Christine Daaé
Encyclopedia
Christine Daaé is the main female character in Gaston Leroux
's novel The Phantom of the Opera
(1911), the young singer with whom the main character Erik, the Phantom of the Opera falls in love.
. Her mother dies when Christine is six years old, and she is brought up by her father, traveling to fairs where he plays the violin
and she sings. They are discovered at one of these fairs by Professor Valérius, who takes them to Gothenburg
and then to Paris
, providing for Christine's education.
Christine is extremely close to her father, who tells her Scandinavia
n fairy-tales
; a tale of the "Angel of Music" is her favorite. Christine's father dies, leaving her disconsolate, despite the loving care of her "adopted" mother Mme. Valérius, bedridden wife of the late Professor. Christine enters the Paris Conservatory and trains for four years to become a professional singer to please her father and Mamma Valérius, but has lost all passion for singing.
When Christine arrives at the Opera Garnier, she is described as "sounding like a rusty hinge", but one person finds the beauty hidden in her tone. When Erik
begins to tutor her, he tells her that he is the Angel of Music of whom her father had spoken (Erik tells her this because he has fallen in love with her). She believes him, and he inspires her soul back into her voice. Christine debuts at a gala at the opera, after the singer Carlotta falls ill and she is asked to take her place. Christine's singing is described as "seraph
ic".
Christine becomes torn between her loyalty for her mentor Erik, and her love for her childhood friend Viscount Raoul de Chagny.
In the Lofficier translation of the novel, it is stated that Christine is 15 years old. However, this is a mistranslation of a passage which says her heart was "as pure as that of a 15 year old". The evidence of Christine's childhood friendship with Raoul, and her studies at the Paris Conservatory, put her age at 20.
Christine is also described as having "honey blonde hair", blue eyes, and suffers from near sightedness. The latter of which contributes to her innocence as revealed during a childhood memory where Christine and Raoul look for fairies. Because she can only see clearly that which is near to her, she's convinced she can actually see fairies far off in the distance.
music video version of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again", his name is revealed to be "Charles". In the 2004 movie, his name is "Gustave", in the novel Christine refers to him as "Daddy Daaé".
......
, also known as Kristina Nilsson or Christine Nilsson. This claim is unverified by any official source, but it is supported by several biographical similarities between Nilsson and Daaé. The most obvious is that Nilsson, like Daaé, was born in Sweden and trained in Paris.
Gaston Leroux
Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux was a French journalist and author of detective fiction.In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel The Phantom of the Opera , which has been made into several film and stage productions of the same name, notably the 1925 film starring Lon...
's novel The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera
Le Fantôme de l'Opéra is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialisation in "Le Gaulois" from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910...
(1911), the young singer with whom the main character Erik, the Phantom of the Opera falls in love.
Character history
Christine Daaé is born just outside the Swedish town of UppsalaUppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
. Her mother dies when Christine is six years old, and she is brought up by her father, traveling to fairs where he plays the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and she sings. They are discovered at one of these fairs by Professor Valérius, who takes them to Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
and then to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, providing for Christine's education.
Christine is extremely close to her father, who tells her Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n fairy-tales
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
; a tale of the "Angel of Music" is her favorite. Christine's father dies, leaving her disconsolate, despite the loving care of her "adopted" mother Mme. Valérius, bedridden wife of the late Professor. Christine enters the Paris Conservatory and trains for four years to become a professional singer to please her father and Mamma Valérius, but has lost all passion for singing.
When Christine arrives at the Opera Garnier, she is described as "sounding like a rusty hinge", but one person finds the beauty hidden in her tone. When Erik
Erik, the Phantom of the Opera
Erik is the titular character in Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. He is also the antagonist of many film adaptations of the novel, notably the 1925 film adaptation starring Lon Chaney, Sr., and Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End musical....
begins to tutor her, he tells her that he is the Angel of Music of whom her father had spoken (Erik tells her this because he has fallen in love with her). She believes him, and he inspires her soul back into her voice. Christine debuts at a gala at the opera, after the singer Carlotta falls ill and she is asked to take her place. Christine's singing is described as "seraph
Seraph
A seraph is a type of celestial being in Judaism and Christianity...
ic".
Christine becomes torn between her loyalty for her mentor Erik, and her love for her childhood friend Viscount Raoul de Chagny.
In the Lofficier translation of the novel, it is stated that Christine is 15 years old. However, this is a mistranslation of a passage which says her heart was "as pure as that of a 15 year old". The evidence of Christine's childhood friendship with Raoul, and her studies at the Paris Conservatory, put her age at 20.
