cestlefantome

[cestlefantome]

Another Voice: “Red Death Triumphant” or “Erik finally gets some”

Full story on AO3 HERE

[cestlefantome]

beneath a moonless sky

[cestlefantome]

Erik and Christine - The Seduction of the Soul

Ever since I first saw (and then read) “Phantom”, I - like many others - have been fascinated by the relationship between Erik and Christine. There was something incredibly touching, moving, earth-shattering about them in both their ALW and Leroux portrayals. Both narratives are comparable in the degree of ambiguity they afford to their relationship. But why exactly are Erik and Christine so compelling as a couple? They probably mean different things to everyone, but I have tried digging a bit more into the reasons why I personally love this tragic pair so much…

One of the reasons their relationship holds such a huge appeal for me lies in the deep symbolism it carries. Throughout the narrative, Erik and Christine are presented as opposites - angel and demon, black and white, beauty and ugliness, underground and aboveground. They represent the dualism of the human condition, embodying extremes that complement each other. Just as there is no light without darkness, either is incomplete without the other. That symbolism brings a universal, almost transcendental quality to their relationship. Visually, the „yin and yang“ symbol sums them up perfectly:

They are not only opposites - they also mirror each other. It is no surprise that the mirror is such an important symbol in their story, literally turning them into mirror images of each other. They are two sides of the same coin, both representing a part of dualistic world. And just as Erik shows Christine her own darkness, she brings out the light in his soul.

They also have quite a few features in common: Both have a past of being travelling performers. Both are each other’s „angels“. They are also both enormously talented and passionate musicians. The soul-deep connection they share through music is incredibly intimate, passionate and spiritually erotic - and it is the core that lends an almost otherworldly quality to their relationship. Through music, Erik and Christine seem to unite as one being, creating their private world where nothing matters but their hearts and souls:

„Music has the power to abolish everything in the world except its sounds, which go straight to the heart.“ (Christine Daaé)

Emotions are heightened and pushed to the limits here, resulting in what Christine repeatedly describes as „ecstasy“. This transcendental experience of going „beyond themselves“, of transcending the limits of their own being to connect with another, is a deeply Romantic concept.  But just as too much passion can become overwhelming and consuming, resulting in a loss of control, Christine’s connection to Erik becomes both necessary and terrifying as she fears losing herself in it, both fascinated by him and equally afraid of his potentially destructive power. Erik and Christine are in equal parts moth and flame to each other. They are helplessly drawn to each other despite knowing that the other holds the power to destroy them.

But perhaps the most important reason why I love Erik and Christine together is the fact that Erik is so utterly, completely, head over ears in love with her. What might appear as just an obsession at first glance is proven to be the truest kind of love in the end - a selfless love that puts Christine’s needs first and makes Erik sacrifice everything for her, “calmly cutting his own heart to pieces”. His love is like a searing light in the darkness, beautiful and pure. In the end, it does not even matter if Christine returns it because his love for her is so powerful that it alone redeems him. It also helps him grow and become a better person. He recognizes that his behaviour has been wrong, that love mustn’t be forced, and that he must give her up if he really loves her:

„In the end, most of the Phantoms, including Leroux’s, sacrifice their desires for a woman‘s and honor her choice. […] This sacrifice is the true aphrodisiac of most Phantom narratives: women‘s desires are upheld, no matter how conventional. It is this moment that earns the Phantom narrative its audience‘s loyalty, not the unseen „happily ever after“ promised to Christine by her conventional Raoul.“ (Ann C. Hall, “Phantom Variations”).

It is not certain though just how happy the „happily ever after“ will turn out for Raoul and Christine because we never even get to see it. Both Leroux (with his allusion to Christine’s „solitary singing“ and her return of the wedding ring to him) and ALW (implying that a solitary Raoul seeks closure by buying the Phantom‘s music box for Christine as an old man) insinuate that the loss of Christine’s almost symbiotic artistic relationship with Erik means that her soul will be missing an important piece for the rest of her life. And this is the extended tragedy of it, because Raoul also really loves Christine and would be willing to give up his life for her - the difference between him and Erik being mostly that Raoul is never required to go through with that sacrifice.

