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Rank: Big Finish
Groups: Big Finish
, Member
Joined: 1/28/2008
Posts: 289
Points: 238
Location: UK
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Hi Folks, If you have any questions about our adaptation of The Phantom Of The Opera, feel free to pose them here. Thanks! Barnaby x
Please note that the views expressed by Barnaby are his own opinions and do not reflect official Big Finish policy. They may also be daft.
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Rank: Master's Mate
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/30/2008
Posts: 7
Points: 21
Location: Oregon, USA
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I'm considering buying this -- Phantom of the Opera has been on my list of favorite books since I was in eighth grade, and since reading it I've always been disappointed by the changes made in various film and stage adaptations. How close is the Big Finish version to the book really? (the cast list suggests closer than anything else -- I don't think I've seen another version which includes the Persian).
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Rank: Big Finish
Groups: Big Finish
, Member
Joined: 1/28/2008
Posts: 289
Points: 238
Location: UK
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EHyde wrote:I'm considering buying this -- Phantom of the Opera has been on my list of favorite books since I was in eighth grade, and since reading it I've always been disappointed by the changes made in various film and stage adaptations. How close is the Big Finish version to the book really? (the cast list suggests closer than anything else -- I don't think I've seen another version which includes the Persian). Like you, I'm a huge fan of the original novel and have been similarly disappointed by every adaptation to date. I promise you this is the most faithful adaptation you could wish for: it contains all the proper characters, the full back stories and the whole plot complete with the proper ending. I translated it myself from the original French novel because I was unhappy with the various translations that were around - they missed out a lot of the humour of Gaston Leroux's original. Furthermore, every piece of opera that is sung in the novel has been correctly identified (that took me two months of research) and freshly recorded for this production alone. It's only when you hear the arias in situ that you realize how utterly indispensable they are to the story. Of course, it's not a talking book, so things have been edited, timelines shortened and minor characters amalgamated. This is a full-cast drama and has been restructured into episodic format, with a narrative device which I've invented (Madame Giry's recollections). But it is utterly true to the spirit of the novel. Why not try the episode one download and see what you think?
Please note that the views expressed by Barnaby are his own opinions and do not reflect official Big Finish policy. They may also be daft.
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Rank: Master's Mate
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/3/2008
Posts: 5
Points: 15
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Just a curious question. Why is the download price for Phantom so pricey compared to the Doctor Who download price?
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Rank: Big Finish
Groups: Big Finish
, Member
Joined: 1/28/2008
Posts: 289
Points: 238
Location: UK
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Starbug1919 wrote:Just a curious question. Why is the download price for Phantom so pricey compared to the Doctor Who download price? It's not. It's the same: £12.99 download, £14.99 CD.
Please note that the views expressed by Barnaby are his own opinions and do not reflect official Big Finish policy. They may also be daft.
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Rank: Master's Mate
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/3/2008
Posts: 5
Points: 15
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In US Dollars, the doctor downloads are only $12.99, but phantom is $25.85
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Rank: Big Finish
Groups: Big Finish
, Member
Joined: 1/28/2008
Posts: 289
Points: 238
Location: UK
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Starbug1919 wrote:In US Dollars, the doctor downloads are only $12.99, but phantom is $25.85 I'll look into it. I know our pricing overseas is worked out on a different basis.
Please note that the views expressed by Barnaby are his own opinions and do not reflect official Big Finish policy. They may also be daft.
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Rank: Master's Mate
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/3/2008
Posts: 5
Points: 15
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Thank you. I'm still gonna get Phantom anyway on CD.
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Rank: Big Finish
Groups: Big Finish
, Member
Joined: 1/28/2008
Posts: 289
Points: 238
Location: UK
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Starbug1919 wrote:Thank you. I'm still gonna get Phantom anyway on CD. That's good to hear. The CD package is rather handsome, I must say, beautifully designed by Alex Mallinson and featuring some mildly fascinating essays by me. The download is also at a higher sound quality than our other downloads (256k) because of the all the music.
Please note that the views expressed by Barnaby are his own opinions and do not reflect official Big Finish policy. They may also be daft.
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Rank: Master's Mate
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/30/2008
Posts: 7
Points: 21
Location: Oregon, USA
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Thanks for the info, I'll give the first episode a try. I'm looking forward to it!
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Rank: Commander
Groups: Member
Joined: 2/6/2008
Posts: 103
Points: 318
Location: UK
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Now, I'm not really a fan of musicals to be honest but am a fan of classic drama / horror stories. What is the proportion of songs to acting in this release?
I need convincing to buy!
