The Phantom

Starring:Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams, Catherine Zeta-Jones, James Remar, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Bill Smitrovich, Casey Siemaszko, David Proval, Joseph Ragno, Samantha Eggar, Jon Tenney, Patrick McGoohan, Robert Coleby, Al Ruscio, Leon Russom, Bernard Kates, John Capodice, Bo Kane, William Jones
Director: Simon Wincer
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

"I have a bad feeling about this," says the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace as he steps off a spaceship and into the most anticipated cinematic event... well, ever. He might as well be speaking for the legions of fans of the original episodes in the Star Wars saga who can't help but secretly ask themselves: Sure, this is Star Wars, but is it my Star Wars? The original elevated moviegoers' expectations so high that it would have been impossible for any subsequent film to meet them. And as with all the Star Wars movies, The Phantom Menace features inexplicable plot twists, a fistful of loose threads, and some cheek-chewing dialogue. Han Solo's swagger is sorely missed, as is the pervading menace of heavy-breather Darth Vader. There is still way too much quasi-mystical mumbo jumbo, and some of what was fresh about Star Wars 22 years earlier feels formulaic. Yet there's much to admire. The special effects are stupendous; three worlds are populated with a mélange of creatures, flora, and horizons rendered in absolute detail. The action and battle scenes are breathtaking in their complexity. And one particular sequence of the film--the adrenaline-infused pod race through the Tatooine desert--makes the chariot race in Ben-Hur look like a Sunday stroll through the park.

Among the host of new characters, there are a few familiar walk-ons. We witness the first meeting between R2-D2 and C-3PO, Jabba the Hutt looks younger and slimmer (but not young and slim), and Yoda is as crabby as ever. Natalie Portman's stately Queen Amidala sports hairdos that make Princess Leia look dowdy and wields a mean laser. We never bond with Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Obi-Wan's day is yet to come. Jar Jar Binks, a cross between a Muppet, a frog, and a hippie, provides many of the movie's lighter moments, while Sith Lord Darth Maul is a formidable force. Baby-faced Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) looks too young and innocent to command the powers of the Force or wield a lightsaber (much less transmute into the future Darth Vader), but his boyish exuberance wins over skeptics.

Near the end of the movie, Palpatine, the new leader of the Republic, may be speaking for fans eagerly awaiting Episode II when he pats young Anakin on the head and says, "We will watch your career with great interest." Indeed! --Tod Nelson

Description

Feature-Length Audio Commentary
The creators of Episode I give you insight into the film like no one else can. Hear from: writer/director George Lucas, Producer Rick McCallum, sound designer and film co-editor Ben Burtt, ILM animation director Rob Coleman and ILM visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires.

"The Beginning"
Making Episode I Documentary Film
Culled from over 600 hours of behind-the-scenes footage, this all-new hour-long documentary film takes you inside Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic during the making of The Phantom Menace. Sit in on the film's production process including: pre-production, casting, principal photography, editing, rough-cut reviews, visual effects meetings and other events that few people have had access to before.

Exclusive Deleted Scenes and Documentary
All-new documentary featuring George Lucas, Rick McCallum and guests discussing the painstaking process every director must go through in determining what scenes make the final cut. View seven exclusive deleted sequences that were created specifically for this DVD and learn why they were eliminated from the final version of the film.

Multi-Angle Animatics
Discover the amazing techniques used to create two memorable sequences (Submarine and Podrace Lap 1) from storyboards to animatics to final composites.

Featurettes
Five mini-documentaries give you an insider's look at The Phantom Menace's Storyline, Design, Costumes, Visual Effects and Fight sequences through behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and filmmakers.

Web Documentaries
Originally released on starwars.com during the production of Episode I, this award-winning twelve-part web documentary series gives you a fly-on-the-wall perspective into the making of the film as it was happening.

Exclusive Production Photo Gallery
Scroll through a never-before-seen gallery of candid cast and crew shots, each with captions.

"Duel of the Fates" Music Video
One of the most popular music videos during its release in May 1999, the "Duel of the Fates" video intertwines live footage of John Williams conducting the London Symphony Orchestra with behind-the-scenes clips and dramatic footage featured in Episode I.

Posters and Print Campaign
Examine the Episode I theatrical posters (Teaser and Launch) and the International Outdoor advertising used to support the release of Episode I around the world.

Trailers and TV Spots
Watch the theatrical teaser and launch trailers, plus seven TV spots (including the five original "Tone Poems" along with "The Saga Begins" and "All Over Again").

"Star Wars: Starfighter-The Making of a Game" from LucasArts
This featurette offers insight into the making of the popular flight action combat game along with information on other Star Wars games from LucasArts.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Content
Your Episode I DVD is a key that unlocks exclusive Star Wars content only available through a special DVD-ROM website.

Customer Reviews:

"I'm a person. And my name is Anakin.".......2007-06-22

STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE would have had to have been beyond perfect to survive the almost twenty years of fan anticipation and the avalanche of hype it was met with. When released in 1999, reactions to THE PHANTOM MENACE were very mixed. Disappointed (even embittered) fans claimed that George Lucas had created THE PHANTOM MENACE merely to cash in on the STAR WARS franchise---as if he needed to "cash in" on what had already become a multibillion dollar enterprise. As a result, the whole "prequel" trilogy got a bad reputation, none worse than this film.

