From stage to screen: The Costumes
Category: Phantom on Stage
Author: Viscountess
Date: 5 Jan 2010
AKA, More Evidence That the 04!Movie Sucks Ass, by Viscountess.
Summary: AKA, More Evidence That the 04!Movie Sucks Ass, by Viscountess.
The costumes in the movie are different from the costumes in the stage show in more ways than just appearance. They are far from similar items of clothing, but that is not the important issue. They differ in concept and execution.
Both Maria Bjornson and Alexandra Byrne realized there was sexual symbolism in the story, but were polar opposites when it came to the results.
The Hannibal opera in the stage show is rich in color and style. This is one of the most vibrant scenes in the show, both in feel and physical appearance. The lavish feel shows us that we are at an energized and spirited time in the story, when things haven’t even begun to go wrong, in contrast to the later darker tones, where the Phantom’s dark influence is everywhere. Scenery-wise, this is also the brightest and most fleshed out background we ever see.
There is Queen Elissa, whose large bustle costume commands the stage. The red, green and gold dominates the design of all the costumes in the scene, but eyes are drawn to the regal costume of the queen, something missing from the movie. While Carlotta’s costume is grand, it blends in with that of the chorus. Taking from the cue of historical artifacts from that period in Roman history, Bjornson even hinted at a bared breast with the nude colored upper bodice under the beads.
The Slavegirl costumes in both the stage show and the movie are obviously meant to be provocative, but Byrne disregarded what would have been unacceptable by society in a high end entertainment venue and went with what was considered provocative in modern times, with bare midriffs and the skirt split straight to the waist on both sides.
In the Lair scene, Christine wears a deliberately lacy dressing gown revealing her corset and thigh high stockings. The audience knows that this is meant to be sexy and alluring, (after all, the sweet, blushing robe used in the Angel of Music scene is actually different from the one later used in the Lair scene) the wild hair and smokey make-up shows it, but by being so obvious about it, the effect is lessened.
In the stage show, Bjornson’s design is a white dressing gown thrown over her Hannibal Slavegirl bodice. The result is demure and keeping with the customs of the era, yet still beautifully rendered and provides a wonderful contrast with the dark and mysterious qualities of the Phantom.
A recurring motif with Byrne’s designs is undergarments, something basic and blatantly sexy. As she did in her journey to the Phantom’s lair, Christine is wearing a simply corset over her chemise when we see her as Aminta in Don Juan. Instead of leaving it to Rossum’s acting, we are once again told that this is intended be a sexually charged encounter with Christine and the Phantom, lest we fail to notice otherwise. Bjornson’s design has Christine in a soft pink and black gown that becomes sensual only when Christine takes control and chooses for it to be.
On the rooftop in the movie, Christine is once again caught in her underwear, and little else, this having been established as Byrne’s way of “symbolizing” Christine’s vulnerability at various stages in the show. The stage show, in keeping with its decision to stay era-correct, has Christine in a glittering robe de la franchise, along the lines of Carlotta’s costume.
Masquerade balls of the time were generally colorful, disorganized events. Costumes were not meant to be coordinated. There was no dress code of gold and black with everyone dressed uniformly. The entire movie was very subdued in comparison to the flash of color that was the stage show. When you compare the two, the latter is very rich in color and detail, the eye is drawn everywhere at once, with every costume subtly telling a different story and that in itself progresses the plot along in a small, but necessary manner, while the movie is simply a washed out version of that, lacking the background and as a result, the movie doesn’t lend the emotional gravity that stage show has.
The costumes in the movie are different from the costumes in the stage show in more ways than just appearance. They are far from similar items of clothing, but that is not the important issue. They differ in concept and execution.
Both Maria Bjornson and Alexandra Byrne realized there was sexual symbolism in the story, but were polar opposites when it came to the results.
The Hannibal opera in the stage show is rich in color and style. This is one of the most vibrant scenes in the show, both in feel and physical appearance. The lavish feel shows us that we are at an energized and spirited time in the story, when things haven’t even begun to go wrong, in contrast to the later darker tones, where the Phantom’s dark influence is everywhere. Scenery-wise, this is also the brightest and most fleshed out background we ever see.
There is Queen Elissa, whose large bustle costume commands the stage. The red, green and gold dominates the design of all the costumes in the scene, but eyes are drawn to the regal costume of the queen, something missing from the movie. While Carlotta’s costume is grand, it blends in with that of the chorus. Taking from the cue of historical artifacts from that period in Roman history, Bjornson even hinted at a bared breast with the nude colored upper bodice under the beads.
The Slavegirl costumes in both the stage show and the movie are obviously meant to be provocative, but Byrne disregarded what would have been unacceptable by society in a high end entertainment venue and went with what was considered provocative in modern times, with bare midriffs and the skirt split straight to the waist on both sides.
In the Lair scene, Christine wears a deliberately lacy dressing gown revealing her corset and thigh high stockings. The audience knows that this is meant to be sexy and alluring, (after all, the sweet, blushing robe used in the Angel of Music scene is actually different from the one later used in the Lair scene) the wild hair and smokey make-up shows it, but by being so obvious about it, the effect is lessened.
In the stage show, Bjornson’s design is a white dressing gown thrown over her Hannibal Slavegirl bodice. The result is demure and keeping with the customs of the era, yet still beautifully rendered and provides a wonderful contrast with the dark and mysterious qualities of the Phantom.
A recurring motif with Byrne’s designs is undergarments, something basic and blatantly sexy. As she did in her journey to the Phantom’s lair, Christine is wearing a simply corset over her chemise when we see her as Aminta in Don Juan. Instead of leaving it to Rossum’s acting, we are once again told that this is intended be a sexually charged encounter with Christine and the Phantom, lest we fail to notice otherwise. Bjornson’s design has Christine in a soft pink and black gown that becomes sensual only when Christine takes control and chooses for it to be.
On the rooftop in the movie, Christine is once again caught in her underwear, and little else, this having been established as Byrne’s way of “symbolizing” Christine’s vulnerability at various stages in the show. The stage show, in keeping with its decision to stay era-correct, has Christine in a glittering robe de la franchise, along the lines of Carlotta’s costume.
Masquerade balls of the time were generally colorful, disorganized events. Costumes were not meant to be coordinated. There was no dress code of gold and black with everyone dressed uniformly. The entire movie was very subdued in comparison to the flash of color that was the stage show. When you compare the two, the latter is very rich in color and detail, the eye is drawn everywhere at once, with every costume subtly telling a different story and that in itself progresses the plot along in a small, but necessary manner, while the movie is simply a washed out version of that, lacking the background and as a result, the movie doesn’t lend the emotional gravity that stage show has.
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