Leslie Cheung as the Phantom

Leslie Cheung as the Phantom needs a bit of back-story before he can be described. Here Song Danping meets and falls in love long before his disfigurement. He is a gifted architect, actor and musician, and builds his own theater to lead his own acting company. The most famous work they perform, Romeo and Juliet earns Mr. Song the admiration of one of the town’s finest young ladies, Du Yunyan. She and Song Danping meet and fall in love, she sneaking out to see him at the theater as their love is forbidden. Song is only an actor, and therefore not a good enough match according to her father.

Song courts his ladylove with music, his beautiful voice mesmerizing her. Song eventually culminates his love in a beautiful music box he presents her with. The melody is of his composition, and once he has completed the unfinished work, he will sing it for her. Song loves and clearly wishes to marry Yunyan. But fate intervenes when she is wed against her will to a more suitable match. When her new husband finds that she has been Song’s first, he has thugs go to Song’s theater who douse his face with acid. Song accidentally knocks over a lantern, setting the theater on fire.

Du Yunyan goes mad over the loss of her lover, and soon is reduced to visiting the theater, searching for him. A romantic tale springs up that his ghost appears and sings to her. Sadly, she is alone until a new troupe shows up and Song uses the leader as his mouthpiece. Poor Yunyan is elated to hear her lover sing once again, and in the end the pair are happily reunited.

This film is lushly directed and has strong magical elements to it. Romance abounds in the dreamy setting of color and sound. There is also a feeling of live theatre in the musical performances of the talented Leslie Cheung that is missing in many of the other Phantom of the Opera remakes. There are disturbing elements of violence, but they serve to underscore Song’s non-violent attitude.

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