Which E/C ship could've actually come true?
I think it’s Gerik and Emmy’s Christine from the 2004 film. The pair’s mental states and 爱情 for each others seemed essentially 更多 stable and genuine, than in other versions.
Gerik was clearly far less insane than any of the stage Phantoms I’ve seen, not to mention Leroux’s original Erik. He never even physically abused Christine. (Yes, he quite violently dragged her down to the lair in the end, but it didn’t seem to actually hurt her, and when he calmed down he was very gentle for the rest of the time, whereas some of the stage Phantoms violently shake her even a lot later, too - and the Leroux Erik… I’m not even going there.
Gerik even reacted to her It’s in your soul that the true distortion lies.”, with a genuine expression of some sort of understanding. But just then, before it could really hit his mind 或者 anything 更多 constructive discussion happen, our damn Prince 《勇敢传说》 Charming dragged his stupid 屁股 into the picture and provoked the psycho in this desperate, unstabled man.
Whereas all of them, I think, have just wanted to be and live like everyone else. That film didn’t have him say it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t be the case anyway after living all his life always in some sort of a cage.
Which is why I don’t think he would’ve held her captive in a dark underground place. He only 说 “Start a new life with me!” He didn't say how he was going to have their life happening. That could’ve easily (eventually) meant up there in the world in the sun, where he, too, longed to be. I don't think he saw in Christine just a companion and potential lover but a chance to try and live like other men.
And he made the ultimate sacrifice just so that Christine could be happy, (as in he let her go when believeing it was the best for her), which means he truly loved her. Which in my eyes, means he would’ve done all in his power to make her happy, had she chosen to be with him. Two genuine kisses out of compassion, human love, and passion, were enough to over-come the psycho in him that had been running wild just a 分钟 earlier. To over-come it to that extent.
I’m not saying Gerik would just suddenly lose his instinct to kill/murder 或者 stop going crazy over his mask and all that dangerous stuff, but the point is, I got the vibes that he would truly try, and perhaps in time with genuine 爱情 from Christine, become relatively stable and good to live with. And for this point, important to notice is that the 2004 film Christine, in my opinion, seemed much 更多 mature and strong in emotions, compassion and understanding, than any of the other Christines. Which could’ve made it possible for her to have survived the hard times.
I’m also not saying they’d necessarily made it through as Christine was so very young and Erik had many demons in his mind and soul to fight away, but I can totally see them trying. As in, her giving Erik a chance after all and him trying to use his 秒 chance well.
Everything in that film implied that her 心 belonged to Erik much 更多 essentially than to Raoul, that Erik had touched her in a way Raoul had never been able to – all the way up to the last 秒 at her graveside. So I’m tempted to believe the main reason why this film didn’t literally pair E/C was because Leroux hadn’t written them to end up together.
Even the director, whose visions usually are essentially supposed to 显示 on screen, has 说 he thinks “her relationship with Raoul was a romantic awakening as a teenager but her pull towards the Phantom was very sexual, very deep, very soulful union. Now; romantic awakening VS. very deep and soulful union. Do the math.
I mean, the essence of the story was the same as ever but that film changed the characters and their storyline very essentially. For one, Christine isn’t an immature, weak brat and Erik isn’t as batshit insane as in other versions, and he had been her friend for some 10 years instead of 3 months.
For all that, I can’t see the society of that century being too much of an issue for Christine after first choosing Raoul, leading a life with him and thinking things over. It was the movie script she couldn’t go against. Really… the only one-version-based E/C ship I could see happening and working, is that of the 2004 film.
But the only E/C ship I could see working for certain, is if paired up that 2004 film’s Christine and some combination of Gerik and Susan Kay’s Erik. Kay-Erik 说 so many things that support it. Such as ”There’s a darkness inside my mind, and sometimes it scares me too, but it need not be like this… If I could just live like other men, walk through the Bois in daylight and feel the sun and wind on my bare face. Oh, Christine, I’d be dare to do so many things if only 你 were there beside me as my wife.” I do not see why those words couldn’t come out of Gerik’s mouth. As well as, ”All I wanted was to be loved for myself.” And Christine certainly would’ve, as she had seen his beautiful, true side in those years when he was her secret angel. Even during that dramatic 年 when she leaened about his unstabled, dark side, she kept on learning 更多 about his true side, the man he could be and wants to be. She saw and cared about what no one else didn't even want to see.
