10) "I Remember" & STYDI -- scene summary

[honeyphan]

The Hidden Plot


*****SUMMARY OF I REMEMBER & STYDI *****


Paragraph summary: All starts well, until Christine removes Erik’s mask. Suddenly Erik rants about how horrible his home is, calling it hell, and this doesn’t please the Phantom who wanted also to deceive Christine into believing that a life in the darkness, the lair, would be everything Erik said in MOTN. Christine starts her role of actively bringing the light to Erik, but she still has a long way to go to grow into it and some things to learn.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHjscNVhnH4


Christine wakes up to Erik’s music box, which has suddenly started playing. Notice the box is red and gold—colors of the kingdom and the king. I believe the box symbolizes Erik because:


a) It has the face of a beast (what he and others call him)
b) The box itself shares Erik’s colors—red and gold
c) It’s robes are royal—in alternate lyrics of masquerade song—and are red trimmed in gold:
d) It needs nothing to start it playing—it is Music
e) In the Masquerade alternate lyrics, they say “trace of rouge, face of ape”—rouge, being red. The monkey wears red
f) The song it plays—Masquerade—is all about the king and his kingdom.
g) It plays cymbals—and when cymbals crash in musical analysis—Erik is always fully there and not under Phantom’s power at that moment.





She raises the protective black cover that Erik lowered around bed. It seems to sparkle more than it ever did—and she then rises from it. Her white stockings are missing. We think this is because
a) She doesn’t need the protection
b) Is in reverence to the one she’s with (the king)
c) Shows the role she is about to play.


Actually, I know that light was bright when he carried her into his bedroom, but it looked as if the stockings were missing then. At times you could see the individual curves of her toes, and the skin appeared flesh toned, not as if she was wearing white stockings. Just my thoughts. I feel the missing stockings show she doesn’t need protection of “shoes” or stockings with him. As already stated, Raoul appears to symbolize “shoes” in Little Lotte song, “Am I fonder of dolls, or goblins, or shoes?”

In symbol book, “feet” are symbolic of supporting a person, the soul—and shoes protect the feet. (Raoul is a protector/savior in this story, and priest of the light.) They show three close-ups of shoes in movie. First of Raoul, as if to show he is symbolic of “shoes,” then a close-up of Christine’s ballet slippers, as if to show he will be protecting her in the movie. (The other instance they show a close up fits too, which I will explain when we get to that scene.) In all scenes when Christine is with Erik alone, she is barefoot, as if to show she doesn’t need protection from him. Also, her stockings are missing because of who she is symbolizing when she arises from the clamshell bed that the Phoenix surrounds (Phoenix symbolizing Erik), as if protecting the person sleeping on it with its wings (from Notes: “The Angel of Music has her under his wings”). . .there is now what looks like a red rose by the bird’s head, where before it was only green, like myrrh. A red rose in mythic legend was first created--and later dedicated to Venus (Aphrodite), goddess of love and beauty.




In the story of Venus, she is symbolized as being born, rising from a clamshell, naked (perhaps another reason stockings were missing, to suggest that. They couldn’t totally disrobe her for the movie.). When Venus arises, she immediately went forth to bring love and beauty to those who needed help. In MOTN, Christine was like a wide-eyed, awestruck young girl, enjoying listening, watching, and following her Angel and being with him. But now, as she arises from that clamshell bed, much like Venus did, she immediately takes on the role of Venus. She tries to bring light to her Angel. (There are other instances where they appear to symbolize Christine as "Venus"- more shown in later scenes...)

Here is a painting of Venus rising from the clamshell ...



Also, Venus/Aphrodite is royalty, a Roman/Greek goddess. Another royalty clue that Christine is queen. It's as if she has been spiritually reborn (remember her fainting and the candle going out in MOTN—all symbolic of death in symbols website found.)

Look at the room beyond the bed and do a zoom. To the left, the red trunk-type box with toys (?) on top and the veil draped over it, as well as the chair in front with satin drape that were in MOTN are gone. Table with monkey music box, absent in MOTN, is now in the room. Notice the white light is gone from above the bed, and now is only near secret passage on right side of picture. (Secret passage is unveiled in DOM).

Here is a longshot of the room:



Here is the gold statue of the woman—we’re still trying to get a positive ID on who this is. My guess is that it’s going to be something connected with royalty since just about all other props in his lair are.





