| Christine Daaé | |
|---|---|
 Christine Daaé (Mary Philbin) in the 1925 film The Phantom of the Opera, alongside Erik, The Phantom of the Opera (Lon Chaney). | |
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Real Name |
Christine Daaé |
|
First Appearance |
Le Fantome de l'Opera (The Phantom of the Opera) in Le Gaulois (September 23, 1909) |
|
Original Publisher |
Pierre Laie |
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Created by |
Gaston Leroux |
Origin[]
Christine Daaé was born in a town near Uppsala, Sweden. Her mother died when she was six years old. Raised by her father, they travelled through rural Sweden, wandering from fair to fair, where he played the violin and she sang. They were discovered at one of these fairs by Professor Valérius, who took them to Gothenburg and then to Paris, providing for Christine's education.
Christine was extremely close to her father, who told her Scandinavian fairy-tales; the tale of the "Angel of Music" was her favorite. Christine entered the Paris Conservatoire and trained for four years to become an opera singer to please her father and Mamma Valérius, the bedridden wife of the late Professor. However, by the end of the four years, she had lost her passion for singing and the music.
When Christine arrived at the Opéra Garnier, she was described as "sounding like a rusty hinge", but one person found the beauty hidden in her voice. When Erik, the Phantom of the Opera began to tutor her, he told her that he was the "Angel of Music" of whom her father had spoken. She believed him, and he inspired her soul back into her voice. Having been singing small roles with the Opera for some months without making much impression on audiences, Christine had a spectacular success at a gala at the opera in place of the singer Carlotta, who had fallen ill. Christine's singing was described as "seraphic".
Christine became torn between her loyalty and sympathy for her mentor, Erik, and her love for her childhood friend Viscount Raoul de Chagny.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Christine Daaé published before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Phantom of the Opera (1909)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Das Phantom der Oper (1916)
- The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Scream (1973) #2-3
Notes[]
- In the Lofficier translation of the novel, Christine's age is given as 15 years old. However, this mistranslated from a passage that 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 Conservatoire, put her age at 21 years old.
- The 1925 Universal Studios film of Phantom of the Opera was not renewed in 1953 placing it in the public domain. It can be downloaded free at the Internet Archive.