Revisiting it years later, after all the shouting has died down, THE PHANTOM MENACE seems far better than it did upon its release. It doesn't measure up to any of the films of the original trilogy. It may in fact be the weakest film of the sextet. THE PHANTOM MENACE suffers from the same mistaken approach that George Lucas has adopted toward his "improved" versions of the original films. THE PHANTOM MENACE has most of the same shortcomings, particularly the (very common) sci-fi bugaboo of using a film to showcase special effects. Lucas gave us a truly Shakespearean tale in the first trilogy, and incidentally set it "a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." The spaceships, the ray guns, and the alien life forms propelled the story, but they were NOT the story.

Lucas wants to show us all kinds of new, colorful, and beautiful visions in THE PHANTOM MENACE, and he does, but at great expense to the storyline, which meanders all the way from Point A to Point A Prime in this installment.

There's even greater expense to the characterizations. We could relate to Luke, Leia, Han, See Threepio and Artoo Detoo in the first trilogy because they were like us in so many ways. Han Solo especially served to ground the STAR WARS universe in familiarity. Han's "scoundrel" energy was very central to the success of the original movies.

There isn't a lovable scoundrel in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Lucas does give us some truly interesting new characters, but they're alien (both literally and figuratively) and we hardly get to know them.

The young Queen of Naboo, Padme Amidala (played by Natalie Portman, one of the beautiful new visions in this film) is oft-times regally remote, and somewhat mysterious. Her lookalike decoy is played by Keira Knightley (another beautiful new vision), and it is truly difficult to tell them apart at times.

Although Portman's Amidala shows herself to be clearly a warm, open, and sympathetic character, by the end of THE PHANTOM MENACE we know much less about her than we do about her cinematic daughter, Princess Leia, in A NEW HOPE.

Young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) is a slave-child on Tatooine. An inventor and a gifted pilot even at the age of eight, he is so bright-eyed and kindhearted ("Someday, I'll come back here and free all the slaves") that it is difficult to reconcile this gentle little boy who cries for his mother with the horrific Darth Vader he eventually becomes.

The Jedi Council initially refuses to allow Anakin to be trained as a Jedi ("There is much fear in you, young one," says Yoda). We never really see his fear or feel it. Nor do we get much more than a glimmer of the rage and anger he must feel as a slave. Watto, his owner, is a straw boater wearing, comical-looking flying bumblebee/vulture who speaks with a vaudeville Italian accent. Simon Legree should not be doing stand-up. By making Watto a figure of fun, Lucas fails to either underscore the weaknesses of the Galactic Republic, or presage its descent into darkness.

Essentially, we have only the criticisms of the Jedi Masters to go on in consigning young Anakin to the Minus Column. It just isn't enough, especially when he wins the high stakes podrace that is the main act of the story (the stakes being his own freedom), and is eventually responsible for firing the well-placed shot that defeats the enemy in battle (like his cinematic son, Luke).

The oddly mismatched love between the prepubescent Anakin and the much older teenaged Padme comes out of nowhere, with hardly a forethought (Anakin's shy question to the girl at their first meeting---"Are you an angel?"---is the only indicator of what later blossoms).

Likewise, Lucas utterly wastes two of his most intriguing characters, the iconoclastic Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and the truly satanic Darth Maul. Qui-Gon is wise. Qui-Gon is skilled. Qui-Gon should have been Obi-Wan's Obi-Wan and Anakin's ally. But although Qui-Gon is instrumental in freeing Anakin from bondage, he never develops a truly affectionate (Obi-Wan and Luke-type) relationship with the boy, seeming more interested in him as raw material for Jedi training.

The silent Darth Maul, (the evil lord of shopping centers) with his horned black-and-red face, twin-ended lightsaber, glowing sulfur-yellow eyes, kendo-style fighting technique, and flowing black robes is potentially a figure as memorable and frightening as Darth Vader, but both he and Qui-Gon die in battling one another; and so a fascinating second trilogy dynamic between good and evil dies with them.

Added to these missed opportunities are odd inconsistencies between THE PHANTOM MENACE and the original trilogy. See Threepio turns out to have been built by Anakin on Tatooine, but then why didn't the droid recognize Tatooine or the name "Skywalker" in A NEW HOPE? Although Ben Kenobi claims to have been trained by Yoda in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, he is clearly Qui-Gon's student in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Tatooine is ruled by the Hutts in this film, but not in the original trilogy. Although Anakin's mother references Tatooine's twin suns, they're never seen together in the sky.

Clearly, Lucas couldn't have reworked the original films after 20 years to fit all these elements in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Their inclusion here is a sign of his hubris. Why not just be true to the original? Clearly, his desire to make these changes overrode any considerations of film continuity and audience expectations. George Lucas isn't really trying to give us a better cinematic experience here, he's just totally into playing with his favorite toys. It's a form of selfishness.

Possibly the worst of Lucas's new ideas is the Social Darwinist/Nazi race theory concept of a high "midichlorian" count giving rise to greater Force sensitivity. Anakin has a mythic virgin birth due to the midichlorians, a bad twist to the tale when one considers that Lucas could have underscored the horrors of slavery by having Anakin fathered by a freeborn man who exploited Shmi Skywalker's position as a slave. Here, once again, the film fails to foreshadow the lawlessness and unethical evils of the rising Galactic Empire.

