Phantoms of the Opera: The Face Behind the Mask

by John L. Flynn

Revised and Updated, Phantoms of the Opera: The Face Behind the Mask includes lots of new material from the Gerard Butler-Emmy Rossum Phantom as well as dozens of other productions that had come out in the 12 years since the book was first printed. Mention The Phantom of the Opera at a dinner party, and each guest will have his or her own vivid, almost visceral, recollection of the tale of a disfigured musical genius and his unrequited love for a beautiful, young singer. Someone will undoubtedly pantomime the famous scene from the silent era film in which Mary Philbin (as Christine Daae) sneaks up behind the Phantom, while he is playing the organ in his subterranean lair, and unmasks the great Lon Chaney, revealing his horribly disfigured face to the audience and her. Another guest is likely to burst into song, recalling The Music of the Night from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Still another guest may describe the scene in which the Phantom cuts the cables free and sends the magnificent chandelier crashing down upon the patrons of the Paris Opera House. The original story contains so many richly textured scenes that each of us, at one time or another, has been seduced by the Phantom, and embraced the dark, labyrinthine world of author Gaston Leroux. Most of the productions have been as equally rich with great scenes and great performances. This book is a tribute to Leroux, his most famous novel, and those adaptations inspired by it.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Dr. John L. Flynn is a retired academic who has spent the last thirty-two years of his life as a dean and college professor in higher education. He is also an author, screenwriter, and three-time Hugo nominee. He is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America, and he has written 19 books. His 2014 romance novel, Intimate Bondage, has spawned a series of erotic thrillers, featuring a female homicide detective in San Francisco. With fellow film critic Bob Blackwood, Flynn also penned the humorous and always amusing Everything I Know about Life I Learned from James Bond in 2015. Between 2002 and 2004, John was nominated for three Hugo awards; the Hugo award is given for excellence in the field of science fiction writing. His published doctoral dissertation, The Etiology of Sexual Addiction: Childhood Trauma as a Primary Determinant, has broken new ground in the diagnosis and treatment of sexual addiction.

Reviews

[jes nemo · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there are certainly merits to a compendium of this nature I couldn't help but feel it was lacking as well as the author's tone was... a bit unbearable at times. Despite trying to seem academic, there was a level of subjectivity inherent that left me feeling I could have gotten more insightful information on blogs and discord. Also, I had a problem with the editing. For this being the "third edition" there were comments in early 90s reviews entries calling it the most current adaptation yet going into more recent work, including an entry for the 2006 Jeremy Irons work that never was. Yet with an update to include Love Never Dies, these things weren't amended. Also, for a book I found the tone when dealing with homosexual context brow raising to say the least. One (I think... or hope) was a typo but how many times does a character's sexuality have to be referenced as well as detailing a scene that had little to do with a review, only to point out there was a homosexual sexual interaction. Also, the author makes it clear what adaptations HE prefers yet some of his critical analysis seems to be very nearsighted. His lack of understanding of the reaction to Don Juan Triumphant in the ALW version was interesting to me since he seemed to criticize every adaptation that didn't take from Leroux yet it was in Leroux that it was made clear what Erik felt about "opera music", citing that Don Juan "seared", the difference in sound between the two emphasized the "otherness" of his music for that time period. But now I'm on a soapbox. It wasn't a complete wash, I learned about a story collection I was unfamiliar with and am now eagerly awaiting.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have seen the many phantom films and musicals, this may be a bit boring as it is pretty much a complete description of every plot in all things phantom with some tidbits thrown in here and there.

I read this with Kindle Unlimited and the formatting is atrocious and oftentimes difficult to read because the sentences are mangled. Just an FYI for anyone that gives it a go from that platform.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good if you want to know about other Phantom adaptations, just be aware there are a lot of spelling and grammatical errors. The author reuses some phrases multiple times or copies entire sentences in the same chapter.

I'd only recommend this if you're a big POTO fan.