In 1877, in Paris, rats save a baby from death and raise him in the underground of the Opera de Paris. This child becomes The Phantom of the Opera (Julian Sands), a half-human half-animal breed, who falls in love for Christine Daaé (Asia Argento), an opera singer initiating her career. He disputes her love with the aristocratic Baron Raoul De Chagny (Andrea Di Stefano), sharing Christine that equally loves them both.
This Dario Argento's bizarre version of Gaston Leroux's classic novel really does not work, and probably it is the worst movie of his filmography. I believe he tried to create a gore and Gothic atmosphere, but the screenplay is awful. The nasty origin of The Phantom is quite ridiculous, with the weird Julian Sands being created by rats, but playing organ very well and not wearing mask, as in the other versions. Asia Argento is simply horrible in her character of Christine, with a terrible dubbing of the operas. Her mouth is not synchronized with the voice of the singer, and she does not show any vibration of feelings in her role. Most of the lines in this story are very ridiculous, and the way Christine falls in love for The Phantom is amazingly pathetic and silly. The Phantom comes to her, introduces himself with an absurd sentence, and she immediately has a crush on him. The actor that performs the leading gentleman Raoul is not handsome, and really does not help our heroine to decide her sentimental fate. Last but not the least, how could a stupid man like Ignace, the rat-catcher, invent and build a sophisticated device like the one he uses to eliminate the rats in the underworld of the Opera? My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "Um Vulto na Escuridão" ("A Shadow in the Darkness")
This Dario Argento's bizarre version of Gaston Leroux's classic novel really does not work, and probably it is the worst movie of his filmography. I believe he tried to create a gore and Gothic atmosphere, but the screenplay is awful. The nasty origin of The Phantom is quite ridiculous, with the weird Julian Sands being created by rats, but playing organ very well and not wearing mask, as in the other versions. Asia Argento is simply horrible in her character of Christine, with a terrible dubbing of the operas. Her mouth is not synchronized with the voice of the singer, and she does not show any vibration of feelings in her role. Most of the lines in this story are very ridiculous, and the way Christine falls in love for The Phantom is amazingly pathetic and silly. The Phantom comes to her, introduces himself with an absurd sentence, and she immediately has a crush on him. The actor that performs the leading gentleman Raoul is not handsome, and really does not help our heroine to decide her sentimental fate. Last but not the least, how could a stupid man like Ignace, the rat-catcher, invent and build a sophisticated device like the one he uses to eliminate the rats in the underworld of the Opera? My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "Um Vulto na Escuridão" ("A Shadow in the Darkness")