The Phantom of the Opera

I've been teaching the Form 2's for many years now and basically the novel 'The Phantom of the Opera' that we are doing for our literature class is something that I almost know by heart like, who said those lines and what happens next are like at the back of my hand now.

And I've been taking the girls watching the musical video, once we're done with the novel. This year is my third year watching the dvd with my students and for the past 3 consecutive years, tears never stop from streaming down my eyes and mind you I watch it everytime my 3 classes have to view it.

As the video takes about 3 hours playing time, I need to have at least 3 periods for the girls to watch the whole thingy and everytime the scenes between Christine Daee and Eric the Phantom appear, I'll get goosebumps. Everytime. The acting and the songs are excellent and I can't help it but feel sorry for the Phantom unrequitted love to Ms Daee.

This story is about how a phantom deformed since birth, was given a mask when he was a little child and he had hid himself from the public in the Opere house that he had helped built. A genius and excellent builder, this phantom had built secret passages and doors in the Opera populaire. His house was located on the lake under the Opera house. This phantom named Eric, then secretly fell in love with a opera singer wannabe from Norway named Christine Daee. Eric helped her gained stardom by being her music teacher. Ms Daee called him, her 'Angel of Music'.

Daee however had already fallen in love with her childhood sweetheart a Vicomte de Chagny named Raoul. So the story and the suspense revolves here in the Phantom quest to gain Christine's love.

The ending is pretty touching as the phantom had his first kiss from Christine as nobody had ever kissed him before even his own mother would turn her face away from this beast.

Unfortunately, the protagonist (the Phantom) in this video to be quite of a hunk and macho compared to the hero and I think I do not mind kissing this beast too. ahak ahak.

And I cried everytime watching the ending. This phantom had a good heart but because he was disfigured he felt that the world has been cruel and unkind to him and thus made him to be cruel too. However Christine managed to soften his heart as she taught him the meaning of love, sacrifice and compassion.

Sweet kan? How not to cry? You tell me.