And even if Erik‘s love for Christine might not be entirely unrequited, it still remains unfulfilled in life. It is no surprise that Leroux links them to Romeo and Juliet - they are, in a sense, also star-crossed lovers whose love is doomed, both by wrong choices and by circumstances outside their control. Raoul, who is quite perceptive, sums it up in his fateful question in „Apollo‘s Lyre“:

„If Erik were handsome, would you love me?“

Christine’s reply of „ Why tempt fate? Why ask me about things I hide deep within my conscience, the way one would hide a sin?“ was not included in the widespread de Mattos translation - possibly because it is the most telling expression of her harbouring deeper, forbidden feelings for Erik that she can’t admit, since she is clearly unwilling to answer Raoul’s question. In Leroux, the narrator also implies that after Erik‘s death, Christine returned to him and put the gold wedding ring he had given her on his finger, ultimately fulfilling their impossible love in death.

If things were different, if Erik had been born with a normal face and lived a different life because of it, Erik and Christine might have had a chance at happiness. But this is left to the audience‘s imagination and wishful thinking, perpetuating the fascination with their tragic tale of unfulfilled love.

Artwork by @elfinmirror

[cestlefantome]

"𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒛𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒆𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒖𝒊𝒔-𝑷𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎. ...𝑰𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒔, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒑𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓, 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑱𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒛𝒆: 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒑𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒏𝒐....𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓! 𝑩𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓! 𝑨 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏: 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒔! 𝑰𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒔! 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒔 𝒋𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉!"

(ɢᴀꜱᴛᴏɴ ʟᴇʀᴏᴜx, ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʜᴀɴᴛᴏᴍ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀ)

The scorpion and the grasshopper always hold a unique meaning to fans of Gaston Leroux's original Phantom novel. Erik's ultimatum to Christine forced her to choose between marrying her ghoulish captor, or deny him at the peril of everyone in the Opera House. It was implied that the grasshopper was connected to the stores of gunpowder Erik had wired to blow the building sky high.

I recently found this brilliant, antique Japanese bronze grasshopper figurine, and knew I had to acquire it. It just arrived from Japan, and is a brilliant piece. Paired with an antique Chinese scorpion and model caskets, it makes a beautiful addition to my Phantom collection.

[cestlefantome]

[cestlefantome]

What about 2024 Ramin?

I do not understand how Ramin Karimloo continues to grow MORE attractive the older he gets

I thought 2010 Love Never Dies era Ramin was cute but have you seen 2017 fine as aged wine Ramin????

[cestlefantome]

🚨RED ALERT🚨 🚨RED ALERT🚨

🚨FOOTAGE OF RAMIN IN TITANIC🚨

The curls. The sweat. The muscles. The veins. The bandana. The white tank. The overalls. The tattoo. Dare I say the nipples? Costuming did the lord's work with this one.

Video from TT

[cestlefantome]

𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬

[cestlefantome]

Welcome to the 25th installment of 15 Weeks of Phantom, where I post all 68 sections of Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, as they were first printed in Le Gaulois newspaper 114 yeas ago.

In today’s installment, we have Part III of Chapter 10, “Au bal masqué” (“At the Masked Ball”).

This section was first printed on Monday, 1 November, 1909.

For anyone following along in David Coward’s translation (the link is to the Kindle edition on Amazon US), the text starts in Chapter 10 at, “In this fashion they climbed up two floors,” and goes to Christine’s line, “'Not a farce, Raoul: a tragedy!‘” in Chapter 10. Note, however, that a large part of this section in the Gaulois was cut in the 1st Edition. See below.

There are some differences between the standard 1st Edition text and the Gaulois text. In this section, these include (highlighted in red above):

1) In the Gaulois text, this line reads:

Translation:

… Christine (for it was certainly she; he had recognized her by her eyes, and he could further recognize her by her voice)*

* NOTE: The fact that Leroux states that Raoul could only see Christine’s eyes helps to clarify the design of her mask, which was a black domino mask with a piece of fabric hanging down from the bottom of the mask, covering her mouth. This piece of fabric was called a “barbe” (“beard”), similar to this historical mask below from a museum collection in Helsinki. The credit goes to @rjdaae​ for finding the historical documentation to support the design of this type of mask. In this scene, Christine’s black mask is meant to mirror Erik’s, whose black mask Leroux described as having a “barbe” that covered his mouth.

2) This section in the Gaulois text, which describes events that are discussed in the next chapter, “The Magic Envelope,” was removed from the 1st Edition along with “The Magic Envelope” chapter in order to maintain the consistency of Leroux’s narrative:

Translation:

He could barely hear Christine’s whispered words, the young woman’s breath was so light.

