The Persian

Quick Question

At some point while reading the novel for the first time, I made a memo on a post-it. At least I think it's from the book. Is it true that the Persian's name in Ledoux? I know he was a government worker, and I know daroga is a name used to describe the Persian/Ledoux's job.

Leroux never gave the Persian a name, other than referring to him as Daroga.

The name Ledoux came from the 1925 silent film "The Phantom of the Opera" starring Lon Chaney.


Quote from a synopsis of the film: Ledoux of the French secret police has been investigating the strange goings-on in the opera house and offers to lead Raoul to the Phantom’s lair. He advises the vicomte to keep his hand up at eye level to protect against the coil of the strangler’s noose.

You can find this article here:


http://www.lariat.org/AtTheMovies/nora/phantivers.html


Hope this helps.

Lol....that's the exactly article I read! I guess that's where I got mixed up!

have anyone but me seen the similarity?

ledoux vs leroux i mean.. why is that?

couldn`t they come up with something better? it kinda bugs me

Lol....I never thought of that Silver Moon! You know something that after all this time I only picked up on like 2 days ago? In the novel we see the Phantom's torture chamber, and how it affects people. So, in the movie, they play homage to that, when Raoul drops in after the Phantom after the masquerade! How thick am I? Lol

Unfortunately without the Persian's account, the story lacks the deeper mystery. We miss out on the reason this foreigner took such a liking to a creature scorned, used and mocked. Why did he care?

Apparently Erik killed at the drop of a hat and got away with it in Persia, India or any of the Middle Eastern countries he'd traveled and lived in. Daroga or the Persian knew this and sought to stop him. His fear for Christine must have come from Erik's past behavior. Not just killing, but how did he react around women? Especially one he fancied? Had Erik loved before? Did it end in tragedy? Ponder a moment the real reason Erik released Christine and Raoul? I don't feel he did it because he was a gentleman and a scholar. Something similar must have occurred in the Middle East which ended badly; very badly. As insane as he acted, Erik did not wish to repeat a horrible ending, so he let the young diva and Vicomte go.

The character of the Persian actually tells a lot about Erik. Sadly, little is known about the man, except that Leroux claimed to have found him living in a small apartment not far from the Opera House. Five months later, he died after telling Leroux what he knew about Erik, his passion for Christine and what we know today as the story of The Phantom of the Opera.

This is another thread that has been quiet for a long time. Has anyone tried to find proof the the Persian's existance?