Rating: 
Summary: Best available!
Review: This is deffinitely the best version of this story available! Beautifully done, and not the "thriller" people like to think it should be. Very true to the original feel of the book. OK, the dubbing could be better. But the story is wonderful. Very unfortuate that it's not available on VHS:( I know a lot of people who want copies.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent and true rendition of ffavorite
Review: Leonard Maltin could not be more wrong in his review. This is an excellent rendition of the classic, and it was filmed on location in Paris. No real outstanding stars, but, Charles Dance has a field day with his interpretation of the Phantom. The ending had all the women in my family weeping. The DVD has excellent color.....too bad they coudn't have remastered it in 5:1, but the standard surround will do. Don't get this confused with the Andrew Loydd Webber version. This version has some very good opera, although the dubbing could have been better. All in all a good 3 hour film, with lots of fun for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Best Phantom movie there is!!!
Review: This version of Gaston Leroux's melodramtic novel is probably the best version available - don't mistake it for the most faithful, but the essence of the original is most present here. If you are truely interested in Phantom: GET IT WHILE YOU CAN! You'll love yourself for it... Plus - it is filmed AT the ACTUAL Opera National de Paris!!!!
Rating:
Summary: An entralling adventure into the soul of the Phantom...
Review: While not the most accurate script (this movie is based off of the Yeston/ Kopit musical and not so much the novel by Leroux) I must admit this is my all-time favorite of the Phantom movies and the ONLY one I have seen that shows Erik in a similar light to Susan Kay's Phantom (which I adore). Charles Dance's voice grabs your attention from the first words he mutters to the final heart-wrenching scene. I thoroughly loved the back-story they created for Erik, seeing as he didn't have much of one in the original novel, and the inclusion of his father (Lancaster) while originally disconcerting was well-played out and fit in well with Charles' portrayal of Erik. It was Charles' Phantom that I fell in love with, it was Charles whom cemented by status as a Phan, and it is Charles who shall always be first on my list of Phantom loves.My only real complaint about this movie is Christine....I swear, every time she said "If you love me..." I wanted to KILL her for being such a manipulating so-and-so. And Phillipe (Raoul) was a FOP if I've ever seen one, and quite the man-whore XD Pathetic! Carlotta and her husband were a bundle of laughs and a much-needed reprive from Christine and her stupidity. All I can say of the final Faust trio is this.....It makes me cry! I never thought I could ever really like opera at all until I heard and saw that scene. I get the shivers just thinking about it. *smiles* All in all, although it is not a loyal adaptation to the novel, it is by far the best of all the Phantom movies, save the Man of a Thousand Faces himself! Bravissimo!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This was my first exposure to Phantom. Didn't even know the general storyline. I absolutely loved this movie. Later I saw Weber's movie and loved it, too. I definitely liked Dance better as the Phantom.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Spoken/Dramatic Version Of Phantom Of The Opera
Review: If you are a fan of Charles Dance or a long-time lover of Leroux's novel (both of which I am), then I highly recommend this version. As mentioned in another review, it does lean more towards the romantic angle than the mysterious. The writers, as usual, have taken enough liberties with the plot and peripheral characters to raise some eyebrows, but the crucial components of Leroux have been preserved. Erik is not some disgruntled and maimed former employee of the opera, but a recluse disfigured from birth, wishing only to be accepted for who he is and allowed to exercise his musical genius. There are enough nicely chosen references to the novel peppered throughout the film to reassure that the writers were actually familiar with the book and made the effort to maintain ties to it.
The operatic lip synching ranges from passable to downright bad in some spots, and one could wish that the actors had been better coached in the physical carriage and movement of singing, and the meaning of the lyrics they are trying to convey. Burt Lancaster and Teri Polo are at times jarringly and cheesily American in an otherwise entertaining cast, but they both have their moments. Polo's Christine is not a young, naïve girl clinging to her father's memory but a hopeful young woman trying to achieve her fondest goal of singing at the Opera.
Charles Dance is the gem in this production. His Erik is slightly younger than Leroux's, more earthy and accessible; he and Christine meet face to face from Day One and have a more practical working relationship of teacher and pupil that quickly and respectfully turns to something more. Dance achieves just the right blend of menace, confidence in his own genius and Erik's almost childish temper and disregard for knowing Right from Wrong when it interferes with his own wishes. He keeps up a constant level of mischief throughout the film that is quite entertaining. Don't expect another gruesome unmasking - we never see his face. Given how filmmakers and theatre have never even come close to Leroux's description, this is fine by me. The details of the disfigurement are not the real point of the story and are best left to imagination until someone decides to make a truly accurate film version of the book.
