Phantom of the Opera parents guide

Phantom of the Opera Parent Guide

Overall A-

The movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's billion-dollar stage play follows a mysterious ghostly form (Gerald Butler) that haunts a Paris opera house and secretly mentors a beautiful young soprano (Emmy Rossum). But his jealous side is revealed when his protegee falls in love with the theater's patron Raoul (Patrick Wilson).

Release date December 21, 2004

Violence C+
Sexual Content C
Profanity B+
Substance Use C+

Why is Phantom of the Opera rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Phantom of the Opera PG-13 for brief violent images.

Parent Movie Review

After playing in 100 cities and bringing in over 3 billion dollars in box office receipts, The Phantom of the Opera is now targeting movie ticket sales. Adapting his musical for the camera, Andrew Lloyd Webber along with Director Joel Schumacher have created a film version of the world’s largest-grossing stage production.

Bringing in a new cast for the movie, The Phantom of the Opera stars Gerald Butler as the ghostly form who haunts the Paris Opera House. He slips unnoticed through the musty passages and dank corridors where he lives beneath the stage, bullying the cast and crew of the production house by demanding money and threatening harm to those who contradict him.

Then the disfigured recluse notices a young orphan named Christine (Emmy Rossum) who has been brought in to study with the chorus by ballet mistress, Madame Giry (Miranda Richardson). Charmed by the girl’s beauty and voice, he secretly becomes her musical mentor.

His chance to showcase his protegee comes when the opera’s attention-seeker lead soprano Carlotta (Minnie Driver) storms off of the stage during one of her frequent tantrums. Stepping up to the spotlight, Christine enchants the other performers as well as the paying customers. But none are so mesmerized as Raoul (Patrick Wilson), the theater’s patron and a childhood companion of Christine’s.

Reunited, the two friends are soon madly in love. But their romance only infuriates the increasingly possessive Phantom. Driven by jealousy, he kidnaps Christine and drags her down into his dark lodgings in the sewers. There she is forced to make a terrible decision.

Parents who haven’t had the chance or inclination to take their children to the opera may find this musical experience a good way to introduce their family to the art form. The well-known songs of the stage production act as the script for this finely executed performance that is sure to capture the attention of many older children.

A brief “mooning” incident by one of the actors, backstage drinking and several acts of violence by the Phantom (including a strangulation and hanging) are the most serious content concerns families will want to consider.

Set in the rollicking heyday of the French opera house, the tragic tale of the talented but tormented loner unfolds through grayed depictions of the present and brilliant full-color memories of the past. While happiness seems eternally out of reach for the Phantom, this celluloid adaptation at least makes his story more accessible to those of us living off Broadway.

Starring Emmy Rossum, Gerald Butler, Patrick Wilson. Theatrical release December 21, 2004. Updated

Phantom of the Opera Parents' Guide

Why is the Phantom a tragic figure? Do his life experiences make him destined to be one? Who shows compassion to him and how?

The Phantom is a brilliant composer and musical mentor. How does his disfigurement hamper him from using his talents? Is his physical deformity the only handicap that challenges him?

What does Christine learn about love? How do emotions like jealousy, possessiveness and control factor into real feelings of affection?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Phantom of the Opera movie is May 2, 2005. Here are some details…

Release Date: May 3, 2005
If you are a real Andrew Lloyd Webber fan, you will likely want to invest in The Phantom of the Opera: 2 Disc Special Edition, as opposed to the single disc version. For your extra dollars you’ll receive the documentary Behind the Mask: The Story of the Phantom of the Opera, three Making-of featurettes about pre-production, the director, and the production, the theatrical trailer as well as an additional scene No One Would Listen. This DVD release provides subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, with audio tracks in English (Dolby Digital 5.1) and French (Dolby Digital 5.1).

DVD Release Date: 18 April 2006 (HD DVD)

If you are a real Andrew Lloyd Webber fan and have discerning tastes, you’ll be delighted with this latest DVD re-releases, which offers 1080 pixel High Definition video (in a 16x9 aspect ratio) and enhanced audio (Dolby True-HD English 5.1, Dolby Digital-Plus English 5.1 and Dolby Digital-Plus French 5.1). Along with the bonus extras included in The Phantom of the Opera: 2 Disc Special Edition (which are Behind the Mask: The Story of the Phantom of the Opera, three Making-of featurettes about pre-production, the director, and the production, the theatrical trailer as well as an additional scene No One Would Listen), the new release also provides a Cast and Crew Sing-a-long and the theatrical trailer. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, and French.

Related home video titles:

Telling the Biblical story of Joseph in Egypt, Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat is the video release of another Andrew Lloyd Webber musical stage production. In The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a disfigured and rejected bell ringer also falls in love with a fair lady who has given her heart to someone else.