CHRISTINE: “I remember there was mist...
Swirling mist upon a vast glassy lake
There were candles all around, and on the lake there was a boat
And in the boat there was a man"

As she sings “there were candles all around,” on the left is what appears to be someone’s right hand with the arm in a red sleeve and wrapped up in curtain. (see picture) “Arm” in the symbolism chart means “activity”—and since this is a right arm, (right--false--Phantom spirit) I think this is a clue that the Phantom spirit is not active at this point--it is bound in the curtain. (In a later scene we see something similar in a different area, and the way it’s presented leads me to believe this.) So in this scene, Erik is fully there.

The sleeve of Christine's right arm is attached to her bodice—this is the same arm that was suddenly free when Angel carried her to the bed, when shot before showed it trapped against him as he lifted her up after she fainted. See pic below of arm in curtain:




on closeup I sharpened it to see detail:




Red roses are scattered over the organ now, when they hadn’t been there before. Red is Erik’s color, and roses symbolize Christine. (red in the rose being another clue that he is fully there). He is playing Angel of Music on the organ, and you can also hear a violin accompany him. We think this could be the Phantom spirit--the violin has long been depicted in legend and classics as the "devil's instrument" and is repeatedly shown in this movie many times and in different ways.

A crest is on the back of his robe--this same crest appears in other places too--sometimes only part of it--a clue that he does have a title. This was a common practice, for the nobility to have one’s crest embroidered on clothing and also engraved on other things. After a lot of research, we feel the top half resembles a Fleur de Leis (sp?)—a French lily--and that was the symbol of kings. In the masquerade song, in the Spanish subtitles, there is a reference made to this. The stones look like emeralds—also symbolic of healing/protection one sleuther found.




Regarding Erik’s family crests: The white horse is still there, but the crests are now farther apart. They look as if they are leaning away from each other. The smaller one looks almost like it's going to fall over. It's also leaning to the right, toward the white horse/rider.

Quick note about mirrors before we go further: Research shows that in Victorian times -when this movie takes place -people covered mirrors because they feared evil spirits were inside them. They felt by covering them, the spirit could not take them or get out. This was done, especially if there had been a death in the house. (And it's important to remember for later scene.) With this in mind, according to this old belief, uncovering the mirror could release the evil spirit.


CHRISTINE: “Who was that shape in the shadows?

According to the dictionary, “shadow” is another word for Phantom. Or spirit. Since she clearly saw Erik in a massively candlelit room—“candles all around”--he obviously isn’t the one she’s referring to here, the one in shadows. She’s speaking of the phantom spirit, as if she'd glimpsed him in the shadows. Also, the bust on the organ now appears to have an eye, as if Phantom spirit is watching them.

CHRISTINE: ”Whose is the face in the mask?” (Speaking of Erik.)

Companion book original screenplay says it like this: “She lovingly caresses his face. He responds deeply to her touch. Almost like a lover, removing a veil, Christine takes off the mask.”

Taking on the role of Venus, she is showing him love and trying to bring him light and beauty. Trying to help him in other words. She didn’t remove the mask out of curiosity, and her expression didn’t change when she saw his face.

He shoves her to the ground in shocked anger. Keep in mind, whenever his mask was removed in the past—as a boy—violence often followed. He’s scared, hurt, and angry, thinking now she wanted to hurt him too.

Music is scattered all around her--he didn’t throw it there with her. Next shot, we see her smile a little—and a paper propped up with the words “La Feria” on it. It wasn’t there before. After he sings “you little viper”—it’s gone again, and the candlestick in front of her that was holding up the paper is now behind her. (more on La Feria further down)

Some of us think this is Erik singing, and he’s just very hurt and angry (his world just caved in--could also be why the family crests have fallen to the side and aren't straight up and down anymore)--while some think the Phantom spirit takes over as he sings the following words. I feel it’s Erik because his voice is so broken toward the end, and also he sings that she can never be free. (From the sight of his face.) Also notice--he removed the tapestry from the mirror. He uncovered it AFTER he got angry. Remember what I said about spirits and covering/uncovering mirrors. . .

ERIK: “Damn you, You little prying Pandora
You little demon -is this what you wanted to see?
Curse you, you little lying Delilah
You little viper
Now you cannot ever be free
Damn you, curse you...”