The centerpiece of this version is the opera house itself. Filmed inside and around the Palais Garnier, the many aspects of the building from grand escalier to back rooms to cellars are well utilized and shown off to a very satisfying degree. If this is as close as you ever get to visiting the real thing, it's darn good tour.
Rating:
Summary: Dont pay any attention to the other reveiws!!
Review: The TV series was an excellent adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. It is a little more scenic and dramatic than some other plays and movies but the story is compelling and original. Charles Dance (The Phantom) does an excellent performance with his slow and methodical movements. Every time he approaches Christine he shows how intense his feelings are towards her and leaves you feeling breathless. Raul's character does not appear as much in this story as I would like but his presence is always felt. It was an interesting twist with the Phantoms father and the real life story behind how the phantom was created and his mother. All of these seperate stories are really never told in other plays and Movies.
Some of the other reveiws are to analytical about The Phantom movies and TV shows. They dont actually sit down and enjoy them for what they are; which is "excellent entertainment". I highly reccommend this one to any one whom wants a more romantic veiw of the story. This particular one is long but it leaves a sense of wonder at the end, Is he alive? or dead?
Rating:
Summary: Don't compare, just enjoy a good TV movie
Review: I've seen the Webber production on stage in Chicago, I've seen the movie just released in theaters, I've read Leroux's book that the story is based on. You know what? I loved all 4 versions, probably because I take each version for what it is and don't agonize over trying to compare them. This TV miniseries is one of my favorites of all time - so glad it's on DVD since over the last 10 years we've worn out our VHS copy we taped from TV when it originally aired! The story is good, the Phantom is great, and the singing toward the end is emotional and touching. If you want a good story based on the Phantom story, you won't be disappointed with this show. It's a made-for-TV-movie so of course it's not going to be comparable to a musical stage production,which is OK. It's a very good show!!!
Rating: 
Summary: I felt deceived
Review: The DVD is 185 minutes long and was not what I expected. I watched the first 60 minutes, then scanned through the rest of the video looking for some indication of music. To my surprise, it is not a musical rendition of The Phantom Opera, it is merely a boring drama, slow moving, and lacking in the action of earlier versions. This story was mostly a psychological analysis of the Phamtom character and disclosed the fact that he was a musician himself. This version would be very good as a class assignment for a drama group, however, it's actual entertaiment value was not anywhere close to what I anticipated.
I'm sorry if this review seems excessivly harsh, and I won't end this without saying something more positive.
A condensed version of this video would be great for people to watch before attending the musical play. The story is very revealing about the Phantom, his past, his fears, and his reason for being reclusive. The story follows the play, absent music, and fills in many questions the audience may have about the specific characters. The Phantom is not portrayed so much as being evil, there is no horror, and his envolvment with Christine is more of being a musician and teacher. The musical rendition by Andrew Loyd Webber may be hard for some to follow and as I said, watching this video first might add to the enjoyment of actually seeing the stage musical.
Today, December 9, 2004, a screen version of Andrew Loyd Webbers musical was advertised on TV, as being released for theatre viewing. I can't wait for it to be released in DVD form.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best...
Review: This particular version of Phantom of the Opera ranks as my second favorite... right under the ALW musical of the same name. Given that it was a made for TV miniseries and not a big screen motion picture with a massive budget, that's saying a lot.
While it does have some irksome bits... namely the replacing of Raoul with his elder brother from the original novel, Phillipe, as Christine's love interest (no mention of Raoul is even made, poor guy), and the slightly corny "picnic in the forest scene" in the Phantom's layer... overall it is a wonderful telling of the story.
The cast is masterful, and the musical score truely fitting. The final scene on the roof of the opera house is especially noteworthy in it's depiction of sacrifice and emotion. You won't go wrong with this DVD. It portrays the Phantom as being very human at heart, and has some exceptionally touching moments.
As far as the DVD itself, the only complaint I can make is about the lack of extras (in fact the only extra on the disc is a "trailer" that looks more like a soundtrack-less scene compilation than anything else). But given that it was a TV miniseries that was made well before DVDs, I suppose it should come as no real surprise that there are no cast and crew interviews or gag reels.
All in all, if you are a Phantom fan, buy this. It is a lovely piece of work that I can honestly say (as I myself saw it on TV the first time when I was around 10 years old, and was astounded when I found that it had been released on DVD) you will never forget.
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