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Rank: Big Finish
Groups: Big Finish
, Member
Joined: 1/28/2008
Posts: 289
Points: 238
Location: UK
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chris wrote:Now, I'm not really a fan of musicals to be honest but am a fan of classic drama / horror stories. What is the proportion of songs to acting in this release?
I need convincing to buy! It's not a musical. It's a full-cast dramatization of the original novel written in 1909 by Gaston Leroux. Since the story centres around a beautiful soprano and a demented composer, music plays a fairly significant role in the proceedings. Gaston Leroux, an opera buff himself, carefully selected half-a-dozen operatic arias and a couple of pieces of classical music which have direct relevance to the plot and weaved them into the narrative. For example, when Christine Daae is being wooed through the magic mirror, the Phantom sings the love song from Gounod's Romeo and Juliet - not only is it a very seductive piece of music, it also helps emphasize the tragic overtones of the Phantom's love for Christine. He did this quite deliberately in order to provide contemporary readers with a subliminal (and sometimes superliminal) soundtrack to his story: these songs were all big hits when the novel was originally published. If you remove this fundamental musical element from the novel, it loses half its splendour, which is why I was so keen to adapt it properly. Moreover, this is the only adaptation ever to do this. You'll be experiencing the novel in a way no one has for a hundred years - the way Gaston Leroux intended it. So put thoughts of Andrew Lloyd Webber out of your head. This is the novel as it was meant to be heard.
Please note that the views expressed by Barnaby are his own opinions and do not reflect official Big Finish policy. They may also be daft.
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Rank: Big Finish
Groups: Big Finish
, Member
Joined: 1/28/2008
Posts: 289
Points: 238
Location: UK
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chris wrote:Now, I'm not really a fan of musicals to be honest but am a fan of classic drama / horror stories. What is the proportion of songs to acting in this release?
I need convincing to buy! As for the proportion of songs to acting, it really isn't about that. The action doesn't stop for the 'numbers' - they are part of it. As with the novel, scenes happen as people are listening to opera, or at a singing lesson, or when someone is composing, or at a party and so on. Music is everywhere, but people talk over it, get murdered during it and commit terrible crimes for the sake of it. Listen to the 99p download of Episode One and see if that convinces!
Please note that the views expressed by Barnaby are his own opinions and do not reflect official Big Finish policy. They may also be daft.
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Rank: Commander
Groups: Member
Joined: 2/6/2008
Posts: 103
Points: 318
Location: UK
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Ah, that sounds more like my cup of tea. I think that you might just have obtained another sale Barney!
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Rank: Big Finish
Groups: Big Finish
, Member
Joined: 1/28/2008
Posts: 289
Points: 238
Location: UK
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chris wrote:Ah, that sounds more like my cup of tea. I think that you might just have obtained another sale Barney! Splendid! I believe we're sorting out the overseas download price too. Paul will make an announcement soon.
Please note that the views expressed by Barnaby are his own opinions and do not reflect official Big Finish policy. They may also be daft.
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Rank: Master's Mate
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/30/2008
Posts: 7
Points: 21
Location: Oregon, USA
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I bought the first episode, but when I downloaded it, the zip file only contained a jpg of the cover, and no audio. Do you know what might have gone wrong?
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Rank: Big Finish
Groups: Big Finish
, Member
Joined: 1/28/2008
Posts: 289
Points: 238
Location: UK
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EHyde wrote:I bought the first episode, but when I downloaded it, the zip file only contained a jpg of the cover, and no audio. Do you know what might have gone wrong? Someone with very little brain and even less endowment is currently bombarding our web site with a stream of junk in order to make it crash. Paul is sealing the breach and repairing our systems. This will doubtless be the cause of the problem. Try downloading it again and, if it still doesn't work, contact Paul. Sorry!
Please note that the views expressed by Barnaby are his own opinions and do not reflect official Big Finish policy. They may also be daft.
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Rank: Big Finish
Groups: Big Finish
, Member
Joined: 1/28/2008
Posts: 289
Points: 238
Location: UK
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Hi folks. We've sorted the Phantom problem now - thanks to Paul - and all the downloads work. If you've bought the 99p first episode already, it will work now. If not, why not give it a go?
The special Phantom soundtrack albums will be back online shortly, too, so you can download Tim Sutton's wonderful incidental music for this production.
Please note that the views expressed by Barnaby are his own opinions and do not reflect official Big Finish policy. They may also be daft.
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Rank: Master's Mate
Groups: Member
Joined: 2/1/2008
Posts: 7
Points: 21
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As a huge POTO fan, I have to say that this was by far the most brillant radio adaptation I have ever come across. I give it 10 stars and recommend that anyone who is also a fan or "phan" buy it. :D
~Rachel
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