Phantom of the Opera

1

Good evening,

Vercheres.

Shh!

Good evening,

Inspector.

You have missed half

of the opera, as usual.

I didn't come

to see the opera.

As usual.

Christine

Raoul!

I just got back from Rouen. Now I

must talk to you for a moment.

But I...

Raoul, I shouldn't

have left.

Christine, dear. I hurried

over to tell you something.

What?

That I love you.

Again?

Still.

What a wonderful audience tonight.

Wonderful.

And you were marvelous,

Biancarolli.

Oh, thank you.

We're having supper tonight

at the Caf de l'Opra.

I'm terribly

sorry, Raoul,

but I can't tonight. Why not?

Chris! Christine!

I'm coming, Jenny.

If you have another

engagement tonight, break it.

You've had your fling

at this for two years.

But I don't want to

give up the Opera.

Not until I've had

a chance to really sing.

And Anatole says

he has great faith

in my voice, and he's

going to help me.

Naturally. That's what

baritones are for.

You're in wonderful

voice tonight, monsieur.

Excellent.

Thank you, Marcel.

Christine! Why weren't you on the

stage for the end of the act?

Well, I...

You're all right, aren't you?

Oh, yes.

Mademoiselle DuBois?

Come here, please.

Don't worry.

Why weren't you on the stage for

the curtain calls, mademoiselle?

Well, I was ill...

No, you were not.

You were entertaining a friend.

A friend, mind you!

Now, for a singer to deliberately

absent herself from the stage

during a performance

is a gross breach of...

Oh...

You wish to talk

to me, monsieur?

With your permission,

I'd like a few words

with Mademoiselle DuBois in my

office after the performance.

Yes, she will be there.

Thank you.

Now, you bear in your mind

what I told you, mademoiselle.

Yes, monsieur.

Terrifying fellow, that

Vercheres, when he wants to be.

I'm very grateful,

monsieur.

I promise you I'll never

miss a curtain call again.

It's a promise.

Now, uh...

This young man who is more important

to you than your career...

Who is he?

But he isn't, monsieur. That is,

I'm very fond of him... I mean...

Oh.

Well, he's Inspector Raoul

Daubert of the Sret.

Inspector?

You mean a policeman?

But he's not an

ordinary policeman.

Even an extraordinary

policeman seems

a strange sweetheart

for an operatic soprano.

Does he sing?

I'm afraid you don't

understand, monsieur.

He's a graduate of the

military academy at Saint-Cyr.

And he's very intelligent

and very clever.

For a man who

means nothing to you,

he seems to have made quite

an impression, mademoiselle.

But I didn't say he meant nothing to me.

What I said was...

I know.

I know what you mean.

You have promise,

Mademoiselle DuBois.

But you must choose

between an operatic career

and what is usually

called "a normal life."

Though why it is

so-called is beyond me.

You can't do

justice to both.

The artist has

a special temperament,

and he must live his life exclusively

with those who understand it.

I understand, monsieur.

You'll find that music has

its compensations, my dear.

Good night.

Good night.

And thank you.

Oh, Mademoiselle DuBois, will you please

tell Monsieur Claudio to come in?

I think he's

in the anteroom.

Certainly.

Good night.

Good evening. Monsieur Villeneuve

asked that you come in now.

Thank you, mademoiselle.

Thank you.

Mademoiselle? May I speak

to you for a minute?

Certainly.

You weren't on

the stage tonight

for the third-act

curtain calls.

Everyone in the theater

seems to have noticed it.

It's really quite flattering.

Why weren't you there?

Oh, forgive me, but I've been

here so long that you...

Everybody,

everything connected with

the Opera is so

much a part of my life.

Of course. But Monsieur

Villeneuve is waiting.

Yes.

You weren't ill, were you?

You're not in any trouble?

Oh, it's impertinent

of me, I know, but, uh...

You're very kind.

Good night.

Christine!

Oh...

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Good night.

Good night.

Come in, please.

You know why I

sent for you, Claudio.

I think so, Maestro.

For some time now, I have sensed

discord in the violin section.

It was not until tonight that I definitely

located the source of the trouble.

Let me hear you play,

if you please, Claudio.

Yes, Maestro.

What was that,

Claudio?

A little song.

A lullaby.

From Provence,

where I was born.

You played it

very well.

Perhaps I was wrong.

No, it was you.

What could have been

the matter, Claudio?

You're an accomplished

musician.

Come, come now.

Let me hear you play the opening

movement in the third act of Marta.

It's no use, Maestro.

Something has happened to the

fingers of my left hand.

But you played that

lullaby perfectly.

It's a simple melody,

Maestro.

That's why I played it.

You were trying to

fool me, eh, Claudio?

Well, perhaps it's only temporary.

Perhaps it'll get better.

I hope so,

but in the meantime...

You know, Claudio, the aim of

the Paris Opera is perfection.

I'm sorry, old fellow.

Very sorry.

You've been with us a

long time, haven't you?

Twenty years.

What am I to do,

Maestro?

I know it's hard, Claudio.

No doubt you've saved a tidy

little fortune to retire on.

Yes, of course.

In appreciation of

your long service,

I shall arrange

with the directors

to have a season

ticket issued to you.

Thank you, Maestro.

Why didn't you get yourself

something to eat before the opera

instead of keeping me up all hours?

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