Christine is also described as having "honey blonde hair", blue eyes, and suffers from near sightedness. The latter of which contributes to her innocence as revealed during a childhood memory where Christine and Raoul look for fairies. Because she can only see clearly that which is near to her, she's convinced she can actually see fairies far off in the distance.
Father's name
Christine has a father who loved her very much. In the Sarah BrightmanSarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
music video version of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again", his name is revealed to be "Charles". In the 2004 movie, his name is "Gustave", in the novel Christine refers to him as "Daddy Daaé".
......
Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera
Christine Daaé, a chorus girl, becomes the object of obsession, passion, and love for the mysterious Phantom of the Opera, who becomes her mentor. With his help, she is chosen to replace the company's prima donna. When she falls in love with her childhood sweetheart, Raoul, the Phantom kidnaps Christine in a jealous rage, and drags her down to his lair. She is forced to choose between the Phantom and Raoul, but her compassion for the Phantom moves him to free them both and allow them to flee.Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Love Never Dies
Love Never Dies is a sequel to the Lloyd Webber musical The Phantom of the Opera. The plot is not based on the story-line in the original book by Gaston Leroux, and Lloyd Webber has stated "I don't regard this as a sequel – it's a stand-alone piece". The musical is set in 1907, which Lloyd Webber states is "ten years roughly after the end of the original Phantom," although the events of the original actually took place in 1881. Christine Daaé is invited to perform in Manhattan, but is taken off to a new attraction, Phantasma, by an anonymous impresario (The Phantom) and, with her husband Raoul and son Gustave in tow, journeys to Coney Island, unaware of who has brought her there. Christine is again faced with a decision between her husband and the Phantom.Basis
Several researchers claim the character Christine Daaé was based upon the real-life Swedish-born opera star Christina NilssonChristina Nilsson
Christina Nilsson, Countess de Casa Miranda, was a Swedish operatic soprano. She possessed a brilliant bel canto technique and was considered a rival to the Victorian era's most famous diva, Adelina Patti...
, also known as Kristina Nilsson or Christine Nilsson. This claim is unverified by any official source, but it is supported by several biographical similarities between Nilsson and Daaé. The most obvious is that Nilsson, like Daaé, was born in Sweden and trained in Paris.
Actresses
- The first actress to portray Christine Daaé was Aud Egede-NissenAud Egede-NissenAud Richter was a Norwegian actress, appearing in many early 20th century German films.- Biography :...
in the 1916 GermanCinema of GermanyCinema in Germany can be traced back to the late 19th century. German cinema has made major technical and artistic contributions to film.Unlike any other national cinemas, which developed in the context of relatively continuous and stable political systems, Germany witnesses major changes to its...
silent version by Ernst Matray, Das Gespenst im OpernhausThe Phantom of the Opera (adaptations)There have been many literary and dramatic works based on Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera, ranging from light operas to films to children's books...
or Das Phantom der Oper, also starring Nils Olaf ChrisanderNils Olaf ChrisanderNils Olaf Chrisander was a Swedish actor and film director in the early part of the twentieth-century.Born Waldemar Olaf Chrisander in Stockholm, Sweden, Chrisander's first screen appearances as an actor were in German and Swedish silent films in the mid-1910s...
. - Mary PhilbinMary PhilbinMary Philbin was a notable film actress of the silent film era. Philbin is probably best remembered for playing the roles of Christine Daaé in the 1925 film The Phantom of the Opera opposite screen legend Lon Chaney and Dea in The Man Who Laughs...
played Christine in the 1925 AmericanCinema of the United StatesThe cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
silent version by Rupert JulianRupert JulianRupert Julian was the first New Zealand cinema actor, director, writer and producer.Born Thomas Percival Hayes in Whangaroa, New Zealand, Son of John Daly Hayes and Eliza Harriet Hayes...
, The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 American silent horror film adaptation of the Gaston Leroux novel of the same title directed by Rupert Julian. The film featured Lon Chaney in the title role as the deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to force...
, starring Lon Chaney, Sr.Lon Chaney, Sr.Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema... - Susanna FosterSusanna FosterSuzanne DeLee Flanders Larson was an American film actress best known for her leading role as Christine in the 1943 film version of The Phantom of the Opera....
played Christine DuBois in the 1943 TechnicolorTechnicolorTechnicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
version, Phantom of the OperaPhantom of the Opera (1943 film)Phantom of the Opera is a 1943 Universal horror film starring Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster and Claude Rains, directed by Arthur Lubin, and filmed in Technicolor. The original music score was composed by Edward Ward....
, starring Claude RainsClaude RainsClaude Rains was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 66 years. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The Invisible Man , a corrupt senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , Mr...