STAR WARS isn't sociology, but it's insistence on touching universal themes is what made it so wildly successful. The first trilogy was constructed entirely upon the foundation of our shared collective subconscious. Lucas loses that thread in this film.

The inclusion of the midichlorian factor means that the Jedi are no longer a highly-trained spiritual fraternity. They've become racially superior to the rest of us. If ever he re-edits THE PHANTOM MENACE, the midichlorians must end up on the cutting room floor. Sorry, but as ideas go, this one just stinks.

And speaking of stinks, Lucas also brought us the ridiculous Jar-Jar Binks and his race of Rastafari amphibians, the Gungans (Ganja, anyone?). Jar-Jar Binks is a technically interesting additional character, being primarily a CGI character; but he adds nothing (and detracts much) from the film with his distracting brainless chatter, clumsiness, and utter stupidity. If Lucas thought that this duckbilled dunce would provide comic relief, he was wrong. See Threepio and Artoo Detoo serve that purpose in the first trilogy and should have continued to do so in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Jar-Jar merely irritates the viewer, particularly given that he appears throughout the film, not just in a few scenes. He's merely filler. As filler, he's a sign that Lucas wasn't imaginative enough to use THE PHANTOM MENACE's screen time to its best advantage by progressing the storyline.

Binks may be the only character ever that inspired a website advocating his destruction, the aptly-named www.Jarjarbinksmustdie.com. What was George Lucas thinking when he gave us the jarring Jar-Jar?

THE PHANTOM MENANCE is uneven and inconsistent and suffers from some poor scriptwriting and too many missed opportunities. These reduce the film, but do not ruin it. Despite its weaknesses and flaws, THE PHANTOM MENACE is a solid THREE STAR effort. It is essential to the telling of the tale, and leaves us considering what's next?

In that regard, THE PHANTOM MENACE is as successful as any film can be. It finally gives us the entertaining and engaging introduction to that long time ago and far away galaxy we've come to know and love.

hmmm...give my baby nephew this i will (smiles).......2007-06-21

yeah its was ok but definetly for the younger kids. i guess it goes along with the theme of Aniken Skywalker is also a kid. the next 2 are much better. there's just too much comic relief in this one for an adult.

I've discovered something revolutionary!.......2007-06-13

Hey, folks! I don't know about you, but I've realized something extraordinary! Yoda is a HERETIC! How is this possible, you may ask? Well, here's how. You see, in this highly-anticipated prequel, Quack-Gonn Jinn explains the force to Anakin Snobbwalker. He explains how the force is really just a bunch of microorganisms (similar to sweat) that live in your cells and boss you around. However, in Episode V, Yoda (who in Episode I looks like a monkey) claims that the force is something that surrounds every living thing (something like that). If Yoda is a heretic, that means he's bad. If he's bad, then why do you see him with the good jedi at the end of Episode VI? Meeesa have bad feelzing about this. Can you guess who meeesa is? Youssa right! Issa meeesa, I'mgonnahityouovertheheadwithajellyjar-jar-Bonks.

I am Qui-Gonn Jinn. I am a stone-faced, mature Jedi Master, yet I enjoy the presence of my friend Jar-Jar-Binks more than my audience.

Jar-Jar - Exqueese me! You saved my life! Meeesa your servant for life!

Qui-Gonn - Yes, Jar-Jar. If I were in my right mind, I would slash you with my lightsaber until I could see the individual atoms that you're made of. However, I'm never in my right mind, so I will bear with your company. What's more, I'll even take you with me, so that everyone aboard my ship will lose their minds when you crack fart jokes every five seconds.

Obi-Wan finally meets Jar-Jar. He would also slash him to pieces; however, that would mean he'd lose Jedi points, because destroying an unarmed creature is against the jedi rule. It's bad enough that Padme likes snobby, most-horrible-actor-in-the-world Anakin, but she likes Bonks. How is that possible? I think Jar-Jar is a Sith! How else could anyone like him, than by using Jedi mind tricks? How else could he not die, when thousands of battle droids are around him and none hear his ridiculous screams?

Finally, we see the villain of the movie! Darth Maul, who is not in it at all! What does he do in the movie? Except for some incredibly awesome lightsaber moves, he rolls his eyes! Probably an addiction he developed when going through the movie's storyline with Lucas.

Who is the hero of the movie?

JOHN WILLIAMS!!!!!!!

Star Wars I.......2007-06-12

I think George Lucas has a wonderful imagination and not afraid to apply that imagination on screen. However, I find it hard to believe a boy that young (Anakin) could manuver a craft like that or for that matter, build one. None the less, I loved it and will watch it over again.

Rita

The best of the new.......2007-06-11

Of the 3 new episodes, this is by far the best one. It has a captivating storyline and never ceases to amaze with the fantastic CGI special effects at every angle. Many die-hard SW fans do not approve of all the CGI, but I believe that feeling goes hand in hand with the fact that they were around when the first SW came out, and that film was "theirs" so to speak and can never be duplicated. Something so magnificent as SW in 1977 must've captivated the mind and created such a frenzy that many opinions will be biased some 30 years later. I was not born yet when the first ones came out, but I'm a fan of all 6 and didn't really understand the SW buzz until I was able to watch the first 3 (newer ones) in succession followed by Episodes IV, V, and VI. Many fans have seen it the other way around, but I find the SW saga to still be enjoyable if you watch them in numerical order.

