The 1990 Miniseries (Charles Dance)

phantomgirl110 Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:18 am

Several aspects of it bear no resemblance to the POTO we all know and love, but this version is a big sentimental favorite of mine. If nothing else, you have to love the gorgeous vocal performances and the use of the actual Palais Garnier!

Paula74 Fri Sep 25, 2009 1:35 pm

phantomgirl110 wrote:If nothing else, you have to love the gorgeous vocal performances and the use of the actual Palais Garnier!

I think those were the only two things I liked about it...especially the "Anges purs anges radieux" duet.

I remember when that first aired...one of the little scholastic magazines that my high school subscribed to had a feature on it with an abridged version of the script and a couple of photos. I might still have that...

I also remember my teacher passing out those magazines to my English class and saying (a little sarcastically), "Well, Paula, I know you'll like this." I guess I had a reputation. Razz

The actual miniseries didn't really make a major impression on me. I taped it and watched it maybe twice, then one more time in 2004 as a sort of refresher course in Phantom films. I liked it less when I revisited it and I think I fast-forwarded to "Anges purs..."

**Raphael** Fri Sep 25, 2009 4:06 pm

I have a soft spot for this one since I saw it relatively early in my phanhood and it helped sustain my interest until I got to see the the ALW musical. I love the use of the Palais Garnier, the costumes, the use of masks to convey Erik's moods, Teri Polo and Charles Dance in general, the unmasking in the "dreamerie," and especially the Faust finale.

I appreciate the fact that they were trying to tell the full story of Erik and Christine's relationship, but in doing so they really neutered the Phantom as a character. It's definitely in the upper echelons of Phantom films for me, despite that serious flaw.

R.

Paula74 Fri Sep 25, 2009 4:48 pm

Raphael wrote:they really neutered the Phantom as a character

I think that may be why this version seemed so dull to me. This Phantom is very elegant and tragic...but painfully boring. He really lacked a lot of the mystery of, for example, the 1925 movie or the ALW musical Phantoms.

I've noticed that, in general, I'm not overly fond of versions which create TOO much backstory for The Phantom. Allusions to his past are fine, but fleshing it out too much tends to ruin it for me. I guess I like the whole "man and mystery" aspect too much.

IamErik771 Sat Sep 26, 2009 4:00 am

I enjoyed this version... I'm not typically a fan of the not-so-violent portrayals of the Phantom, but I loved the acting in this one as well as the production values. I also adored how nasty they made Carlotta -- neat twist having her be the one to make Christine croak!

Blind Phan Sat Oct 03, 2009 9:18 am

I have to admit, this is one of my top favourite versions - right up there with Leroux, ALW and Kay! Though I do find Terry Polo a bit whiny. But to me, it really gets at the emotional core of POTO - Erik's isolation and rejection on account of his deformity and his love for Christine. I always really want to kill Gerard Carrierre! And Charles Dance's Phantom is so sweet and childlike, to me it then makes it all the more terrifying when he finally does loose it and fly into a rage. And Dance does that so believably! And of course, I love the fact that it's so strongly E/C!

**Raphael** Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:02 pm

Phantom Shadowwalker wrote:I always really want to kill Gerard Carrierre!

You want to kill Carriere? What did he do?

R.

Riene Sun Oct 04, 2009 3:35 am

I'm fond of this version, love the scenery, enjoy it even if it isn't strictly "canon." Each time I watch him unmask and her scream/faint, I just want to slap her silly. Rolling Eyes

LadyCDaae Sun Oct 04, 2009 8:08 pm

This was my first exposure to PotO, so it's always going to be a sentimental favorite of mine--even though as others have noted Erik is rather too much on the soft side. But there are some great moments (the Faust trio etc.), good voice doubles, and decent production values.

~LCD

ladyghost Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:21 pm

This is one of my fave movies, indeed.
Charles Dance is a wonderful Phantom and though the story is different of Leroux, it is still great.
I met Mr. Dance in London and he is just charming.
Of course my fave cene is the final Faust duet!
Ladyghost.

Blind Phan Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:53 pm

Raph. I always want to kill Gerard Carrierre because, A, he sees Erik as ugly and can't understand how his mother doesn't, and B, because he keeps Erik hidden away aeven though he knew that one day he'd have to leave Erik behind. His own son! What a bastard!

Riene. Yeah, me too - especially after she's all like " I'm as good as your Mother and can totally look at you without fear". He tried to warn her! At least she does go back to him though.

Ladyghost. You met Charles Dance? OMG! Lucky!

**Raphael** Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:24 am

Phantom Shadowwalker wrote:Raph. I always want to kill Gerard Carrierre because, A, he sees Erik as ugly and can't understand how his mother doesn't, and B, because he keeps Erik hidden away aeven though he knew that one day he'd have to leave Erik behind. His own son! What a bastard!

