[tries to contain her burning urge to wip out why Raoul is not a ponce/fop/sissy essay]

I'm sure Mrs. Gamgee doesn't want to face that again.

*sigh* It looks like I'm going to have to come to Raoul's rescue here. I just really have to get this off my chest here.



I strongly disagree with this. Raoul isn't just a "pretty boy". He may seem like such but try to look at it more in-depth than just his image. Why do you think Raoul won the swordfight with Phanny? Because he smiled his pretty boy smile and unbuttoned his shirt? No! [Well...maybe a little on the unbuttoning of the shirt but anyhow.....] Raoul was raised in a wealthy family so he was probably trained in his youth.

A theory I came across online is that he was a Martially trained fighter. If you take a look at his costume in the Masquerade Ball, you can see how much it fits unlike some of the other costumes. Yes, he is accustomed to wear a tailored costume but it's probably not just a costume, but a uniform. And a uniform he has earned and wears proudly.



If you look at that image closely and compare to Raoul's "costume" at the Masquerade Ball....with this image you might as well observe my avvie.



There's an officer's braid on his "costume" which could have signified that he is or was a soldier of some sort. And he just ran and jumped on a horse with no saddle for goodness sakes, you think ANYONE could've done that? ....Okay, yes Gandalf did but only because of Ian's stunt double! Okay yes, Legolas could too but he's a PRETTY boy too! HAH!

I often hear Raoul-bashing. And heck, I've gotten used to it. But I really don't like it when they say they hate him for no reason. They don't seem to want to back up and tell us why they hate Raoul. And I'm not pointing fingers at anyone here. Just people in general. And actually, even when they do give reasons, they're ridiculously idiotic reasons.

Erik [or Phanny] is a very complex character, and has some fabulous inner workings but he's C-R-A-Z-Y. No really, just ADMIT IT. He is pretty darn bloody C-R-A-Z-Y. He made a mannequin for goodness sakes. Raoul is also a complex character but he's discribed as "pretty rich boy" which automatically makes him a simple character whom should be hated.



There's this thing called time and it usually goes by and sometimes people change in both appearance and personality. "He probably didn't recognize me." Yes, he probably didn't. As the story in the movie goes -- Christine was brought into the ballet dormitories at 7 and probably had not hit that dreaded thing called puberty yet (which is good because being 7 years old and being hit with puberty is ridiculous) and Raoul was probably 8-9 at the time when they were seperated. But he still remembers her nonetheless. When he recognizes her for the first time, her name was probably announced in a programme of some sort and it most likely triggered his memory of Christine and when she performed, he was still thinking if it was possible that it was her.

He didn't automatically fall in love with her.

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....

He sang nothing about love. He sang of remembrance of their childhood together. And when he visited her in her dressing room, he didn't waltz in as the rich patron but steadily came in as her childhood friend, speaking of picnics in the attic, frocks, goblins, shoes. Oh, Little Lotte! And if you think about it, Raoul is the only thing she has with the memory of her father in general of acquaintance. Phanny may have been connected to Christine's father by delusion, the guy used his grave as a bait for his daughter for goodness sakes.

Think of it!
A secret engagement.
Look! Your future bride.
Just think of it.

But why is it secret?
What have we to hide?
You promised me.

No, Raoul. Please don't.
They'll see.

Well, then let them see.
It's an engagement, not a crime.
Christine, what are you afraid of....

Regardless if she's a star or not, she still lives by the opera rules. And the opera workers are not allowed to be married and if Christine's to be married, it would end her career. That was how it was back then. So why would Raoul want to marry her, when all he'd end up with is Christine? He doesn't want to marry the star of the L'Opéra Populaire, he wants to marry Christine, his childhood sweetheart. The fact that he wants the world to know that he was going to marry a 'chorus girl' means that he is willing to risk his title to spend the rest of his life with her.

I'm not saying that Phanny means nothing. And regardless as to how I sound in the paragraphs above I'm a huge fan of Phanny. He's brilliant and I do pity him [and don't say you don't pity him because seriously, you'd be called a liar at the very spot]. I drew a Phanny phanart, see? I'm disappointed that no one's commented but maybe this isn't the best thread to post it in, but I'm still a fan of Phanny. I'd be down right stupid if I said Christine didn't love Erik. Because it's quite obvious that she does to an extent. He helped her so much with her singing, and he's definitely her guardian angel. But I don't think she loved him in the romantic sense. Christine will always be tied to Phanny since he's played such a prominent role in her career and her years of becoming a woman.



Was Christine really 16? Was this Webber's version of it? I remember in Gaston Leroux's book, Christine and Raoul were in their early 20's while Erik was around 40-50? I'm not sure about Erik's age but I'm pretty sure Christine and Raoul were 19-23.



If you all still think Raoul's just a "rich spoiled pretty boy" --- consider this.
Raoul is a sweet and honest gentleman, who is not "spoiled brat," or a 'fop' or whatever you want to call him. Spoiled brats don't donate a huge chunk of their money to support the arts, fops don't climb into dungeons, swim through murky water, or track down murderer/kidnappers. And if he wasn't a genuine sweetheart, he wouldn't have. So the next time someone calls Raoul a fop <--whatever that is, a spoiled brat, a wuss, a pansy, or anything that compares him to Gilderoy Lockhart from Harry Potter, I will not be held responsible for the massive full-on mission I'll upload on their pathetic and juvenile brains.

Wow...it's......2:03 am...

*sigh*

Yes, I am proud to be a R.A.O.U.L!

Rabid Admirer Of Underrated Lovers





Argh, what a ridiculously long post. I'm so sorry, guys.

[tries to contain her burning urge to wip out why Raoul is not a ponce/fop/sissy essay]

I'm sure Mrs. Gamgee doesn't want to face that again.