Of course, as a young buck myself, I will gladly say that Episodes I-III are great. A true treat to eye and a gem in fantasy/sci-fi land if you're in to that type of genre. Lucas could've not created anything better in my eyes. As I stated earlier, many old-school fans don't appreciate the new ones and that's completely understandable. For me and my generation, my Star Wars films were The Lord of the Rings trilogies. For me, I will go to my grave saying that LOTR was and is the best film of the genre. Hopefully they will make more as Tolkien wrote a lot, but I will not appreciate them as much as LOTR. That's just the way it is I guess.

The Phantom of the Opera (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

amazing
Visually stunning but could have been much better
Captivating movie
Nice adaptation BUT some poor performances
Magical Enchantment!!!

The Phantom of the Opera (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Gerard Butler , Emmy Rossum , Patrick Wilson , Miranda Richardson , and Minnie Driver
Director: Joel Schumacher
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Phantom of the Opera (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
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Although it's not as bold as Oscar darling Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera continues the resuscitation of the movie musical with a faithful adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster stage musical. Emmy Rossum glows in a breakout role as opera ingénue Christine Daae, and if phantom Gerard Butler isn't Rossum's match vocally, he does convey menace and sensuality in such numbers as "The Music of the Night." The most experienced musical theater veteran in the cast, romantic lead Patrick Wilson, sings sweetly but seems wooden. The biggest name in the cast, Minnie Driver, hams it up as diva Carlotta, and she's the only principal whose voice was dubbed (though she does sing the closing-credit number, "Learn to Be Lonely," which is also the only new song).

Director Joel Schumacher, no stranger to visual spectacle, seems to have found a good match in Lloyd Webber's larger-than-life vision of Gaston LeRoux's Gothic horror-romance. His weakness is cuing too many audience-reaction shots and showing too much of the lurking Phantom, but when he calms down and lets Rossum sings "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" alone in a silent graveyard, it's exquisite.

Read our CD buying guide
Those who consider the stage musical shallow and overblown probably won't have their minds changed by the movie, and devotees will forever rue that the movie took the better part of two decades to develop, which prevented the casting of original principals Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Still, The Phantom of the Opera is a welcome exception to the long line of ill-conceived Broadway-to-movie travesties.

DVD Features
The special edition of The Phantom of the Opera has two major extras. "Behind the Mask: The Story of The Phantom of the Opera" is an hourlong documentary tracing the genesis of the stage show, with interviews of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Harold Prince, producer Cameron Macintosh, lyricists Richard Stilgoe and Charles Hart, choreographer Gillian Lynne, and others. Conspicuously absent are stars Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. Both do appear in video clips, including Brightman performing with Colm Wilkinson at an early workshop, and Crawford is the subject of a casting segment. Other brief scenes from the show are represented by a 2001 production. The other major feature is the 45-minute making-of focusing on the movie, including casting and the selection of director Joel Schumacher Both are well-done productions by Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group.

The deleted scene is a new song written by Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, "No One Would Listen," sung by the Phantom toward the end of the movie. It's a beautiful song that, along with Madame Giry's story, makes him a more sympathetic character. But because that bit of backstory already slowed down the ending, it was probably a good move to cut the song. --David Horiuchi

More on The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera (Special Extended Edition Soundtrack) (CD)
The Phantom of the Opera (2004 Movie Soundtrack) (CD)
The Phantom of the Opera (Original 1986 London Cast) (CD)

Evita (DVD)
Andrew Lloyd Weber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration (DVD)
More Broadway DVDs

Description

Musical Drama based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's celebrated musical phenomenon. The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a disfigured musical genius (Gerard Butler) who haunts the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera, waging a reign of terror over its occupants. When he falls fatally in love with the lovely Christine (Emmy Rossum), the Phantom devotes himself to creating a new star for the Opera, exerting a strange sense of control over the young soprano as he nurtures her extraordinary talents.

DVD Features:
Additional Scenes:"No-one Would Listen" Approx. 4 Mins.
DVD ROM Features
Documentary:Behind the Mask - The Story of the Phantom of the Opera
Easter Eggs
Featurette:The Making of The Phantom of the Opera in 3 Spellbinding Acts: Preproduction, The Director, Production

Customer Reviews:

amazing.......2007-06-30

This set is amazing! The only thing I wish that was different is that you could get all the non song parts too. Other than that, the songs are wonderful, the music is amazing, and I've learned all the words!

Visually stunning but could have been much better.......2007-06-30

Although I have never seen the stage production, I do own a soundtrack of the original cast. I must say this pales in comparison. The two largest problems with this is that Emmy Rossum can sing but not act and Gerard Butler can act but not sing. Hardly a recipe for something wonderful. Rossum goes through the movie with two expressions, open-mouthed horror and open-mouthed awe. Butler, while he can keep pitch, does nothing close to justice to the incredible songs he has to sing. The actor of Raoul was fairly disappointing as well, not being what one would imagine a young dashing hero to be. The scene of him arriving on a white horse was especially cliched. It didn't help that the fight that follows was pretty unexciting.
That being said, it is a gorgeous looking movie. The sets and costumes are incredible and actually seeing what is happening does clarify some things on the soundtrack. I was let down by the masquerade ball however. Having everyone in black and white didn't make any sense, especially in contrast to the lyric's description of the ball itself. The Phantom in red could still have been stunning without the rest of the costumes being so drab.
All in all I was disappointed. They certainly could have picked better actors/singers to play the leads.

