Stage vs. Movie Costumes for Christine in The Phantom of the Opera
Christine Daaé, the leading lady of The Phantom of the Opera, has a plethora of lovely costumes on the stage and on the screen. Her costumes were designed by Maria Bjornson for the stage and Alexandra Byrne for the movie.
Which Outfits Are Better?
The stage version and the movie version have some costumes that are very similar to each other, while others are quite different. But in which production does Miss Daaé have better costumes overall?
It’s a subjective question, but let’s compare the costumes side by side to come up with a conclusion. It will probably be biased because opinions are not facts, but please enjoy the costume discourse.
Christine’s Main Costumes
1. Slave Girl, Hannibal
2. Elissa,
“Think of Me”
3. White Dressing Gown
4. Page, Il Muto
5. “All I Ask of You”
6. “Masquerade”
7. “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again”
8. Aminta, “The Point of No Return”
9. Wedding Gown
1. Slave Girl, Hannibal
When we first meet Christine, she is wearing a slave girl costume during the dress rehearsal for the newest opera, Hannibal. Both versions of this costume are revealing but in different ways.
Stage Version
In the stage show, the costume has a plunging neckline and a rope skirt. Velvet panels make up the bodice, and gold cording cover the seams. There are a lot of beaded elements around the neckline and the shoulders. Christine also wears a crown.
Movie Version
In the movie, the costume has an exposed midriff. It has a floral print on the bodice. The neckline and waistband appear be made out of leather, with some metal details. The skirt is made from a lightweight fabric. The partial nudity of the costume represents her vulnerability; she is being exposed and singled out to save the show that night.
My Pick: Stage
I think the movie version suits the slave girl character better, but I think the stage version is the better costume for an opera. The movie version is too sedate for an opera costume and lacks the motion that a dancer’s costume needs to show off their grace of movement.
2. Elissa, “Think of Me”
During the Hannibal rehearsals, Carlotta, the opera’s diva, quits. Christine takes her place after dazzling the producers with her voice.
Stage Version
Midway through the song in the stage show, Christine’s slave costume transforms into the leading lady’s costume. The show does this by removing the rope skirt and switching it for a larger, grander skirt that has heavily patterned fabric, heavy embroidery, and gold tassels.
Movie Version
The movie doesn’t have the limitations of real-time and a live audience, so its version is completely different. In the movie, the costume goes from a Minoan slave girl to Empress Elizabeth of Austria. In fact, according to the FIDM exhibit brochure, “The influence for Christine’s white gown came from the famous Winterhalter painting of Empress Elizabeth of Austria wearing a Worth & Bobergh ballgown covered with stars.”
My Pick: Stage
As lovely as the film costume is—and it really is very beautiful—it’s out of place in terms of the context. It makes you wonder what the movie version of Hannibal is about and what is going on with this character in the opera.
Had there been some context for the costume design in the film, it could have worked; it’s a beautiful costume.
However, without that context, the movie makes us question things about the show-within-a-show, and stuff like that takes you out of the experience. While both dresses are lovely, I think the stage show is better in terms of context.
3. White Dressing Gown
After Christine’s triumphant debut, she wears a white dressing gown with ruffles. This dressing gown is worn during the show’s most memorable moments: “The Mirror,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Music of the Night,” and the first unmasking.
Stage Version
In the stage show, Christine wears a long white robe with long sleeves. It has lots of ruffles at the neckline, cuffs, hem, and along the opening. The Hannibal corset is worn under the dressing gown, adding a pop of color.
Movie Version
In the movie, Christine’s “dressing gown” is more like lingerie. It consists of a sheer chemise with a high slit, a white corset, and a white robe with ruffles and pink sequins.
It has been suggested that the corset she wears with the dressing gown is the same corset she wore with her “Think of Me” dress. However, the lace on the corset’s neckline would be visible if it was worn with the “Think of Me” dress— so it’s a different corset.
My Pick: Stage
While I do like the movie costume, it doesn’t work within the scope of the story. In the stage version, after Christine’s debut, Raoul comes to see her and invites her to dinner. Immediately after Raoul leaves the room, the Phantom makes his presence known and lures Christine through the mirror.
In the movie, between Raoul’s invitation and the Phantom’s appearance, Christine changes into this costume. I will also point out that as Christine changes clothes, the opera house goes from full to empty.
It would have made more sense to either have her go down to the Phantom’s lair in her “Think of Me” dress or have her change into a dress for dinner. Or she could have been wearing this costume prior to Raoul’s entrance. The Phantom’s arrival loses impact if it took him 20 minutes to react to Raoul’s dinner invitation!
I think the filmmakers wanted the scene to be dark, with a sense of foreboding preluding the Phantom’s entrance, but it comes at the cost of pacing. Aesthetically and context-wise, I think the stage costume is better.
4. Page, Il Muto
In the opera Il Muto, Christine plays a mute page who cross-dresses to fool the Count.
Both Versions
In both versions, it’s a simple costume that consists of a shirt and breeches. The movie version has some extra frills, buttons, and pastel stripes, as you can see above.
My Pick: Movie
There is not much to this costume, but I think I like the movie version better; it’s a little bit more fun and colorful. It also seems like it fits the aesthetic of Il Muto.
5. “All I Ask of You”
During Il Muto, the Phantom demands that Christine play the lead role of the Countess. Before she can take the stage, panic ensues as the Phantom murders Buquet, a stagehand. Christine and Raoul rush to the roof for safety. She tries to tell Raoul about the Phantom and her growing fear, and he tries to comfort her with his love. They then profess their love to each other.
