Love of the Phantom
Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom Of The Opera is evergreen. You can get a long list of links related to this musical and its movie in Google. Topics include its songs, its characters, its special effects and so on. I watched the DVD of the movie three times last week. The story is simple but touching.
What can shock me in the movie is the last scene that Raoul found a piece of rose with Christine's engagement ring on the side of her grave when he sent the Phantom's monkey music box to her grave. This scene is additional to the original plot of its musical, while the musical ends with the Phantom's disappearance and his mask only. The musical's ending is typical comedy ending while the movie's ending highlights the true meaning of love.
In the ending of the musical version, Christine kissed the Phantom so that he released them because of accepting their solid love. This is well known as a happy ending of Raoul and Christine over the tragedy of the Phantom. This happy ending easily implied two views: First, the love between the Phantom and Christine was weaker or even not true. Secondly, the kiss was bestowed by Christine to the Phantom. Nothing would be worth to be discussed if the loves amongst them had only been such implications.
That of the movie version in contrast shows more about the relations amongst them. The ending is not only the extension of the musical's story, but also the discovery of their hearts along 47 years (The story began in 1870 and Christine died in 1917, according to the movie).
The monkey music box shows that Christine was not a material girl. Christine had not forgotten the Phantom till she died, although she had returned the ring to him and left from him with Raoul 47 years ago. The Phantom was still in her heart along the time. The Phantom had been her teacher, her father, her only companion and her Angel of Music. She had enjoyed his love and she loved him too. Being a warm-heart person, she could not forget him at all. The music box appeared when it was the first time she woke up on the Phantom's bed as well as when she did farewell to him. Both were critical times between her and her critical person.
The rose with the engagement ring shows the Phantom's understanding of her love. When Christine had been loving Raoul, he had thought that she had denied and betrayed him. He composed Don Juan Triumphant as he wanted her to appreciate him and obey him again. He eventually understood the love between her and himself after she kissed him. Whatever he looked like, Christine would still love him but would not follow him one love one lifetime. He later understood that he was her father instead of lover. Therefore he returned the engagement ring (whose original owner was Raoul) and sent her the rose (the gift of her performance appreciated by her teacher).
The change of Raoul's attitude further proves the above implications. This man spent 30 francs (1 old franc equal to 18.02g gold) to buy his competitor's music box to give it to his wife, even she had passed away. Was the explanation probably that he loved his wife so much that even he did not mind she had still missed the other man? Or in more reasonable way, it seems that he no longer thought the other man was the obstacle of the love between his couple. The Phantom was actually the man who had granted to Christine the new life. Because of him, Christine had got the excellent opera skill, kindness and courage of love. All of them were characters attracting Raoul. The conflict between Raoul and the Phantom was like a plot of Roman patricide. Unlike typical Roman plots, they were eventually reconciled by understanding. The time of 47 years was a good proof of the understanding.
The last scene of the movie shows great characters of human being, thanksgiving and forgiving, courage and diligence, understanding and respect. This ending reflects the real meaning of love, beyond legends of justice vs evil, human vs orc, true vs false. The true love is in peace.
Perhaps the truth has been told in the beginning:
What can shock me in the movie is the last scene that Raoul found a piece of rose with Christine's engagement ring on the side of her grave when he sent the Phantom's monkey music box to her grave. This scene is additional to the original plot of its musical, while the musical ends with the Phantom's disappearance and his mask only. The musical's ending is typical comedy ending while the movie's ending highlights the true meaning of love.
In the ending of the musical version, Christine kissed the Phantom so that he released them because of accepting their solid love. This is well known as a happy ending of Raoul and Christine over the tragedy of the Phantom. This happy ending easily implied two views: First, the love between the Phantom and Christine was weaker or even not true. Secondly, the kiss was bestowed by Christine to the Phantom. Nothing would be worth to be discussed if the loves amongst them had only been such implications.
That of the movie version in contrast shows more about the relations amongst them. The ending is not only the extension of the musical's story, but also the discovery of their hearts along 47 years (The story began in 1870 and Christine died in 1917, according to the movie).
The monkey music box shows that Christine was not a material girl. Christine had not forgotten the Phantom till she died, although she had returned the ring to him and left from him with Raoul 47 years ago. The Phantom was still in her heart along the time. The Phantom had been her teacher, her father, her only companion and her Angel of Music. She had enjoyed his love and she loved him too. Being a warm-heart person, she could not forget him at all. The music box appeared when it was the first time she woke up on the Phantom's bed as well as when she did farewell to him. Both were critical times between her and her critical person.
The rose with the engagement ring shows the Phantom's understanding of her love. When Christine had been loving Raoul, he had thought that she had denied and betrayed him. He composed Don Juan Triumphant as he wanted her to appreciate him and obey him again. He eventually understood the love between her and himself after she kissed him. Whatever he looked like, Christine would still love him but would not follow him one love one lifetime. He later understood that he was her father instead of lover. Therefore he returned the engagement ring (whose original owner was Raoul) and sent her the rose (the gift of her performance appreciated by her teacher).
The change of Raoul's attitude further proves the above implications. This man spent 30 francs (1 old franc equal to 18.02g gold) to buy his competitor's music box to give it to his wife, even she had passed away. Was the explanation probably that he loved his wife so much that even he did not mind she had still missed the other man? Or in more reasonable way, it seems that he no longer thought the other man was the obstacle of the love between his couple. The Phantom was actually the man who had granted to Christine the new life. Because of him, Christine had got the excellent opera skill, kindness and courage of love. All of them were characters attracting Raoul. The conflict between Raoul and the Phantom was like a plot of Roman patricide. Unlike typical Roman plots, they were eventually reconciled by understanding. The time of 47 years was a good proof of the understanding.
The last scene of the movie shows great characters of human being, thanksgiving and forgiving, courage and diligence, understanding and respect. This ending reflects the real meaning of love, beyond legends of justice vs evil, human vs orc, true vs false. The true love is in peace.
Perhaps the truth has been told in the beginning:
Flower fade, the fruit of summer fade.
They have the season so do we.
But please promise me
that sometimes, you will think of me!
They have the season so do we.
But please promise me
that sometimes, you will think of me!
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