Captivating movie.......2007-06-28

Talk about total obsession, I bought this a year ago and held on to it until I saw the play the other nite, I have to say this is a well made movie, Gerard Butler as the Phantom was absolutely the man for the movie, I cant imagine anybody else playing his part, I saw the clips from the original with Sarah and there's no comparison, Gerard was so powerful as an actor, the way he portrayed the part especially when he was trying to seduce Emmy,sooooooooo sexy, anyway, I give this movie a 5 star.

Nice adaptation BUT some poor performances.......2007-06-23

PROS: For those of you that love the play, this is a great way to enjoy it from home. Emmy Rossum provides a great performance as a very credible Christine Daae.

CONS: It's hard to believe that there was no one better than Gerard Butler to play the Phantom. He just can't sing to save his life. Raoul is also very regrettable.

Magical Enchantment!!!.......2007-06-20

I borrowed a copy "The Phantom of the Opera" (Widescreen Edition)May 3, 2005, 141 minutes Disc-One Set from a Friend and just finished viewing the DVD Tonight!!!! You will want to get the Special Edition, May 3, 2005, Two-Disc Set if you want to view the Special Features which includes Two Major Extras. "Behind the Mask: The Story of The Phantom of the Opera" is an hourlong documentary along with the other Major Extra a 45-minute Making-of the Movie along with some minor extras. I prefer the Special Edition Two-Disc Set over the One-Disc Set where the Special Features are omitted but has only the Theatrical Trailer!!

This 2005 Movie Directed by Joel Schumacher is simply a "Grand Opera Movie" worthy of a 5 Star Rating!!! So, Turn up the DVD Volume and Enjoy!!

If you appreciate the World of Arts and Music you will not be disappointed with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Score!!

Emmy Rossum(Christine)Stole the Show with her Acting and Heavenly Singing Performance!!
Gerard Butler(The Phantom) was the Handsome Phantom with a Good Voice that was Physically Fit allowing his character to be very active in the Movie Opera Play. Gerard's incredible performance of "Music of the Night" was Outstanding and better than Michael Crawford's Voice Bass Notes!!
Patrick Wilson(Raoul)Singing was Good and his Character played the Alleged BoyFriend that was to Rescue Christine from the Evil Phanton!! Supporting Actress Minnie Driver and Miranda Richardson had limited but Solid Roles!!!

The Movie was able to capture the Magical Live Opera Essence with A Wonderfully Lavished Colored Staged along with a complete supporting cast for this Movie Stage Musical!!

This Movie allows the viewer to feel the Musical Opera without actually being at your Local Opera House!!

Magical Enchantment begins in a 1919 Auction at the Paris Opera Populaire when the Populaire VICTORIAN Ceiling Light Fixture CHANDELIER that was damaged long time ago is prepared for lighting before Auction bidding starts where the auctioneer, porters and bidders are present with Two Mystery Bidders???

A Bright Flash of Light!!, like the "Rebirth of a Rising Phoenix from the Ashes" transports the Entire Audience back to the Past in 1870 when the Paris Opera was at its height of Magical Enchantment!!!

The Paris Opera Populaire actually Rises very Slowly and Mystical like a Phoenix before your very Human Eyes until the Magical Live Opera Essence of it's Beauty is fully Transformed and Alive!!!!!

Nothing will replace the Live version of "The Phantom of the Opera" coming to your city but it will be Definitely Easier to Live without until the Live Opera version of "The Phantom of Opera" Arrives!!

The Phantom of the Opera (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

amazing
Visually stunning but could have been much better
Captivating movie
Nice adaptation BUT some poor performances
Magical Enchantment!!!

The Phantom of the Opera (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Gerard Butler , Emmy Rossum , Patrick Wilson , Miranda Richardson , and Minnie Driver
Director: Joel Schumacher
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Phantom of the Opera (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
The Phantom of the Opera (2004 Movie Soundtrack)
Phantom of the Opera: Film Companion
Attila
The Phantom of the Opera: The Original Novel

ASIN: B0007TKNIS
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Amazon.com

Those who consider the stage musical shallow and overblown probably won't have their minds changed by the movie, and devotees will forever rue that the movie took the better part of two decades to develop, which prevented the casting of original principals Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Still, The Phantom of the Opera is a welcome exception to the long line of ill-conceived Broadway-to-movie travesties. --David Horiuchi

Description

Customer Reviews:

amazing.......2007-06-30

Visually stunning but could have been much better.......2007-06-30

Captivating movie.......2007-06-28

Nice adaptation BUT some poor performances.......2007-06-23

Magical Enchantment!!!.......2007-06-20

The Phantom of the Opera (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

amazing
Visually stunning but could have been much better
Captivating movie
Nice adaptation BUT some poor performances
Magical Enchantment!!!