I dunno, that's pretty harsh. Carriere didn't exactly abandon him, either. He raised him (albeit in the sub-basements) and basically let him run the Opera while he just served as a figurehead. He may not have made all the right choices, but he's a far cry from a villainous person.

Plus Burt Lancaster's just plain kewl Very Happy

Hi Sandra! Glad you could make it here!

R.

Riene Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:28 am

ladyghost wrote:This is one of my fave movies, indeed.
Charles Dance is a wonderful Phantom and though the story is different of Leroux, it is still great.
I met Mr. Dance in London and he is just charming.
Of course my fave cene is the final Faust duet!
Ladyghost.

*waves* Hi Sandra! Haven't seen you in ages. How are things?

ladyghost Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:54 am

Hi Riene!
So glad to see you here!
Things are going fine for me: a publisher from Spain is going to publish my Phantom novel, so I'm very excited!
Shadowwalker: yes, I met Charles Dance, he was so kind and charming! I think I have a pic somewhere...Here it is:
The 1990 Miniseries (Charles Dance) Dance

The 1990 Miniseries (Charles Dance) Dance

Raphael: Thank you for invite meto join here!
Ladyghost.

operafantomet Mon Oct 12, 2009 8:04 am

Wow, you lucky lucky thing!

And congrats with that book. Very Happy

ladyghost Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:21 am

operafantomet wrote:Wow, you lucky lucky thing!

And congrats with that book.

Thank you so much!
I'm very glad!
I've even created a fan page at facebook, I invite you to join:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/El-Violin-Negro/153227778115?ref=mf
Ladyghost.

Scorp Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:40 pm

^ Was that at Shadowlands at the Novello? I went to see him too. He gave a fantastic performance -- far better than Anthony Hopkins' in the film version.

Elisabetta611 Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:03 pm

Still my favorite POTO film to date, despite a manipulative, whiny Christine and a backstory for Erik that I can't really buy. The vocals are radiant though, the Garnier looks stunning and it just never gets old. I love you

ladygodiva Tue Jun 29, 2010 11:36 pm

I loved this one (Not as much as ALW version) but this one was beautiful shot, good story, good characters, (and in this one Raoul is a pompas, ass,

the only problem that I had with this is that in other versions the phantom kills, (the only acceptable reason that Chrsitine should not stay with a Killer) in this one the deaths were accidental, and like I said this was the least likable verson of Raoul

Charles Dance was excellent, Terri Polo, good but a bit bland,

beautiful costumes (No where near Maria Bjournson though)

RoseOfTransylvania Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:48 pm

Was fat Carlotta in this version, too? Cause you know, inner beauty is all what matters. tongue

I remember vaguely seeing this in TV in nineties.

ladygodiva Thu Mar 17, 2011 11:56 pm

RoseOfTransylvania wrote:Was fat Carlotta in this version, too? Cause you know, inner beauty is all what matters.
I remember vaguely seeing this in TV in nineties.

I don't remember it has been about 7 years since I last saw this version, I will have to pull out the old VHS, and give a look over

AlwaysChristine Sun May 01, 2011 11:32 am

It´s also one of my favourite movies. Every time I see it it touches me.
I like the scenery, the story, the music...the portrayal of the characters.
Wonderful!

Devon Thu Sep 08, 2011 10:24 pm

Out of all the adaptations (save for the Lon Chaney version) this one is my favorite! I feel more of a connection to Erik and Christine. There's more back story, character depth, and that makes me feel for the characters more (although I didn't feel that way towards Phillipe at all, didn't really care for his character much). I will admit, I'm a sap and this version really tugged at my heartstrings at times. I have also seen the Yeston/Kopit Phantom on stage a couple times and adored it! All in all, on stage or watching the 1990 Dance/Polo version is worth it. The downfall to character depth for Erik is that he isn't as mysterious and I DO like that about the ALW version. I guess it depends on what kind of mood I'm in...haha But this version holds a special place in my heart, I remember watching it when it aired on TV for the first time. By then I had been a Phantom fan for some years and was just biting my nails waiting to watch it. :-)

RoseOfTransylvania Sun Aug 12, 2012 11:02 am

I hate how they turn Phantom as a good guy and Carlotta as a villain. And it´s pretty bland. Not bad, just... bland.

Phantom245w44st Tue Jan 29, 2013 5:13 pm

This is my PHavorite phantom movie. It's not accurate to the Leroux story or similar to the ALW production but I saw the second half of this movie when I was 7 or 8 and it was my first introduction into the phantom world. I didn't consider myself a phan until my first time seeing the musical when I was 11. When I first started to buy phantom of the opera movies I was looking for this version but found the 1943 version instead.

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