This is the version that got me hooked on Erik's story, so I'm a little biased here. But this one is my favorite. The music is beautiful, the sets and costumes are rich and beautiful, and I've never failed to cry each of the five times I've seen it onstage. ALW and Charles Hart (lyricists) take some liberties with the plot (for example, the Persian from the original is gone), but I don't feel it detracts from the story at all (in my opinion, it enhances it). "Point of No Return" is the most erotic showtune ever; you truly have to see it performed live to fully know what I mean.
Maury Yeston & Arthur Kopit's Phantom
They claim that they began writing this before ALW began his, that they had the rights to the story, but somehow lost the rights. Mmm hmm... While I tend to doubt that claim, their version is still quite beautiful. I don't find the music as passionate or intoxicating as ALW's, but there definitely are some beautiful songs, such as "My True Love," "Home," and especially "You Are Music." I've never seen this show onstage, but the cast recording has made me cry a few times.
The book that started it all (well, if you don't count the various myths and fairy tales which helped to inspire this story). Very high on thrills and suspense, but the tragi-romantic moments are truly heartbreaking. The last passages of the book truly embody this beautiful story in all its incarnations.
Susan Kay's Phantom
In my opinion, it is Kay who truly understands Erik. This novel traces his life from his birth to beyond his death, alternating in who is telling the story (his mother, the man who teaches him masonry and architecture, the Persian, Christine, Raoul, and Erik himself). This is my favorite book of all time; it changed my life. It will completely change how you view the story of The Phantom of the Opera, in a good way. I can almost guarantee you will read it again and again (as most phans do).
George Perry's The Complete Phantom of the Opera
This is something like a documentary in book-form. While its primary focus is the ALW musical, it also traces earlier versions, including the original. Beautiful photographs (though I should mention, if you read this book before seeing the musical... The show is much brighter than the pictures imply; the pictures in the book make the lightening look much darker than it actually is).
Frederick Forsythe's The Phantom of Manhattan
I would not even waste my time reviewing this piece of junk, but ALW himself actually endorsed it. It's a sequel to the ALW version, in book form. How is this possible, when The Phantom clearly dies in ALW's version? I have no idea. Not only is this book completely impossible for this reason, but it is also written very poorly. Forsythe has no idea of the characters, and emotions seem completely foreign to him. Why would ALW endorse such trash? Probably because he was planning a stage sequel to POTO during this time. It's a sad thing when a brilliant composer decides to sell-out. Thankfully, he cancelled the idea (although now he's working on a movie version of POTO, so he's still a sell-out).
Charlotte Vale Allen's Night Magic
Imagine Erik as an architect living in the 1960's. He likes music, but does not compose or sing. He falls in love with a 16 year old girl, whose name is Marissa instead of Christine. Now, imagine all the various sex positions they can try, while he is in his thirties and she is still underage. Allen is not a bad writer, so it's too bad that she interpreted POTO so horribly. An update would be fine, but an Erik who does not work with music and who commits statutory rape with no fear of repercussions? There is also no Raoul. At first, I found that enjoyable, but then I realized that this is literature, and there needs to be some sort of conflict/foil. And there isn't, not really.
Suzy McKee Charnas's "Beauty and the Opera" (look for it in the anthology Modern Tales of Fantasy)
I really did not like this short story the first few times I read it. Now, however, I realize it really is quite interesting and well-written. It's told from Christine's point of view. In this version, she stays with Erik, but the outcome is not quite what most phans dream of.
Nicholas Meyer's The Canary Trainer
There are three things I remember about this book. It's got Sherlock Holmes investigating the Opera Ghost, there are no sympathetic characters, and I hated it.
This is the silent film. As such, it is very over-the-top, and people like me sit there making up dialogue and laughing hysterically. However, it is necessary viewing for any phan.
The Phantom of the Opera (Claude Raines as Erik)
There's one sure-fire way you can guarantee I won't like a POTO version: Start with a non-disfigured Erik and throw acid in his face. That way, you can completely disregard the fact that it takes a certain amount of time and abuse to cause severe emotional disturbance and rage. Oh, and two Raouls are not better than one.
The Phantom of the Opera (Herbert Lom as Erik)
This is one of the infamous Hammer Horror Films, with all the '60's camp that phrase entails. It's a pretty funny movie for this reason. It does have some moving moments, surprisingly.
This has become a cult classic among non-phans. Guess how The Phantom becomes deformed? Okay, I'll tell you. He gets his face caught in a record pressing machine. All I remember about this movie was a very funny scene of some guy (not The Phantom) singing in the shower, and a gratuitous orgy scene. It's worth watching, but only for its cult classic status, not for its phantomness.
The Phantom of the Opera (Charles Dance as Erik)
This is actually the non-musical, made-for-tv version of Yeston and Kopit's Phantom (reviewed above, under "Musicals"). It is very moving and has made me cry several times. Teri Polo did an absolutely appalling job as Christine, although she did look the part. I assumed she was just a terrible actress, but now she's doing quite well in a guest role on The Practice on tv. So either she took some acting lessons in the last 13 years, or she really had an odd interpretation of Christine's character. Charles Dance does beautifully, though, as does Burt Lancaster as his father. It should be noted that this is a kinder, gentler Erik, which tends to detract from the story somewhat.
The Phantom of the Opera (Robert Englund as Erik)
Now, there's a phrase I shudder to type. In case you aren't familliar with Robert Englund's other work, he plays Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. I can't really imagine any phans liking this movie, although apparently many do. Personally, I like it, but that's because I'm a fan of the horror/slasher genre. Just to give you an idea, Erik's "mask" is made of skin taken from his many victims, and he is deformed because he sold his soul to the devil (a bit of a Faust homage).
The Phantom of the Opera (Julian Sands as Erik)
Dario Argento is a wonderful director, and Julian Sands is a good actor. But they couldn't have got this story more wrong if they tried. The Phantom is not deformed. He has long blonde hair. He was raised by rats (!). At one point, he puts the rats down his pants, apparently aroused by them. To call this movie The Phantom of the Opera should have been illegal.