The Phantom of the Opera (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Gerard Butler , Emmy Rossum , Patrick Wilson , Miranda Richardson , and Minnie Driver
Director: Joel Schumacher
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Phantom of the Opera (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
The Phantom of the Opera (2004 Movie Soundtrack)
Phantom of the Opera: Film Companion
Attila
The Phantom of the Opera: The Original Novel

ASIN: B0007TKNII
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

amazing.......2007-06-30

Visually stunning but could have been much better.......2007-06-30

Captivating movie.......2007-06-28

Nice adaptation BUT some poor performances.......2007-06-23

Magical Enchantment!!!.......2007-06-20

Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

"I'm a person. And my name is Anakin."
hmmm...give my baby nephew this i will (smiles)
I've discovered something revolutionary!
Star Wars I
The best of the new

Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Liam Neeson , Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Jake Lloyd , and Pernilla August
Director: George Lucas
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones (Widescreen Edition)
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Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983 & 2004 Versions, 2-Disc Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00006JDU9
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Amazon.com

Description

Begin your STAR WARS DVD collection with STAR WARS: Episode 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE. Packed with over six hours of additional material, including exclusive documentaries and never-before-seen deleted scenes, this 2-disc set provides the perfect showcase for the incredible detail and breathtaking scope of George Lucas's first episode in the mythic STAR WARS saga.

Customer Reviews:

"I'm a person. And my name is Anakin.".......2007-06-22

hmmm...give my baby nephew this i will (smiles).......2007-06-21

I've discovered something revolutionary!.......2007-06-13

Star Wars I.......2007-06-12

The best of the new.......2007-06-11

Average customer rating:

Great musical
If you love Phantom, this is a MUST HAVE
In dreams he came
Great transfer
Video Quality Review (Blu-ray)

The Phantom of the Opera [Blu-ray]
Starring: Imogen Bain , Paul Brooke , Alan Cumming , Ciarán Hinds , and Kevin McNally
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

General | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

Drama | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

Musicals & Performing Arts | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Casino Royale [Blu-ray]
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ASIN: B000JLSLZQ
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Description

Customer Reviews:

Great musical.......2007-04-13

I bought this movie from Fry's. My whole family loves it. It has beautiful musical, and story. It is totally beyond my expectation. On 50" 1080i plasma with HDMI, the image is crytal clear and gorgeous. A great buy.

If you love Phantom, this is a MUST HAVE.......2007-04-01

At less than $20, this is a no brainer. If you are planning to own the movie, have it in blu-ray.

Aside from the well known picture quality differences between DVD and the blu-ray, this disc includes special features that must be close to two hours. From how this phantom project got started, to the casting of the crew, to showing all the team members (singing to the tune of the phantom), these special features simply help complete the story.

I LOVE the original musical, this movie version only adds to it. Of course, movies are not as intimate as watching live theatre, however, the camera angles, the visual effects, the costume all makes this a really nice movie to own. Love the movie cast!

Last but not least, a DVD upscaled provides a nice picture already. However, having it in high definition just makes the scenes and details so real.

In dreams he came.......2007-03-19

Sumptuous, rich, lush and inviting. Like a gilt-edged dream, Joel Schumacher's "Phantom of the Opera" is a triumphant love note to beauty, song and scenery.

Adapted from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical (and Gaston Leroux's novel), this movie ends up being beautiful in every scene, with solid acting and and a tragic antihero. The singing, the sumptuous sets, the acting -- all are the ingredients of a musical tour de force.

In 1870, a Paris opera house is under new management -- just as diva Carlotta (Minnie Driver, a glorious diva-from-hell) is almost killed by a stage curtain, and stomps out. Fortunately Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum), taught by a mystery tutor, can take over the soprano's role, and soon becomes famous for her singing. Even better, it catches the attention of her childhood sweetheart, Vicomte Raoul (Patrick Wilson).

But Raoul doesn't realize that Christine was taught by a disfigured, tortured genius who hides under the opera house. And the Phantom of the Opera is not only determined that Christine should be the star, but also be his wife. And he's willing to kill for it. Can Raoul break the Phantom's hold over Christine, or will she embrace "the music of the night"?

Watching this, it's hard to believe that it was directed by the same guy who did "Phone Booth" and the awful "Batman and Robin." Instead it looks as if the love child of Jean Cocteau and Peter Jackson decided to direct a musical, swathed in masks, roses, gilt angels, snow and velvet.

And it all wraps around Webber's solid songs ("Turn your face away from the garish light of day/turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light/and listen to the music of the night!") from the stage musical. Most of the lines are sung, which surprisingly doesn't detract from their believability. And there's plenty of fun with the cameras, whether it's the dizzying views of the backstage, or a zoom through a stone floor to the Phantom's face.

Schumacher also adds a few extra scenes, including a sword fight between Raoul and the Phantom, which makes the vicomte seem more passionate; and a flashback to the Phantom's horrific childhood. What's more, the story is framed by scenes from forty years later -- sepia-toned scenes in the dusty remains of the Opera.

The three most prominent roles are what make or break this movie, and in this case, the casting is nearly ideal. Rossum has the ingenue looks -- and the powerful pipes -- to carry off the role of Christine, torn between her love and her passion. Similarly, Patrick Wilson gives some brains and strength to Raoul, and despite the romantic appeal of the Phantom, Raoul isn't hard to cheer for.

Gerard Butler is a bit more difficult. Most of the time his singing is solid, and his acting is powerful and tragic as the "loathsome gargoyle, who burns in hell, but secretly yearns for heaven." The scene where he tries to seduce Christine is deeply sensual. But occasionally his performance gets really hammy, such as the unmasking, where he flings himself around screaming, "You little prying Pandora! You little demon!"