He felt she’d tricked him, by catching him off guard in being so loving toward him then taking off his mask--when she was really only trying to bring him out of hiding, showing him he must leave the darkness. (Why he called her a lying Delilah {Samson and Delilah} and a viper.) Pandora, from mythology, was curious and did the one thing she was never supposed to do. He thought it was curiosity that made Christine do what she did. The mask symbolizes the Phantom spirit—as clues and symbolism of masks show—and Erik is hiding behind that spirit, afraid to come out into the light--because of all that’s happened to him in his life because of his face.

His rant over, he weakens, even acting remorseful. You see erratic lines of blue light going through his middle (his spirit/heart, where the blue lines always show on him)--his emotions are in turmoil--and as he walks you also see a row of blue bubbles follow him at the end of those blue lines of light. Bubbles we learned are symbolic of “negative energy”-- as if to show his spirit is deeply wounded here. See pic below--the bubbles are on the right--watch in movie as he walks. They follow him.



The white light that followed them in POTO is still trapped outside his gate--in fact, it surrounds the place (over the bed, beyond the organ in MOTN) because Christine brought it with her. But it’s not inside the lair itself—only on the outside. White mist is covers the lake, but it is not the light. Erik has not yet let it inside, and the Phantom has trapped it.

ERIK: ”Stranger than you dreamt it
Can you even dare to look, or bear to think of me
This loathesome gargoyle
Who burns in hell, But secretly yearns for heaven
Secretly, secretly...
But Christine...

This could be part of the secrets of the Angel in Hell (in DOM) though I believe it’s more than that. Here is another reference that shows Erik does NOT want to live in the darkness. He yearns for the light, but thinks it impossible for him because of his face.

He looks at mannequin—and this is interesting; I just noticed it tonight. The chamber is lit the same as in MOTN, all candles are still lit, but Christine looks paler here—as if she’s fading away. Symbolic perhaps of the separation they will now endure because of what's just happened. There are four candles lit beside her, and since four is Erik’s number—this is like a clue showing that she will be his bride.

MOTN—notice how her flesh tones are so pink—I did not brighten these at all, this is straight from movie:



here she is in STYDI—the candles are still all lit as they were in MOTN, in fact, they are the same height though alll other candles burned down from MOTN. And she looks pale, as if she's beginning to fade:




Also notice the slight smile she gives—it’s important for later.


ERIK: ”Fear can turn to love
You'll learn to see, to find the man behind the monster (note: this is movie foreshadowing of what happened in DOM with their kiss, and how these words came true.)

This repulsive carcass
Who seems a beast but secretly dreams of beauty,
Secretly, secretly...
Oh, Christine...

Another secret of the Angel--he dreams of beauty.

Companion book says: “Christine is near tears. Her heart is moved by this poor man.”
It’s sympathy that leads her to give him the mask, though she doesn’t yet realize what it symbolizes. She’s new at her role of showing him light and needs to mature (which she does throughout the movie. Also, notice what looks like lion’s heads on the organ behind her. And remember the pic of Mme. Giry standing in front of the lion's head while reading something and holding a ceremonial goblet. The organ is black and gold -perhaps showing that both Phantom spirit and Erik have power over/compose the music of the night. Since Phantom spirit is Erik's muse.)

He puts on the mask (in symbolism this is suggestive of taking on the spirit of the mask), and rises and goes to her, then holds out his hand to help her up. She only looks at him, though I don't see fear on her face. It might be that she doesn’t take his hand because she wants to stay but feels bad for how she went about things and feels he doesn't want her anymore. Because instantly we see a reversal--him starting from where he’d already been and walking back up to her. If you zoom and take careful note of where everything is in this scene--the position of the music stand, the candles, everything—it clearly shows that he’s talking to her when he looks down to his right and says: “Come, we must return, those two fools who run my theater will be missing you.”



He walks over and holds his hand out to her, then seems to walk forward and stop -but look at the positions of everything:




here is the position of the stands to help get situated, so as to understand where Chrsistine and Erik are at this moment:






Like I said, it shows him starting from the position he'd already been before he walked over to Christine. This is just one of many reversals in this movie -I feel it's a clue showing that, wounded, Erik has retreated and this is the Phantom now taking control through him.

