Madhuri said:
Emmy was gorgeous in POTO but I was really disappointed with her singing. With all the hype about her singing at the Met as a child I expected her to have a stronger voice.
As an aside, I recently watched the movie Three Smart Girls starring 1930s movie star and operatic prodigy Deanna Durbin. At age 14, Deanna's singing easily blew Emmy's out of the water.
I think the Met was over-hyped- she was in the Children's Chorus, she wasn't a leading lady (like some journalists make it sound). But she did learn to sing there. I was pleasantly surprised with her voice- I guess that has a lot to do with it. But Emmy was only 16 when she did Phantom. I also think that she had the whole package (looks, voice, acting-chops) that they needed for the part. Other people with stronger vocals auditioned, but if they couldn't act...that's a problem.
That said, the role of Christine is very demanding on a singer. It calls for tremendous range. Most singers who take it on are in their mid-twenties to early thirties. Emmy was a good ten years younger than that. She was also able to infuse her singing with emotion and nuance which a lot of people can't do. Also, there is a sweet, sad quality to her singing that suits the role. Plus, she was hired only 2 monthes before filming began, so she had very little time to get her voice back into shape after not singing professionally for several years.
I also think that she talored her singing to the performance. For example at the begining, when she sings 'Think of Me' her voice is soft, sweet and innocent (much like her character). As the character becomes a stronger person and a presence, her singing gained strength. By the end, when she did "Point of No Return" and "Down Once More" her singing was much stronger. I read an interview where she said that she wanted her voice to reflect her character.
So, I was impressed with her. I think Gerard Butler was the weak link in the film. His vocals didn't match up to Emmy's or Patrick Wilson's (probably because they're both trained singers and he's not), yet his character is always called the "Angel of Music" and said to have this amazing voice....When he sang "Music of the Night" I wanted him to belt it out in certain places, but he couldn't. I think they should have had someome else as the Phantom.