And how does the blu-ray measure up? Well, the regular DVD was hailed for its sumptuous colours and visuals, as well as the lovely songs. Those things are all enhanced by the blu-ray release -- everything just seems so much more brilliant.

Lush, exquisite and passionate, "The Phantom of the Opera" is a solid adaptation of Webber's musical, with good acting and excellent direction. A triumph for "the music of the night."

Great transfer.......2007-02-19

I haven't seen the musical, but have the soundtrack to it. I think this movie is a faithful rendition of the musical. The video transfer is great quality, the colors are fantastic! There were some jerky frames at the beginning for some reason. The audio is also excellent. Great dynamic range and clarity. I highly recommend this disc!

Video Quality Review (Blu-ray).......2007-01-31

The Phantom of the Opera has been the premier demo disk for High Definition TVs and Projectors for some time now. When trying to show off, at various trade shows, not only the detail but the contrast of a new product the HD-DVD of The Phantom of the Opera would always find its way on screen. Now we have it on Blu-ray, the same encoding in fact. It isn't just the transfer, near perfect, which makes this disc such a treat but the lavishness of the film itself. Rich colors, ornate details, vibrant bright scenes next to detailed dark ones; a sense of depth is throughout this musical. What little film grain there is is in keeping with a perfectly maintained film source. This is a top shelf Blu-ray release that will bring out the full range of color and contrast that your TV can display.

(PS3 - 1080p projector - 92")

Phantom Museums: The Short Films of the Quay Brothers

Average customer rating:

What does it mean?
...forgetting Stockhausen?
I must be dreaming.

Phantom Museums: The Short Films of the Quay Brothers
Starring: Phantom Museums-Short Films of the Quay Brothers
Manufacturer: Zeitgeist Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes
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The Collected Shorts of Jan Svankmajer

ASIN: B000MQ4WP6
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Amazon.com

For those who already know the short films of the Brothers Quay, Phantom Museums is a welcome, thorough investigation of a lifelong dedication to stop-motion animation and dream sequence narratives. For those just discovering this identical twin team of Stephen and Timothy Quay, Phantom Museums is the place to start. This two-disc set includes roughly twenty of their projects, chronologically spanning thirty years. Inspired by the old-fashioned look of early animated features such as The Adventures of Prince Achmed, as well as Jan Svankmajer and Jiri Barta's films, The Brothers Quay built their reputation on combining the quaintness and delicacy of early animation with present day macabre. As miniaturists, they painstakingly hand assembled decadent sets, such as an ancient library, a shrunken head vault at the natural history museum, and spiral staircases. Homemade dolls with missing eyes, pins, needles, and screws, protractors, and other tiny metallic things, make characters and their environs grotesquely techno, framed by carnivalesque camerawork in which the viewer experiences scenes from every possible angle. Highly anatomical, they sometimes use steaks and livers to represent doll innards. Watching these films now, one appreciates their Goth quality, especially because of the romantic, classical musical accompaniment. Their influence on the music video industry is also apparent. Each film has a unique story and production design, so that although the overall Quay aesthetic is clear, variation avoids redundancy. Phantom Museums also includes director commentary, alternate versions, and a wonderful filmed interview with the pair, in which they discuss their father forcing them to choose between either becoming gym teachers or artists. Lucky for us. --Trinie Dalton

Description

Two of the world's most original filmmakers, identical twins Stephen and Timothy Quay have been creating their unique blend of puppetry and stop-motion animation for nearly 30 years and have spawned an enormous cult following. The Quays display a passion for detail, a breathtaking command of color and texture, and an uncanny use of focus and camera movement that make their films unique and instantly recognizable. Best known for their classic 1986 film STREET OF CROCODILES -- which filmmaker Terry Gilliam recently selected as one of the ten best animated films of all time -- they are masters of miniaturization and on their tiny sets have created an unforgettable world, suggestive of a landscape of long-repressed childhood dreams. This new two-disc set contains thirteen of their classic short films—some never-before-available on DVD—in brand-new, restored and remastered editions (personally supervised by the Quays), plus a collection of "footnotes" including new audio commentaries, extensive interviews, alternative versions, unrealized pilot projects and more. PHANTOM MUSEUMS: THE SHORT FILMS OF THE QUAY BROTHERS also features a 24-page, gorgeously illustrated booklet, including an extensive Quay Dictionary and a new essay by film critic Michael Atkinson.

Customer Reviews:

What does it mean?.......2007-06-08

I have often wondered what the films of the Brothers Quay mean. Or more precisely, if they have any meaning at all. Thanks to the excellent extras included with this DVD set I am finally starting to get an inkling. However, the main attraction of this set are the films themselves, which are presented in beautiful, pristine condition. I have viewed these films on an earlier DVD collection, but the quality of "Phantom Museums" blows it away! "Phantom Museums" actually includes a couple films I have not seen before! A must for fans!

...forgetting Stockhausen?.......2007-05-06

...yes, this edition is nothing short of AMAZING! -what makes this edition more appealing to me is not only the beautifully remastered versions of these dark and haunting films but the 2 added shorts, especially In Absentia, using german composer Karlhienz Stockhausen's score. The inventor of pure electronic music!

