The Phantom of the Opera [Paperback]

"All I ever needed to be good was to be loved for myself", thus Erik pathetically implores his beloved Christine as he tries to convince her to choose him over death.

For those of you who read the original translation and couldn't understand it, or those who've never read Leroux's original story, this book is a must read! Written in concise, easy to understand language, the Lofficiers offer a rendition of Leroux's novel that doesn't lose the original author's investigative, reporter's tone. It renders an in-depth account of Raoul's and Christine's relationship when they knew each other as children and the part Christine's father played during that one summer they spent together by the sea. I also found several places, especially in the beginning of the book, where the dialogue matched that of the 2004 movie. As an example, you will recognize "Little Lotte thought of everything and nothing. A true bird of summer, she glided in the golden rays of the Sun, her blonde hair adorned with the crown of Spring. Her soul was as clear and as blue as her eyes. She cajoled her mother, was kind to her doll, took great care of her dress, her little red shoes and her fiddle, but most of all she loved, when she went to sleep, to hear the Angel of Music..." (Yes, Christine was blonde and blue eyed in the original novel). Raoul is not so much the handsome, debonair hero of the book as he had been in the film. Although he is 21 years old in the book, he is handsome in a sort of effeminate way, a mild mannered, rather naïve young man having been raised, in turn, by his sisters, his aunt, and his elder brother, so it's easy to see where some may view him as a sort of "fop". But by the time the story begins, Raoul has already joined the Navy and had "served with honors aboard the Navy training ship, Borda, and made the customary trip around the world." For all his youth, Raoul is refined and eager, and is madly in love with Christine.

The Phantom is another matter. If all you've been exposed to is the handsome, sensual, lightly deformed phantom of the movie, you may not like this guy. He is literally a monster, not only in his horrific looks, but also in his demeanor. The man is obviously demented...but still, I felt sorry for him. Yet while I felt sorry for him, I couldn't blame Christine for not wanting to stay with him; she being the sympathetic, if not highly exploited, victim.

Another aspect that I liked about the book is that it includes the entire version that Leroux had written, uncut and unabridged. And quite frankly, I'm thankful for the added information. I especially enjoyed reading the musical history of the opera house, and it's interesting to note that the opera house had not one conductor, but six: Gounod, Reyer (for those of you who write phanphics, it looks like the movie's orchestra conductor came straight from Leroux's book - well, his name did anyway), Saint-Saens, Massenet, Guiraud, and Delibes "...each in turn had assumed command of the orchestra and conducted their own works." In fact, Leroux is so thorough in his narrative, and so convincing in his tone, that by the end of the book I found myself thinking, "Oh, my gosh, there really had been a phantom!"

You will find the managers to be as comical as ever (I thought so, anyway). Carlotta is stunningly beautiful, her exquisite voice above reproach (until the Phantom uses his ventriloquism on her), and the Persian a rather mysterious yet highly likable friend of Erik's (possibly the only friend the poor phantom ever had). Other characters, including the famed Mme Giry, also add their unique touch to the story.

Interspersed throughout the book are a variety of artists' renditions of the Phantom, many of them resembling the phantom made famous by Lon Chaney, but there are also a few unique and imaginative versions. And at the very end of the book, the translators offer their own account, entitled "His Father's Eyes", of the Phantom's ominous beginnings; his place of birth being rather ironic given the one who played the Phantom in the 2004 movie. (Or perhaps that was intentional)?

In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm happy to add it to my library of Phantom books, especially considering that it's Leroux's own. I, for one, am very glad that I bought this book!

J. M. & Randy Lofficier, owners of Black Coat Press, can be consistently counted on to produce quality books. Whether they are all new novels or as in this case, re-translations of books, each one is always a work of art. Such is the case here, which is an unabridged translation of the original novel from 1911 written by Gaston Leroux.

It tells the tale of the tragic events in the Paris Opera House in 1881. It tells of the mysterious figure, occasionally seen, often sensed, but never captured that turned the Opera House into his own personal playground. He stalks some for amusement, others for money, and one for love. When the new Directors make the mistake of angering him, he sets out to claim all that is owed him once and fore all.

In addition to re-translating the original novel, J. M. & Randy Lofficier have included over forty new illustrations by numerous artists unique to this text. Each drawing is a stark vision that captures the pain of the novel. While the styles of presentation vary greatly, almost all depict the Phantom as envisioned by the artist. Those illustrations fit nicely with the novel as well as does the original short story penned by J. M. and Randy Lofficier found at the back of the book. The story attempts to explain the Phantom's dark beginnings. Was it genetics or environment? The question is left open to interpretation.

At 381 pages and with over forty new illustrations, the work stands on its own as a quality novel and one worthy of your collection.

Book Facts:

The Phantom of the Opera
By Gaston Leroux
Adapted and Re-Translated by J. M. & Randy Lofficier
Black Coat Press

2004
ISBN # 1-932983-13-9
Large Trade Paperback
381 Pages
$24.95 US

Kevin R. Tipple © 2005

I love the original novel of the Phantom writen by Leroux, and this edition is just wonderful. The pictures with different styles and artists are just great and there's even a little new story at the end.

A great book for Phantom collectors.

Ladyghost.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 7 reviews  4.4 out of 5 stars