“There is someone in the box next to ours … I hear him moving…”

He tried to speak, to tell her that it would be easy to go elsewhere to talk, but she silenced him with an emphatic “shush.”

Hunching over, she crept up to the front of the box and risked a glance outside; this seemed to be enough to apprise her, for she returned immediately and said: “I thought I had recognized his voice… He talks to himself…”

Raoul, who was beginning to grow puzzled by Christine’s behavior, asked her:

“Who is it?…”

“It is a Capuchin monk!” she said, still in a whisper… “And I am sure that the other one will arrive soon.”

“What other one?” asked the Vicomte in the same tone of voice.

“The other Capuchin monk.”

“If you’re so afraid of being in the vicinity of Capuchin monks, we should go!”

But she seemed quite agitated.

“Oh! That could be highly unwise right now! It’s madness!… Why did he tell me that he had a rendezvous in the Box of the Blind, which is located above?”

Suddenly, she stood bold upright:

“But then he is also going to come himself!… Yes, yes, let’s go!… Let’s go!…”

She opened the door to the box and closed it almost immediately…

“Too late!…”

And visibly, she began to tremble.

“Put your mask back on, monsieur! Put it back on and do not remove it for any reason.”

And she leaned against the door, as if to prevent him from opening it. Christine was on the verge of fainting; Raoul tried to hold her up, but she pushed him away with her hand and pointed to the partition wall.

They then heard a voice which said:

“At last, monsieur, you are here! But do you not think it would be better to chat in your office? Here, monsieur, we must always be wary of eavesdroppers! Let us go to your office, monsieur…”*

And they heard nothing else but a door opening…

Christine let out a deep sigh. It seemed that at last it was permissible to breathe.

And she opened the door, saying:

“There is no more danger, Raoul!… But I was very afraid!…”

“Afraid of what? What has made you afraid? You must tell me, Christine!” implored the young man, who asked himself whether or not he would finally have an explanation for all of these bizarre comings and goings, all of these expressions of hope or fear. Christine did not reply. She continued to watch attentively through the gap between the door and the partition wall to see what was happening in the corridor.

Raoul watched behind her. At first, he saw two monks who looked like two friars and who were already descending the staircase leading to the second tier boxes.

The two hoods under which they were hiding were soon no more than two little shadows at the top of the stairs, and then they disappeared. In the same instant, Raoul, who was following Christine’s gaze, saw, on the highest step of the staircase which ascended to the tier above, a red foot place itself on the stair.

… And then, two red feet…

* NOTE: As is related in “The Magic Envelope,” this was Erik’s voice speaking to the Managers (who are the two figures dressed as Capuchin monks), telling them to go to the managerial office.

3) Minor differences in punctuation.

Click here to see the entire edition of Le Gaulois from 1 November, 1909. This link brings you to page 3 of the newspaper — Le Fantôme is at the bottom of the page in the feuilleton section. Click on the arrow buttons at the bottom of the screen to turn the pages of the newspaper, and click on the Zoom button at the bottom left to magnify the text.

[cestlefantome]

Welcome to the 24th installment of 15 Weeks of Phantom, where I post all 68 sections of Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, as they were first printed in Le Gaulois newspaper 114 yeas ago.

In today’s installment, we have Part II of Chapter 10, “Au bal masqué” (“At the Masked Ball”).

This section was first printed on Saturday, 30 October, 1909.

For anyone following along in David Coward’s translation (the link is to the Kindle edition on Amazon US), the text starts in Chapter 10 at, “It needed no more to rekindle his hopes,” and goes to, “The black domino kept turning round and twice appeared to see something very frightening, for she began to walk even faster, obliging Raoul to follow suit, as if someone was after them.“

There are some differences between the standard 1st Edition text and the Gaulois text. In this section, these include (highlighted in red above):

1) In the Gaulois text, Leroux gave greater specificity to the room where Christine told Raoul to meet her (bolded below):

Translation:

… he at last entered the small room that Christine’s note had specified, in which an entire section was formed from the monumental fireplace of the Grand Foyer.*

* NOTE: see photos of this room below.

2) The following lines were included in the Gaulois text:

Translation:

But within the holes of the mask, he had seen her eyes, those limpid eyes. And he could not mistake those eyes…

3) Minor differences in punctuation and capitalization.

