Be careful how you treat those who are different.

Say what you will about the Phantom, but the movie makes it obvious that he wasn’t exactly born evil.  It was the
rejection & torture he faced from his own mother & clan that serve to mold him into the beast he eventually
becomes.  You have a cold heart indeed if you can watch the suffering of the Phantom as a child/teenager & not
have sympathy for his sorry state, particularly since the disfiguration of his face was hardly something he chose to
have, hardly something over which he had any control whatsoever.  Seeing how the world reacted so negatively &
cruelly to him based purely on his physical appearance, it’s really not too surprising that the Phantom turned out
to be a rather dark character.  Underneath his tough & rather foreboding exterior, it’s quite apparent that the
Phantom is a suffering creature who just longs to be loved & cherished . . . & if that’s not a feeling we can all relate
to, I don’t know what is.  In the end, I don’t see how you can watch this film & not become more acutely aware
of how important it is that we as a society learn to embrace those who are different & not treat them rashly or
cruelly . . . for if we do not embrace them, we may well come to regret it later.  For example, in this story not only
does the world miss out on the Phantom’s musical genius because they have rejected him due to his disfigured
appearance, but eventually they suffer a great deal of misery at his hands.

Regardless of outside circumstances, in the end we are each responsible for how we choose to live our lives.

Perhaps I will sound like I’m contradicting myself here because of all that I’ve said above “in favor” of the Phantom,
but I do believe this film eventually sends us the message that regardless of our outside circumstances, we are
each in the end responsible for how we choose to deal with the cruelty, frustrations, & injustices that we face in
this world.  As Christine tells the Phantom at the climax of the film “This haunted face holds no horror for me
now.  It’s in your soul that the true distortion lies . . . The tears that I might have shed for your dark fate grow cold
& turn to tears of hate!”  In the end, it isn’t the Phantom’s disfigured face that drives away the girl he’s come to
love; it is the evil he’s allowed to grow in his soul.  What perhaps is most touching is that Christine’s sympathy
towards the Phantom eventually encourages him to show sympathy to her & let her go so that she can live her life
with Raoul. 

The power of music is truly transcendental.

As some of you may know, I hate all that sappy Nicholas Sparks romance bullshit, but I’ve yet to watch The
Phantom of the Opera without feeling my heartstrings tugged from all angles, & I can’t help but believe that is
largely because of the music.  From the dark power of the title song to the sweet beauty of All I Ask of You to the
seductive enchantment of The Music of the Night & The Point of No Return, I don’t think there’s one human
emotion that isn’t touched on in these songs.  I truly don’t see how anyone with a sense of hearing could watch
this movie or listen to the songs & not feel stirred in some deep & primal way. 

If you’ve not yet seen The Phantom of the Opera, either as the musical or as the film I’ve described here, I hope
you’ll take the time to check it out soon.  Hopefully I’ve not given away too much of the plot but have tempted you
with enough enchanting glimpses that you’ll be compelled to experience the story & its captivating music in all its
great splendor.  Trust me, you will not regret it.

 "The Phantom of the Opera" is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. First printed in 1909, the book has
since been successfully adapted for the stage and screen. The plot, often described as a horror romance,
centers on a phantom that haunts the Grand Paris Opera House. The phantom--who is really a disfigured
man--falls in love with a young female performer.
Nature of Love

One of the main moral teachings of the story is that love between two people cannot be forced. It also highlights
the need for every human to be loved. These two concepts meet in the form of Erik (the Phantom), who has a
fierce, one-sided and possessive love for Christine. For example, he says: "Know that I am built up of death from
head to foot and that this is a corpse that loves you and adores you and will never, never leave you!" Erik's form of
love is contrasted with the mutually reciprocated love between Christine and Raoul.

Superficiality of Appearance

The "Phantom of the Opera" encourages people to refrain from judging others based on their appearance.
Although Erik has a facial deformity that caused him to be cast out by his parents, he is a highly intelligent and
highly emotional being. Some of the characters come to recognize this fact and sympathize with his plight. An
example is the character of Madame Giry, who refuses to mistreat the Phantom and instead befriends him. Later in
the story Christine learns to value Erik as a person.

Nobility of Sacrifice

Sacrifice is a key moral teaching in "the Phantom of the Opera." For example, when Christine realizes that here
beloved, Raoul, has become trapped in Erik's torture chamber, she agrees to marry him on the condition that he
will release Raoul. Despite the fact that she has aversion toward the Phantom, she kisses him to show her
commitment. Erik comes to realize that he, too, is willing to sacrifice in the name of love. He knows Christine does
not really love him, despite his feelings for her, and allows her to leave.

Value of Courage

The story teaches that finding courage in the face of adversity is an important human attribute. Raoul bravely
attempts to rescue Christine when he learns of her abduction by Erik. Near the end of the story Christine displays
courage when she saves Raoul and the Persian through her agreement to marry Erik. At the same time, Erik shows
courage in his struggle to redeem his soul from isolation.

 There are rumors that the opera house is haunted by a phantom who makes himself known by sending
letters to the managers and by causing disturbances. On the retirement gala for the old opera managers,
opera singer Christine attracts the attention of her childhood sweetheart, Raoul.

One night during a performance of Faust, with the resident prima donna, Carlotta, playing the female lead, the
Phantom causes Carlotta to lose her voice and the chandelier to fall into the audience.

Christine is kidnapped by the masked phantom; he tells her his name is Erik and reveals her love for her. When
Christine unmasks the phantom out of curiosity, his ugliness shocks her. The phantom decides to keep Christine
prisoner for the rest of her life, but then he allows her to leave after she promises to wear his ring and remain
faithful to him. Christine later tells Raoul that she was kidnapped; Raoul promises to run away with her, both
unaware that Erik has been listening to their conversation.

During a production of Faust, Erik kidnaps Christine again and gives her an ultimatum: marry him or he will blow up
the entire opera house. Christine refuses, but then she finds out that Erik has kidnapped Raoul as well as the
Persian (Erik's old acquaintance) and has trapped them inside a torture chamber. In order to save them, as well as
the occupants of the opera house, Christine agrees to marry Erik.