Question: Who is the old lady at the auction with Raoul? I thought it was Madame Giry because that is what the announcer called her but the age doesn't make sense so I thought that it might be her daughter, Meg. Anyone have the answer?
Answer: It is Meg. If she didn't marry then she would have kept her maiden name of Giry. Mme Giry was about 20 years older than Raoul so that would have made her in her 90's.
Question: When the Count rides in, what does he leave sitting on the seat in the carriage?
Answer: It is the family crest.
Question: Why do they sometimes put "La" in front of Carlotta's name? I'm sure it's something to do with the Italian/Spanish language but I took the class a long time ago.
Answer: It is a common practice to refer to an operatic diva as La
Question: Where can I find some hand held fans like the ones used in Masquerade? I'm pretty sure they don't sell them in regular department stores, like Wal-Mart or something, but I can't think of where to look.
Answer: They have them at Party City. Try other party goods stores or costume shops.
Question: During "The Phantom of The Opera", when the Phantom takes Christine to his lair using the mirror passageway to his lair, it was well lit up with candles but when Meg discovers the passageway, it is dark and filled with rats. Were the candlabras just in Christine's imagination or were they real?
Answer: Almost assuredly real. The candelabras were in the Phantom's control to make appear or disappear. He brought them forward to light their entrance into the lair. However, it was generally in his best interests to keep the passageway dark and shadowy. The rats were always there, regardless. But, as rats are won't to do, scurried away from light and human movement.
Question: I know that Minnie Driver's vocals were dubbed for the singing roles by a true opera singer, but were her speaking roles dubbed as well? Did she lip-sync her entire script?
Answer: Margaret Preece provided the "Singing Voice of Carlotta" only (as listed in the closing credits). Minnie Driver provided all remaining aspects of her performance herself as documented in numerous interviews both live and in print media.
Question: I've always been bothered by the pronunciation of Raoul's name. Based on the spelling, I would have thought that it would be pronounced "Ra-ool", but for the most part in the movie, it's pronounced "Ral" (like 'Ralph' without the 'ph'). Which way is correct?
Answer: It all depends on the native language and dialectual region of the person with the name. In Spanish, the name would be RA ool, but in other regions, it's rowl, ral, and other things. As another example, Ralph is pronounce rAfe in many regions.
Question: How come they cut an entire verse from the song "the Phantom of the Opera"?
Answer: You'll have to ask Joel Schumacher on that one but basically it's just a matter of making the movie work. There were a number of changes when the musical was adapted to the screen. For example, the falling chandelier occurred just before the end of Act 1 in the musical, but was left until the end in the movie.
Answer: Emy Rossum had difficulty hitting the E6 at the end of the original song. By removing the final verse, they avoided a key change, which enabled Emmy to sing the final note as a C6, instead. It was mainly just a matter of making the song suitable for the cast to sing.
Answer: Incorrect. Beginning in the late 90's it was kinda just the thing to do. Current stage versions also cut out that verse.
Question: Why did Madame Giry silently watch the Phantom lock Christine's dressing room door?
Answer: Giry had known the Phantom since they were children, knew what his life was like then, and she has great pity for him (and great admiration, as a lover of the arts herself.) She deliberately distances herself from his wrong doings until Raul convinces her to speak up. She also understood the Phantom didn't intend to harm Christine.
Question: Why does Christine unmask the phantom twice in the movie? First unmasking: During first Christine's first time in Phantom's lair. Second unmasking, in front of everybody, after the phantom shows up on stage and sings with her.
Question: Why does Christine unmask the phantom at the end of singing "Past the Point of No Return"?
Question: I really liked the deleted song, "No One Would Listen". Is it available on any versions of the movie soundtrack? The one I've got only includes "Learn to be Lonely".
Answer: There are currently two versions of the movie soundtrack in English. A one disc version contains the primary songs from the movie and a two-disc version that includes a complete production, including dialog. Neither contains (sadly) the song, "No One Would Listen." But Learn to be Lonely is simply a different version of No one Would Listen in which Minnie Driver (Carlotta) sings.
Answer: Not everyone runs in big strides. The phantom has also had most of his life to master climbing, sneaking, hiding, etc. To see and take what he wants from the theatre without being seen, in his youth he had little to do except explore and learn everything about the place and the fastest ways to get where he wants to go.
Purple_Girl