Phantom Mini-Series On Location Shoot
Background
In 1990, a television mini-series of the Phantom of the Opera story was aired to millions. It was nominated for two Golden Globe awards and won two out of five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Hair styling and Outstanding Art Direction in a Series or Special. Reviews gave it good credit and seemed especially to adore actor Charles Dance's portrayal of the Phantom. This is the only version of the Phantom story to have been filmed on location in Paris, giving it an interesting place over the other recorded (or filmed) adaptations.
Originally written as a musical, Maury Yeston and Aurthor Kopit were approached by Geoffery Holder to put Gaston Leroux's novel to music in the United States. They obtained the rights to the novel from the Leroux estate, being the only Phantom of the Opera musical to do so. While working on the project intended for Broadway, trouble hit when Andrew Lloyd Webber announced his new project in the Phantom story. Breaking through as a smash hit in 1986 in the West End, the investors of the project backed out and Yeston, Kopit and Holder parted ways. After an audience with Lloyd Webber's show, Kopit realized their version was fundamentally different than his and concluded that their original plan would survive to the musical audiences. It was in 1990 when the story was sold to NBC and televised in a four hour, two-part series with the hopes that it would catch on. It was in 1991 that the originally intended musical was featured under the title Phantom.
Originally written as a musical, Maury Yeston and Aurthor Kopit were approached by Geoffery Holder to put Gaston Leroux's novel to music in the United States. They obtained the rights to the novel from the Leroux estate, being the only Phantom of the Opera musical to do so. While working on the project intended for Broadway, trouble hit when Andrew Lloyd Webber announced his new project in the Phantom story. Breaking through as a smash hit in 1986 in the West End, the investors of the project backed out and Yeston, Kopit and Holder parted ways. After an audience with Lloyd Webber's show, Kopit realized their version was fundamentally different than his and concluded that their original plan would survive to the musical audiences. It was in 1990 when the story was sold to NBC and televised in a four hour, two-part series with the hopes that it would catch on. It was in 1991 that the originally intended musical was featured under the title Phantom.
A Dance in Paris
Part of the charm in Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera is that the Garnier Opera itself serves as a character in the housing of these events and people involved. While Yeston and Kopit's Phantom gives more background to the Phantom himself (Eric), this mini series actually shows the beautiful Opera which the original novel is so wonderfully set. Though some portions of the setting is incorrect, it gives the appearance of the beauty around them, contradicting with the darkness which is beneath the surface in Eric's domain. Here is a section where you can tour the inside of the Opera de Paris through the lens of the Yeston and Kopit mini-series starring Charles Dance.
Photos are coupled with screenshots from the DVD and are in order of their respected scenes in the video. Photos of the Opera itself were taken by myself unless otherwise stated under their caption.
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Photos are coupled with screenshots from the DVD and are in order of their respected scenes in the video. Photos of the Opera itself were taken by myself unless otherwise stated under their caption.
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Opening Sequence
This scene roles during the opening credits of the mini-series. It gives a beautiful perspective of what the outside of the Garnier Opera looks like. It mainly focuses on the front portions of the building, following in Christine's path toward the Rue Scribe side near the Rotunda. For perspective, I will refer to to building's locations either by street names for the outside (Rue Scribe being on the left side of the building and Rue Auber being on the right) and on the inside, I will refer to space in North, South, East and West, all in the perspective of looking down on the Opera, North being the back of the building and South being the front.
The faces of great composers line the outside of the entire building. The center photo was taken from inside of the Salon du Glacier while the far right shows the outside looking up from the east side of the building.
You may notice that the screenshot photos show the Opera to look dirtier than those in the photos which I took. That is probably because it was dirtier. The entire building underwent massive cleaning for a span of years and was not complete until 2001. Well after the filming of this mini-series.
The front entrance to the Opera. This hall stretched across the front facade of the building and lies behind the guarding goddess statues as pictured on the right. This passage is presently locked behind gates, but you are still able to step onto the top platform and peak inside this area where Christine walks during the opening sequence.
The bust of Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris Opera rests above a diagram of the building. While the shot in the filmed mini-series doesn't show more than the bottom of the statue, patrons to the Opera saw Charles' head whenever they entered through their designated entrance, since it was settled just outside of the rotunda entrance on the Rue Scribe side.
New Management
This section of the DVD is based off of the change in management from Gerard Carrier to Choleti.
The rights to the Opera are passed along from Gerard Carrier to Choleti. What's more interesting is that this scene takes place on the greatest focal point of the Opera's interior: on the top of the Grand Staircase. There are many talks during the movie in this general area, and while it may not always be symbolic, it is always lovely to look at. For perspective, the photo to the far right shows the view from the spot Carrier and Choleti are standing. Not too shabby...
Carlotta tells Buquet that she wants to send him down to the cellars to see all that she is inheriting. These small staircases are all around the Opera and the center photo shows an example of one. A decorative vase was obviously added in the filming. The far right photo shows one of the areas that these staircases lead to. This is the cross between the auditorium and the Grand Staircase, but this scene may have been set anywhere in the areas off limits to regular visitors.
Inside of the lobby for subscribers. This is where Carrier tries to convince Choleti that the Opera is haunted, as well as an entry to the underground behind a moving wall. Decorated a bit differently, I'm unsure if the Opera has simply changed over the past 20 years since the filming or if the props were set by the filming team. Regardless, the Opera itself lacks the lovely Eygyptian statue. And yes, there are foreign subtitles on the screencap. A few images will have that because they are used throughout the movie.
Christine wanders out to the stage late one night and comes across this sight. Unfortunately for her, it's not the real sights of the Garnier Opera's stage. The screenshots show a different auditorium than that of the Paris Opera. The center image shows a close up of the details in the molding around the seats at the Garnier, when the image on the right is an image borrowed to show the same view for comparison.
Here we see the manager Choleti discussing the notes sent to his office by the Phantom with Inspector LeDeux. They are walking on one of the upper tiers of the Grand Escalier. In the center photo, you can see the view which they would see if they were to look out to their right. The photo on the right shows one of the balconies which look over the staircase, These are nice little places to stop and were particularly ideal to those who wished to stop and watch who was walking up the staircase.
I wanted to dismiss this brief moment, only because I've already gone over the entrance to the Opera as well as the Grand Escalier. But I love this shot in the series because it shows not only the entrance, but the importance of the Grand Staircase. You can see it through the front doors, with the two goddesses guarding the entrance to the auditorium. It's just a pretty picture. Center photo shows the entrance room and just up those stairs is the Grand Escalier. The photo on the right are the doors which the patrons are entering from.