Stage Version
In the stage show, Christine changes into an 18th-century gown and wears a blue cloak with ruffles.
Movie Version
In the movie, she doesn’t finish changing, so she goes out in a corset with pink details, a pink skirt, and a red velvet cloak. This costume is sexier than its stage counterpart.
My Pick: Movie
These costumes are on opposite sides of the spectrum; the stage version is more opulent, and the movie version is simple yet sexy. Honestly, I think both are great, but I lean more toward the movie version.
The simplicity of the film costume helps convey the intimacy of the scene, as well as Christine’s emotional fragility. It also has a Little Red Riding Hood connotation, given that she’s being stalked by something dangerous.
6. “Masquerade”
“Masquerade” occurs during a costume party at the beginning of Act 2. Both costume feature pink but are very different from each other.
Stage Version
In the stage show, Christine goes in costume as a “Star Princess.” Her dress softly fades from pink to blue and has lots of star details, off-shoulder ruffle sleeves, a shorter hem, and a crown.
Movie Version
In the movie, Christine dresses up like . . . herself, maybe? She dresses in a pink gown with a bustle, and the dress has ruffles and flower details.
I’m not sure why she’s exempt from wearing a costume at a costume party. And why is she exempt from the color scheme of the party, which is white, black, and gold. There are theories that the color reflects Christine becoming tainted by the Phantom; however, overall, this dress again doesn’t work within the context of the story.
She could be a stylized flower, and the pink is to make her stand out, but it is not needed since she is seldom in wide or long shots.
My Pick: Stage
The movie costume is a very pretty gown, but it’s not a costume for a masquerade party. Though, who knows—given all the flowers on her dress, maybe an hour before she left for the party, she just put on a ton of flowers and claimed
she was a flower. It would almost make sense, given the odd costume choices in the film.
7. “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again”
This sequence itself differs noticeably between the stage show and the film, and the costumes are very different as well.
Stage Version
In the stage show, Christine wears a more “casual” dress for a few sequences (“Notes/Twisted Every Way,” “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again,” and “Wandering Child”).
It’s a blue dress with a floral print, ruffles at the cuffs, a bustle, and an apron detail. She wears the dress under a blue cape with a red scarf for “Wishing” and “Wandering Child.” This costume is the only costume Christine wears that could be described as everyday attire. It’s her only costumes that reflects her as person and not a character she is playing or a costume to has to wear.
Movie Version
In the movie, “Notes” gets split so that it occurs right after “Masquerade” and follows “Wandering Child.” Christine wears a white blouse with a black bustle skirt for “Twisted Every Way,” which is hard to get a decent picture of from the movie since it’s barely visible.
During “Wishing” and”Wandering Child,” Christine wears a black dress with a plunging neckline with lace details. She wears a black cape with a maroon chiffon scarf worn over her head and around her neck.
My Pick: Stage
I suppose the idea behind the movie costume is that it’s a mourning dress. However, Christine just pulls this dress off a rack in the opera house, so it’s unclear if it’s a costume owned by the opera or her own garment. Either way, the dress lacks the fine details of its stage counterpart and looks like a stab of black on screen. Based on the context of the story, I’d say the stage version is the better costume.
8. Aminta, “The Point of No Return”
Aminta is the character that Christine plays in the Phantom’s opera, Don Juan Triumphant. She wears this costume during “The Point of No Return” and briefly during “The Final Lair.”
Stage Version
In the stage show, Christine wears a dress that is flamenco-inspired with a 18th-century flair. It has a ton of details, like layers of ruffles, lace, beads, embroidery, a shawl, etc. It’s a very extravagant costume.
Movie Version
Conversely, the movie version is simpler and more seductive. Christine is dressed like a stereotypical Romani. She wears a lace chemise, flower details, a dark red floral corset with bead trim along the hem, and a skirt with ruffle details. A red rose in her hair and a gold bracelet complete the look.
My Pick: Tie
I like both looks, and, despite being so different, they do have a similar vibe. I think they both work within the context of the story. I have a soft spot for the stage version, but the movie costume grows on me more every time I see it.
This is a hard one, as the costumes are just so different and perform different functions for the mediums. It’s a tie!
9. Wedding Gown
The wedding dress is a gown that the Phantom made for Christine. Both dresses feature diagonal elements. In the stage show, there are diagonal ruffles on the skirt, and there’s an overlay draped at an angle in the movie. However, beyond that, the dresses are different.
Stage Version
The stage costume has lots of lace and ruffle details, a wide waistband, a sweetheart neckline, 3/4 sleeves, buttons, and a bustle. It’s a very opulent dress, and it’s a great dress to end the show. It also read more 18th century in style which makes it look more performative.
Movie Version
The movie dress has the same spirit as the one from the stage show. It features an off-shoulder neckline with short sleeves. The bodice is identical to the “Think of Me” dress. It has an asymmetrical overlay on the front that drapes around the side and covers the skirt, which is ruffled (much like the stage show).
My Pick: Tie
The movie dress is not as opulent as the stage version but it really comes down to the style preference of the Phantoms. The stage Phantom favor opulent dramatics and the movie favors subtle romantics. Both are quite lovely and do work in their respective adaptations.
My Verdict: The Stage Costumes Are Better
While I do find the movie’s costumes to be lovely overall, many of them don’t work within the context of the story. Compared to the stage costumes, they lack grandeur. It’s not that a costume needs to be grand to be beautiful, but opulence helps with immersion when the majority of the costumes are themselves costumes for the fictitious operas within the musical.
I think that the stage show has superior costumes. But what do you think?