The Phantom spirit is now anxious to get her out of there and away from Erik. She has just become the Phantom spirit’s enemy -because she tried to remove the phantom spirit-the darkness—from Erik by actively trying to bring light to him. And in doing so, Erik, in his hurt, sang to her what he really thought of the place in which he lived. That it was hell -and not the wonderful dwelling he described in MOTN that he wanted her to share with him. His confession went contrary to the Phantom spirit’s plans--to have them in his darkness forever, so he could exert his power through them both.


On “La Feria”—the paper that was propped up when she was lying on the ground and slightly smiled. See pic below for a before and after shot—notice the position of the candlestick also—it has moved, and perhaps was there just to prop up the La Feria composition.

Before:


only seconds after:



Here is info we found on a few websites: “La Feria originated in Seville, Spain. At one point in Seville's history, the gypsies had to flee and hide. In this underground environment of forced exile, the first flamenco forms were created...The flamenco dance--which came from La Feria--was fathered by the gypsies...” (what is really interesting is that Erik had a Spanish (Latin) feel about him in the movie -the way he moved, etc.)

Here's more: “For all its important monuments and fascinating history, Seville is universally famous for being a joyous town. While the Sevillians are known for their wit and sparkle, the city itself is renowned for its vitality. It is the largest town in Southern Spain, and the city of Carmen, Don Juan and Figaro ...”(Phantom wrote the opera Don Juan Triumphant)“...The Sevillians are great actors and put on an extraordinary performance at their annual Feria de Abril,(also called La Feria) a week-long party of drink, food and dance which takes place day and night in more than a thousand especially erected tents. But above all it allows the men to parade through the streets on their fine horses and the women to dance in brilliantly coloured gypsy dresses.
The site itself is a flat ground with streets named after famous bullfighters and cultural figures - fitting for a festival that arose in the 19th century as a popular revolt against foreign culture and habits.”

"The fair was founded in 1846. The grand opening of La Feria de Abril is El Alumbrado,(the lighting) which begins every year with the official lighting of the lanterns where half a million little lights are turned on at once, especially by the main gate...” (the arch looking much like the drawing in his lair)
”...next to the Feria you find a huge lunapark (luna means moon), called "Calle del Infierno" - Hell's street. There are merry go rounds there...” (could relate to Masquerade song--"take your turn, take a ride on the merry go round, in an inhuman race... ") “...Many tents are set up using red and green canvas...” Red = Erik who is king; Green = Christine who is queen)

I did an "image" check on the search engine I use for La Feria--and came up with five separate pictures (of about 85) closely resembling Erik’s drawings in his lair of that stone arch. Because she smiled ONLY during that short time when the La Feria score showed, I feel this was an important clue as to not only the paper there, but to them. (masquerade song has: "curl of lip"--and she smiled at an odd time--and just for a moment--when she shouldn't be smiling. There are other instances of "curl of lip" in movie.)

Research shows that Feria means “free day” and is the feast that follows Easter week. (Erik is spiritually and physically freed at end of movie. Seville, Spain is a city of music and dance (many festivals) I discovered that there is an opera house there, though I'm still unsure when it was built--and it was home to many gypsies...My opinion only--I think showing the paper with La Feria and her slight smile could be a clue as to where they go after DOM, since he probably would need to leave France with her for a time and find a place until things died down...and France is right next to Spain.


**COMPANION BOOK CLUES**

In companion book (p.91), this is a scene they didn’t show in film and they also changed his clothing, but I thought it was very beneficial and a clue to show exactly who they are – Music:

“She sees the PHANTOM sitting at his organ. His mask and hair perfect, bare-chested in the flowing robe, he is once again a strong sexual presence CHRISTINE is attracted to. He is trying to finish a melody (“Point of No Return”). As she approaches, she takes over the melody and, vocalizing, finds a solution to it. He then plays the middle section and she listens. She is behind him, very close. Together they complete the song, musically as one. The melody continues on the violin as the PHANTOM notates it on his score...” (notice how they make it a point to say that the violin music continues as Angel/Erik (this is a hidden plot so they aren't going to call him two names) quits playing and notates it--as if someone else there--spirit--is playing the violin. Or perhaps to show he is in control of the situation? Erik’s muse, so to speak. The Phantom now controls them both, but Erik to a much greater degree.)

