This post began as a comment on funkefreak's blog. I couldn't post my comment for some odd reason.
I too saw that movie (The Phantom of the Opera) recently – on Christmas day, as a matter of fact. It was the first time I had ever seen (or heard) the entire thing, and I was astounded by ALW's libretto. Shoot!
And today, I was tra-la-la-ing my way through the very song mentioned in this post's title (not knowing all of the words). What is it in our brains that weds words and meaning so powerfully to melody? Not even knowing the words, I can feel in this tune a longing struggling against contentment in being forgotten. Learning the words will probably only make the melody that much more powerful – it's a spiral, all right.
That's all I intended to put in my comment, but since this is a post, I'll write a bit more. My housemate's immediate reaction: "Christine is such a wimp! How can anyone ever be attracted to her? I mean, she's hot and can sing. That's about it. What about loyalty and gumption?" I tend to agree, but I chalk that up to the musical nature of the movie. Despite having tools unique to the cinema at their disposal, POTO's director and cast failed to create movie characters. Instead, they left us with musical characters (like in an opera or something): men and women whose actions and feelings are generally two-dimensional, albeit compellingly conveyed in music.
At the same time, I'm willing to say that the characterization defecit was made up for by the music and sheer opulence of the scene. It was a stunning movie to watch and to hear.
And speaking of stunning sights, I saw two movies in a row that day. Right before POTO (I keep wanting to type p-o-t-a-t-o), I saw Lemony Snickett's A Series of Unfortunate Events. This little film surprised me with its gothic charm, style, and quick wit, a surprise all the more forceful for the cartoonish intro featuring the Littlest Elf. And stepping right into this complicated milieu walked three talented child actors – well, actually four, if you count the two twins who play the youngest Beaudelaire child.
Given the movies in the theaters today, I'm not sure if I could have seen two films more different from one another and yet both well above par. Or is that under par? I hate golf references.
Posted by nickles at December 28, 2004 06:58 PMPar is simply a standard which one must meet, whether in golf or otherwise. While in golf, the standard is the maximum number of strokes reasonably expected to sink a ball in a particular hole, most of the time, a standard is considered in terms of the minimum effort required to pass muster. Thus, unless one were specifically referring to golf, passing the standard usually involves an upward direction (thus, "above par" is the correct phrase with which to designate supra-standardness).
Hmm. I guess if one is going to wax pedantic, one might as well sound stuffy in the process. :)
Posted by: funkefreak at December 29, 2004 06:25 PMI like to associate "stuffy" with books and blankets and a fire on a cold night. That way, I can replace it with words like "cozy." (i.e. - you're not stuffy, you're just cozy)
I guess this is like saying someone is "fluffy" instead of obese... yes? no? Hmmm.
Posted by: bob at December 30, 2004 10:04 AM