25. The Paris Opera House
Category – Arts & Literature The Paris Opera House fascinated Adolf Hitler. He visited the building on his first night as conqueror of France, in the early years of World War II. Der Führer isn’t the only villain who loved this Beaux-Arts masterpiece. Théâtre National de l’Opéra de Paris also inspired novelist Gaston Leroux to write a Gothic horror novel.
In Leroux’s short book, a phantom lurked in the building, moving through a maze of cellars and tunnels. His lair could only be reached using a boat to cross an underground lake. The lake, tunnels and cellars actually exist. Leroux also drew elements of his story from a terrible fire that engulfed the original Paris Opera House – plus an incident where part of the main chandelier broke off and killed a member of the audience.
Leroux’s story of tragic love and revenge formed the basis for a host of movies – and of course, Andrew Lloyd Weber’s beloved musical Phantom of the Opera.
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Question –
- What famous artist painted the Opera House ceiling fresco? It’s dazzling.
Assignment – Learn about the artist on the History Channel website –
Click here to research the answer.
Here’s Emmy Rossum singing “Think of Me” from the 2004 movie Phantom of the Opera –
Insider tip – the story designers seemed to be “channeling” Phantom of the Opera when they imagined Trouble’s journey to the Source. In that section from Sign of the Rat, you find – - a confusing maze like the tunnels and cellars under the Paris Opera House,
- an underground lake that must be crossed in a special “boat,”
- a dangerous “chandelier” hanging from the ceiling and
- a deformed man obsessed with his goal.
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