On p. 92 of film companion book, we find another clue. It says, regarding Meg, that she "sees the spectre of the Phantom leading Christine across the roof" (In other words, they are telling us flat out that it is the "spirit" or "ghost" separate from Erik. Otherwise, why not just write that she saw the Phantom leading her? It's yet another clue that there are really two beings. Erik (man) and Phantom (spirit)) And that this was the Phantom spirit that had taken over when Erik put back on the mask.)

*On the two page spread, they show the bust on the organ, but it is very black where they show the eyehole -no eye there.

* they show Christine on the bed, her bare legs showing. Her index finger appears to be pointing to her leg, by the position it's in, and the others are curled.


**SPANISH SUBTITLE TRANSLATIONS by PMA and Promiseme**

I Remember

“I’m trying to remember. In a lake equal to dark crystal, candles all around. And in a boat that crossed the lake, a ghostly/phantom man! You are the shadow in the shadows? You, hidden again?”

STYDI

“Deviless! Gossip! Bad Pandora! Cruel demon! Only this you wanted to see? Witch! Delilah, false and traitor! Ignoble viper! Already, you can never be free. Deviless! Witch! Will you dare to look at my face, or to think of me? I dreamed to be in heaven, and I am a prisoner in hell. Only here, here. Only here.

Lose already the fear, and you are able to love the man, defeating the monster finally.
To this eyesore, your despicable beast, that dreams of beauty. Oh, Christine.”

Come, we must return. Those two stupid men who manage my theatre will be lacking.

(from me—the word “traitor” is a clue that points to his kingship...saying that once she loses the fear and is able to love the man—and by doing so FINALLY defeats the monster is foreshadowing for what happens in PONR- final lair scene.)


**THE SPOKEN WORD**

In the movie, they broke away from song to speak lines they had sung in the play—sometimes speaking for only a few lines. Here is the connecting link I’ve found with the spoken word—

After STYDI is sung this is spoken: “Come, we must return. Those two fools who run my theater will be missing you. (Spoken by Phantom/Angel (Erik under Phantom’s influence) about what belongs to him--also about her.)


**SOUND SIMILARITIES by Redrose**

"I Remember":
Masquerade when Christine wakes
I Remember-- unique
AOM when Erik is at the organ

STYDI
Unique
NOWL when mask is given back


**MUSICAL ANALYSIS by Phantom’s Star**

Note: I think this is what the sounds stand for.
Flute: a calling
Harp: thinking of Angel (Angel of Music)
Cymbals: Angel is there, or near (brush of cymbals)—loud crash—he is fully there.

I Remember/Stranger Than You Dreamt It

1.) Harp – After Christine wakes up and sings, “I remember there was mist”, we hear the brush of harp strings (it’s really emphasized as well). She’s thinking and remembering of Angel and about the night before when he sang.

2.) Flute – “And in the boat there was a man.” On the word “man”, I think it sounds like a low sound of the flute. I think Angel is calling to Christine to come closer (since he then begins to play AOM). And she listens.

3.) Harp – Right before Christine sings, “Who was that shape in the shadows,” we hear the plucking of harp strings. Christine is thinking of her Angel, remembering he was the man, since he played AOM. We also hear a few harp strings after she sings this line as well.

4.) “Whose is the face in the mask?” – After Christine sings this, we hear the brushing of the cymbals. As she takes off his mask, we slightly hear the brushing of cymbals again. I think this further shows that this is Angel here, but not himself completely because he releases his anger out on Christine after she strips him of his mask (his way of feeling safe).

5.) After Angel sings STYDI and focus is back on Christine, we hear the tune that sounds like “Yet in his eyes all the sadness of the world.” The flute plays this melody, and we soon hear the harp following it. The flute stops as Christine hands his mask to him, but the harp continues. I think the flute here means Angel was calling for Christine to return his mask, but because we also hear the harp, I think it shows Christine was very moved by his words and thinking of him, taking in all he said.



**LINK TO "NOTES"**

viewtopic.php?p=185622#185622

[Christina]

ooo Seville....this is why you went there in your story. i love this stuff! you mentioned an opera house...are they gonna go there in your story?

[honeyphan]

ooo Seville....this is why you went there in your story. i love this stuff! you mentioned an opera house...are they gonna go there in your story?

LOL!!!
Patience, my friend. You'll see...

And yea, that's why they went to Seville and La Feria in my story.