PLEASE NOTE:

I) Christine was not just wearing a black domino mask. Like Raoul, she also wore a piece of fabric that hung down from the bottom of the mask and covered her nose and mouth. This was a common style of mask in the day. Leroux wrote that she brought her finger “jusqu'à la hauteur de ses lèvres”: “up to the level of her lips”; however, he did not say that she brought her finger up to her lips themselves (since her lips were covered). This piece of fabric hanging down from the mask was called a “barbe,” or “beard.” This is why Raoul was so shocked later in the chapter when Christine took off her mask and he could see her pallid face; if she had been wearing a simple domino mask without a “barbe,” he would have been able to see her pale lips and cheeks beforehand. The Gaulois text makes this more clear, since Leroux indicated that Raoul was able to recognize her by her eyes, which is the only part of her face that he was able to see.

II) Christine’s mask mirrored Erik’s mask, which was also a black half mask with a “barbe,” or piece of cloth, hanging down to cover his nose and mouth — similar to this historical mask from a museum collection in Helsinki.

III) There is a mistranslation in Coward’s text in this section. Coward wrote:

It was a man dressed entirely in scarlet, with a huge plumed hat perched over a death’s head mask. And a very fine simulation of a human skull it was too!

However, Leroux wrote:

Ce personnage était vêtu tout d’écarlate avec un immense chapeau à plumes sur une tête de mort. Ah ! la belle imitation de tête de mort que c’était là !

This translates as:

This figure was dressed entirely in scarlet with an immense plumed hat atop a death’s head. And what a fine imitation of a death’s head it was!

Leroux said nothing about this figure wearing a mask; he just says that he had a death’s head. And his description of the death’s head being an “imitation” I believe is Leroux being ironic, so that we will laugh at the art students who gather around Erik and compliment him on his fine “mask” and costume.

IV) It should be noted that we have a bit of a role reversal going on here between Erik and Christine. Erik arrives to the masked ball wearing his bare face as a mask, and Christine arrives wearing a black mask with a “barbe,” which is very similar to the one that Erik wore when he was around her. This is part of the theme of the “Inverted World,” traditionally associated with Mardi Gras and Carnevale, that Leroux was playing with in this chapter.

V) These are photos of the great fireplace in the Grand Foyer of the Palais Garnier, and the little room behind it (from when I visited in 2015), which is where Christine told Raoul to meet her. (See #1 above.)

Click here to see the entire edition of Le Gaulois from 30 October, 1909. This link brings you to page 3 of the newspaper — Le Fantôme is at the bottom of the page in the feuilleton section. Click on the arrow buttons at the bottom of the screen to turn the pages of the newspaper, and click on the Zoom button at the bottom left to magnify the text.

[cestlefantome]

Can’t believe I actually own this! 😍 One of a kind 1/6 Custom Action Figure of Ramin Karimloo as The Phantom of the Opera from his performance at 2011 25th Anniversary

[cestlefantome]

Okay, I need to tell about this one.

Ramin says this little heartbreaking "No" when Christine tryes to give him a mask, and he refuses, even make a gesture to wawes it off. He so devasteted, it looks like he wants just seat turn around from her and cry. But Christine tryes to give him a mask for a second time, and he finally accept.

[cestlefantome]

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🎶 Flattering child you shall know me,

see why in shadow I hide!

Look at your face in the mirror

I am there inside!🎶

🎶Angel of Music, Guide and guardian!

Grant to me your glory!

Angel of Music, Hide no longer!

Come to me, strange angel...🎶

🎶I am your Angel of Music

Come to me, Angel of Music ...

I am your Angel of Music . . .

Come to me, Angel of Music . . .🎶

[cestlefantome]

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🎶 Can it be, can it be Christine?

Bravo!

Long ago, it seems so long ago

How young and innocent we were

She may not remember me

But I remember her🎶

[cestlefantome]

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A post shared by C’est le Fantôme! It’s the Phantom of the Opera! (@cest_lefantome)

🎶Think of me, think of me waking

Silent and resigned

Imagine me trying too hard

To put you from my mind

Recall those days

Look back on all those times

Think of the things we'll never do

There will never be a day

When I won't think of you🎶

[cestlefantome]

OKAY now when Christine runs here it looks an awful lot, to me, like she's trying to pull Erik off stage with her

SHE TAKES HIS HAND.

When she shouts "No!" It's because she's just realized that Erik is very much in danger and she wants to get him out of there?!

ARE Y'ALL SEEING THIS?! ARE YOU SEEING THIS?