I watched this for the second time, this time around with my English student. She's in Form 2 and we're doing The Phantom of the Opera. I thought highly enough of this movie to suggest she watch it.
Was in KLCC today and since she hadn't already watched it, I took advantage of the situation at present. There was a blackout earlier, rather widespread across the city I think, and it caused some massive jams outside KLCC as the underground parking could not be accessed.
How remiss of me, that I forgot to list this movie among the best in my previous post. Not so much for the acting, but the songs and score are simply breathtaking. Andrew Lloyd Webber strikes yet again, this time on the silver screen and not the stage.
One idea that caught my attention this time around was that of masks. A line from the song, "The Phantom of the Opera" goes:
Christine: I am the mask you wear
Phantom: It's me they hear
As the movie progresses, and especially during the Masquerade scene, it becomes rather clear that everyone, and not just the Phantom, wears masks.
Why do we wear masks? To hide our ugliness, our shame... maybe most of all, our fear. It's easy to live behind a facade and pretend to be what we're not. But to remove our masks makes us vulnerable.
Maybe that's something else about the story, that makes it so poignant: everyone is vulnerable. Each in his or her own different way, but we all have our weak spots, and we think a band aid will do.
But this question of untold sufferings and hidden weaknesses reminds me of something Bono asked, and answered himself:
"How do you dismantle an atomic bomb? With love."
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