. - Heather SearsHeather SearsHeather Christine Sears: , was a British stage and screen actress.-Biography:Although not from an acting family , she was already acting in plays at the age of five and even writing them at the age of eight...
played Christine Charles in the 1962 version of The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (1962 film)The Phantom of the Opera is a 1962 British film based on the novel by Gaston Leroux. The film was made by Hammer Film Productions.-Plot:The film opens in Victorian London on a December night in 1900....
. - Jessica HarperJessica HarperJessica Harper is an American actress and producer, as well as a singer and author of children's music and books.-Early life:...
took the role in the 1974 rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
-musicalMusical theatreMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
version, Brian De PalmaBrian De PalmaBrian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:...
's Phantom of the ParadisePhantom of the ParadisePhantom of the Paradise is a 1974 musical film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of The Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust and also briefly references Frankenstein and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari...
. - Jane SeymourJane Seymour (actress)Jane Seymour, OBE is an English actress best known for her performances in the James Bond film Live and Let Die , East of Eden , Onassis: The Richest Man in the World , and the American television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman...
played Christine in the 1983 TV movie version. - Christina Collier played her in Ken HillKen HillKen Hill was a critically acclaimed English playwright, and theatre director.He was a protege of Joan Littlewood at Theatre Workshop...
's camp-classical musical version in 1984. - Sarah BrightmanSarah BrightmanSarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
debuted the role in the 1986 Andrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
musicalThe Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
. - Glory Crampton played her in Maury YestonMaury YestonMaury Yeston is an American composer, lyricist, educator and musicologist.He is known for writing the music and lyrics to Broadway musicals, including Nine in 1982, and Titanic in 1997, both of which won Tony Awards for best musical and best score. He also won a Drama Desk Award for Nine...
and Arthur Kopit's 1990 musical PhantomPhantom (musical)Phantom is a musical with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Arthur Kopit. Based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera, the musical was first presented in Houston, Texas in 1991....
. - Jill SchoelenJill Schoelen-Early life:Schoelen was born in Burbank, California. Her mother is the famous fashion designer Dorothy Schoelen.-Acting career:Schoelen has starred in such movies as D.C...
played Christine Day in Dwight H. LittleDwight H. LittleDwight Hubbard Little is an American film director, known for directing the films Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, The Phantom of the Opera, Marked for Death, Rapid Fire and Murder at 1600...
's 1989 film versionThe Phantom of the Opera (1989 film)The Phantom of the Opera: The Motion Picture is a 1989 horror film directed by Dwight H. Little and based on Gaston Leroux's novel of the same name....
. - Rebecca Caine debuted the role in the Canadian production (1989) and featured on the Canadian Cast album.
- Teri E. PoloTeri PoloTheresa Elizabeth "Teri" Polo is an American actress known for her role of Pam Focker in the movie Meet the Parents and its two sequels, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers...
took the role in the 1990 television miniseries version. - Asia ArgentoAsia ArgentoAria Asia Anna Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento is an Italian actress, singer, model and director.-Family and early life:...
played her in the 1998 Dario ArgentoDario ArgentoDario Argento is an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, particularly in the subgenre known as giallo, and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies....
version. - Emmy RossumEmmy RossumEmmanuelle Grey "Emmy" Rossum is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first starred in a string of movies including Songcatcher , An American Rhapsody, and Passionada . However, it was her role in Mystic River that garnered her wider recognition...
played her in the 2004 film version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicalThe Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux....
. - Sierra BoggessSierra BoggessSierra Boggess is an American theater actress and soprano singer. She was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, with her two sisters, Summer and Allegra. The three of them were members of the Colorado Children's Chorale. Her parents are Kellun Turner and Michael Boggess...
first played Christine in the 2006 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Phantom — The Las Vegas Spectacular and recently portrayed her in Lloyd Webber's sequel Love Never Dies. - Gina BeckGina BeckGina Beck is an English actress and singer known primarily for her roles in leading musical theatre productions. Gina recently starred as Christine Daaé in Cameron Mackintosh's production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera in London's West End for two years...
previously played the role in London. - Jennifer Hope WillsJennifer Hope WillsJennifer Hope Wills is an American actress and soprano singer. She was the first child of William and Sue Wills. She made her stage debut at the age of 1 in a production of Rumplestiltskin performed by the Baltimore Actor's Theatre.The family moved to Ocean City, Maryland where her parents...
played Christine on Broadway and on a Canadian tour of the musical. - Annika Johansson played Christine in The Really Useful Group on tour in 2010.
External links
- The Phantom of the Opera free e-book, Project Gutenberg