Revealing mistake: In a scene soon after "Think of Me," it shows a large crowd of actors, crew, etc. celebrating backstage. In one far-away shot, you can pick out Andre and Firmin in the center flirting with two of the women. Andre sticks his cigar in a woman's mouth, and she blows a puff of smoke. A few shots later, it shows the same thing, but much closer up and from the side. (00:22:05)
Continuity mistake: When the Phantom in "Music of the Night" goes to show Christine the wax figure of herself there is a tall lit candle behind him. When she faints he moves in front of it to catch her and when he then moves away the candle is out - the only way the flame could have been put out was if Christine's hair had smothered it (which would of course have set her hair alight). (00:39:40)
Continuity mistake: In the graveyard, when Christine walks down the main alley, her arms are hanging by her sides, but in the next shot, she is holding her bouquet in front of her hips. (01:36:40)
Revealing mistake: When the Phantom first appears in "Don Juan," he is wearing his shorter full face mask showing his neatly trimmed sideburns. This continues until he and Christine reach the top catwalk when the neatly trimmed sideburns have been replaced by pretend sideburns and rubber prosthetics necessary for the removal of the Phantom's mask. The prosthetics also shine differently in the stage lights whilst the Phantom is wearing them. Most obviously as he arrives at the top of the stairs of the catwalk.
Continuity mistake: Right before Christine pulls off the Phantom's mask for the second time, at the end of The Point of No Return, his wig has already moved up to the point where you can see his real hair underneath before Christine even touches him.
Deliberate mistake: When the Phantom throws his score for 'Don Juan Triumphant' down the stairs, the portfolio only reads 'Don Juan.' (01:23:20)
Visible crew/equipment: Right after Christine is shown on stage singing "Think of Me", the camera pans out to show the audience members. When it gets to the back of the room on the floor, you can see at least 5 dummies used as seat fillers. They look to be only torsos and heads sleeveless t-shirts on.
Continuity mistake: When the Phantom approaches Christine while singing "Only then can you belong to me" he places his hands on her face slowly moving them down her neck. When it cuts his hands are suddenly moving over her shoulders. His hands couldn't have moved that fast. (00:37:20)
Continuity mistake: When the new owners of the opera are being introduced, one dancing girl says to another while looking at the new owners, "They must be rich." You can see Christine and Meg in the background. However, when they introduce Raoul, you see Christine and Meg climbing the stair to get to the stage and the "They must be rich" girls coming up behind them. (00:09:40)
Continuity mistake: During All I Ask of You, Christine and Raoul are walking on the rooftop, and he even picks her up and swings her around. When the Phantom sings the reprise almost immediately afterward, there is a shot of him on the statue that shows the entire rooftop area, and his footprints in the snow are the only ones visible. This rooftop is a closed area and the only way in or out is the door and steps we see Raoul and Christine using. Furthermore, the Phantom was spying on the lovers by hiding behind a statue almost next to them, and it was not snowing nearly heavy enough to have completely covered up Raoul and Christine's footprints.
Audio problem: Several times during "Masquerade", starting with the very first shot of the chorus singing, the audio does not at all match their lip synchs. (01:18:10)
Other mistake: At the end of the movie we can see Christine's grave. The inscription on her tombstone is in English and she is even called "Countess de Chagny" instead of "Comtesse." But the entire story takes place in France, and all the other signs and posters besides this grave are in French. There is no reason whatsoever why the inscription should be in English instead of in French, especially considering that the closeness between the words countess and comtesse would make the title easily recognisable even by non-French speakers.
Continuity mistake: At the very beginning of the movie when Andre and Firmin first arrive in their coach in front of the opera house, you can see one footman (wearing red) running to meet them from some distance to escort them inside. The camera angle changes and now, that fotman turned into two, standing and even waiting at the coach. (00:05:55)
Audio problem: During Christine's lines in her first scene of the film, her lips don't match what she's saying. Her lines must be added during post-production.
Continuity mistake: When Christine reaches the centre of the stage during her first appearance in Don Juan Triumphant, her arms are at her sides and she holds the basket in her right hand. The next shot, she is holding the basket in front of her, with both hands. (01:48:40)
Continuity mistake: When the Phantom is singing and close-ups are done on his face, you can see his right eyebrow peeking out from under the mask. But we see later, when he is shown without his mask, that he has no eyebrow at all on that side as a result of his deformity.
Continuity mistake: After the the auction, the old Madame Giry bows her head at Raoul. In the following shot, we can see her reflection in Raoul's window, bowing her head once more. Furthermore, Raoul's car leaves before her head is back in the up position. (00:47:50)
Other mistake: While running to the rooftop, Christine always leads Raoul. She is the first to get up the stairs, and there's no room for him to pass her without her stopping her frantic pace (which she shows no sign of doing), yet somehow ends up only rushing out the door after Raoul does. (01:06:30)
Visible crew/equipment: Just before Raoul jumps down the hole after the Masquerade, Patrick Wilson is obviously replaced by a stuntman who's not even trying to hide his face. He is the same stuntman used for the Phantom in the graveyard swordfight. (01:25:35)
Continuity mistake: When old Raoul is watching the young couple outside the Swarovski shop his eye turns brown as we move back in time, but young Raoul's eyes are blue.
Answer: First, it is established in the movie that he is dependant on Madame Giry and it is presumed she does his shopping for him. As for learning skills, it is established he is a genius and one can assume he is very well read. Additionally, for single handed skills, like driving a carriage, he can possibly go out at night to learn them. As for his living conditions, the human body adapts well to continuous conditions, it is how the people in Siberia can tolerate lower temperatures better than those who live close to the equator. Lastly, one can easily assume he has other (warmer) clothes that he wears off camera.
OneHappyHusky
There is a character simply known as 'the Persian' He has known the Phantom his whole life and would have taught him horse driving. In the book, the Phantom has a life before the opera house where he would have learned fencing and torture. Also, the phantom knows all the secret passages. When it's cold he leaves his lair and lives someplace warmer.
You're totally right but also, in addition to your mention of The Persian, in the book it is he that is the Phantom's only "friend" or whatever but in the movie there is no Persian exactly but the two Characters Madam Giry and The Persian from The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston L. Are both combined as one, to be know as Madame Giry in the 2004 flim.
debbi.ee