I must be dreaming........2007-01-20

As a long time Quay fan this is manna. I went to the Zeitgeist web site and it sounds nothing short of incredible:

Box Synopsis:

Since the late 1970s, identical twins Stephen and Timothy Quay have made a unique contribution to animation in general and the puppet film in particular. Filtering arcane visual, literary, musical, cinematic and philosophical influences through their own utterly distinctive sensibility, each Quay film rivets the attention through hypnotic control of décor, music and movement, evoking half-remembered dreams and long-suppressed childhood memories, fascinating and deeply unsettling in turn.

This new two-disc set contains thirteen of their classic short films in brand-new, restored and remastered editions, plus a collection of footnotes including extensive interviews, alternative versions, unrealized pilot projects and more. The Quays were extensively involved with the preparation of this set--from personally supervising the transfers to recording audio commentaries for selected works.

Zeitgeist Films is proud to present Phantom Museums: The Short Films of the Quay Brothers in exclusive slipcase packaging--with a 24-page illustrated booklet including an extensive Quay Brothers Dictionary and a new essay by film critic Michael Atkinson.

DISC ONE: THE FILMS
The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer (1984)
*This Unnameable Little Broom (Epic of Gilgamesh) (1985)
*Street of Crocodiles (1986), plus original treatment
Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies (1987)
*Stille Nacht I (Dramolet) (1988)
The Comb (1990)
Anamorphosis (1991)
*Stille Nacht II (Are We Still Married?) (1992)
*Stille Nacht III (Tales From Vienna Woods) (1993)
Stille Nacht IV (Can't Go Wrong Without You) (1994)
*In Absentia (2000)
The Phantom Museum (2003)

*Includes Quay Brothers audio commentary

DISC TWO: THE FOOTNOTES
Nocturna Artificialia (1979)
The Calligrapher (1991)
The Summit (1995)
In Absentia in Scope (2000)
Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies in Scope (1987)
Quay Brothers Introduction (2006)
Archive Interview (2000)
The Falls Excerpt (1980, Peter Greenaway)
BFI Distribution Ident (1991)
Institute Benjamenta and Piano Tuner of Earthquakes Trailers

ENJOY!!!!

Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within [Blu-ray]

Average customer rating:

Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within [Blu-ray]
Starring: Alec Baldwin , Steve Buscemi , Keith David , Matt McKenzie , and Ving Rhames
Director: Hironobu Sakaguchi , and Motonori Sakakibara
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

General | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

Animation | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video
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The Patriot (Extended Cut) [Blu-ray]

ASIN: B000QXDFQM
Release Date: 2007-08-07

Product Description

The year is 2065 AD. The Earth is infested with alien spirits, and mankind faces total extinction. Led by a strange dream and guided by her mentor, Dr. Sid, scientist Aki Ross struggles to collect eight spirits in the hope of creating a force powerful enough to destroy the alien presence and pure enough to protect the planet. With the aid of the Deep Eyes Squadron, Aki must save the Earth from its darkest hate and unleash the final spirit. Final Fantasy is the groundbreaking new CGI film from the creators of the Final Fantasy Video Game Franchise.

Average customer rating:

Love the Phantom
Mr. Walker!
My boys picked this out and we all loved it
Comic
Loved it

The Phantom
Starring: Billy Zane , Kristy Swanson , Treat Williams , Catherine Zeta-Jones , and James Remar
Director: Simon Wincer
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

The Shadow
Rocketeer
Dick Tracy
The Phantom - Serial
Phantom 2040 - The Ghost Who Walk

ASIN: B00000ILBM
Release Date: 1999-05-25

Amazon.com

This plain-vanilla version of the old Lee Falk comic strip stars Billy Zane as a 1930s incarnation of the Phantom, an African-based, masked hero whose forefathers have all donned the costume at one time or another. Sworn to crush evil, the Phantom leaves his jungle lair to venture to New York, where he takes on a charming but criminal mastermind (Treat Williams). There's no oomph to this film at all. The very capable director Simon Wincer (Phar Lap) seems to be working with a leaden production and an inferior talent pool behind the camera. The talent in front of the camera do their best, but it isn't enough. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Love the Phantom.......2007-05-23

I wish there could be a sequel. Love the Phantom and his gang.

Mr. Walker!.......2007-03-16

Oh Ghost Who Walks! What way to kill a potential series. Zane is great as the Phantom. However, they should have stuck to his origins as written by the creator and not come up with a weak "rule the world" with mystic skulls story. It would have been more exciting to see how he gave up fame and love to become the Phantom when his Father died....and to explain his "Mr. Walker" alter ego...not to mention his other traits and qualities.

My boys picked this out and we all loved it.......2007-03-08

Ok , so this isn't the best movie ever made , it's still one slam bang adventure movie that even though it has some places that might not be kid friendly, is still a great family action movie. Billy Zane and Kristy Swanson make a nice couple and Treat Williams is one bad guy that you can't wait to see get what he should. All in all a very good , but not great action movie for the whole family

Comic .......2007-01-30

Based on the comic it was good. A little bit corny but the scenery was awesome!

Loved it.......2007-01-23

My two year-old boy loves this movie - he even seems to find it humorous. Something about the man in the purple body suit ... I like it a lot, too - good thing since we watch it about 4 times a week or more. I like it because a. the violence is minimal and mostly either off screen or just s

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