I won't bother to read it. Too many books and too little time to read what I wouldn't thoroughly enjoy. I think it's cool that you're reading all these old books though, Warren. Isn't it great to live near Powell's?
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