The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Director:

Rupert Julian

Writer:

Gaston Leroux (novel)

Release Date:

15 November 1925 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

The greatest horror film of modern cinema!

Plot:

A mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.

Plot Keywords:

Phantom | Singer | Opera | Catacombs | Opera Singer

Awards:

1 win

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Lon Chaney	...	Erik, The Phantom
Mary Philbin	...	Christine Daae
Norman Kerry	...	Vicomte Raoul de Chagny
Arthur Edmund Carewe	...	Ledoux
Gibson Gowland	...	Simon Buquet
John St. Polis	...	Comte Philip de Chagny (as John Sainpolis)
Snitz Edwards	...	Florine Papillon
Mary Fabian	...	Carlotta (1929 re-edited version only)
Virginia Pearson	...	Carlotta / Carlotta's mother (1929 re-edited version)

Runtime:

93 min | UK:101 min (original release) | USA:92 min (1995 version) | USA:107 min (DVD version) | Canada:106 min (Ontario) | 95 min (1929 re-release)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White | Color (2-strip Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (talking sequences, musical score and sound effects) (1929 re-release) | Silent

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Inside sound stage 28, part of the opera house set continues to stand to the side where it was filmed some eight decades ago making it the oldest standing interior film set in the world. Though it remains impressive, time has taken its toll and it is very rarely used. Urban legends claim the set remains because when workers have attempted to take it down in the past there have been fatal accidents, said to be caused by the ghost of Lon Chaney Sr.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Raoul and Ledoux are approaching the Phantom's lair. Ledoux makes a drop through a trapdoor about 10 or 12 feet down, clearly out of arms length to the opening above. However, Raoul in the next shot above merely hands down his lantern as if Ledoux is merely a couple of feet away.

Quotes:

Simon Buquet: His nose. There is no nose!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Spaceballs (1987)

Who was that Masked Man?

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Universal, 1925), directed by Rupert Julian, from the celebrated novel by Gaston Leroux, stars Lon Chaney, the legendary "man of a thousand faces," in what is hailed to be his most famous movie role, as well as one of the most bizarre presentations of his thousand faces ever shown on screen.

Hailed as a horror movie, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is actually a mystery tale with added suspense that takes place in a Paris opera house believed to be haunted by a mysterious cloaked figure obsessed by one particular girl, Christine Daae (Mary Philbin), an understudy, whose main interest is her love for Raoul De Chagny (Norman Kerry), her fiance. Christine keeps hearing a compelling voice behind the walls of her dressing room that gives her encouragement to perform. Her career soon takes a turn for the better when the lead performer is "mysteriously" unable to go on and Christine is called to take her place. The voice later summons Christine to the cellar five flights beyond the opera house where she follows this sinister man whose face is covered with a mask. Although she fears him not, Christine becomes very curious about this mysterious "The Phantom," but curiousity gets the better of her when she decides to creep up from behind the phantom and remove his mask, only to get the surprise of her life seeing his accursed ugliness. The Phantom agrees to release Christine from his underground cellar (which consists of a coffin bed where the Phantom sleeps) at a promise that she not only devote herself to her opera singing, but to never see or speak to her fiance ever again, for that she is forever his. But only after Christine has a secret meeting with Raoul during a bal masque in hope to go away with him, she is unaware that the Phantom, like a ghost, has learned of her betrayal and decides makes her his prisoner of love.

In true Universal fashion, this gothic presentation has all the elements of a suspense thriller. From its opening shot shows a cloaked figure creeping about the underground cellar of the opera house. The storyline immediately gets down to basics in which there is a discussion amongs the staff regarding a mysterious figure roaming about. This is followed by the sudden appearance of another mysterious character (played by Arthur Edmund Carewe) walking about the opera house, saying nothing but observing everything. In between these key scenes leading to the purpose of the movie title, there are ballet and opera sequences intercutting the plot, along with a stage hand (Snitz Edwards) supplying some "comic relief.". This being a silent film, the compositions from FAUST cannot be heard, but are usually heard through the underscoring which accompanies the film. Besides the now familiar story and its just famous unmasking sequence, it is Chaney as Erik, the mysterious phantom, with his skull-like appearance, who makes this one of the most intense characters ever played on the screen. The movie, itself, fails to explore the background to Erik's character, as to why does he select Christine as his selected one. Only late in the story is it realized, through the investigation in the police records by Christine's fiance, Raoul, that Erik is not only a self-educated musician who has escaped imprisonment from Devil's Island, but is insane. Other than being insane, he is a genius, for that he has decorated his underground chambers with certain traps, including a room that can fill with water or become filled intense with heat for his intruders. While Erik the Phantom being insane might explain certain things such as his intent to kill certain individuals at the opera house (with one scene finding one man left dangling from a noose) who stand in his way, but it fails to answer the question, "Was Erik actually born this way or was he a rejected creation of Doctor Frankenstein?" Another key scene in which Christine in her hypnotic manner, listens to the voice of the Phantom and responding to him as "Master," echoes the elements to Mr. Renfield after becoming the selected victim to a vampire named Count Dracula, whom he responds to as "Master," from the 1931 classic, DRACULA, starring Bela Lugosi.

So popular upon its release in 1925, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA was later reissued in 1930, a shorter print with added on talking sequences and new orchestral score. Universal would remake THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in 1943 with Claude Rains; and in 1962 with Herbert Lom, each performed differently from the Chaney carnation, but with some explained detail to the Phantom's background and character.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has achieved cult status over the years, due to constant revivals, ranging from theaters to television. It was one of the selected twelve movies shown on public television's 1975 presentation of "The Silent Years", hosted by Lillian Gish. During the era of home video in the 1980s, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA not only became a public domain title, but consisted of different versions distributed from various video companies. One interesting print, from Kartes Video Communications (with the clam shell case with gray background reading in big letters reading FILM CLASSICS), included a different opening to the story which focused on title cards introducing Raoul de Chagny (Kerry) and his brother, Philippe (John St. Polis), and other scenes detailing the character of Carlotta (Virginia Pearson). Other related or unreleated scenes from this video print do not exist in many other video copies, including the final fade out after the Phantom's demise where Chagny and Christine are seen kissing while on their honeymoon at Viroflay. The one debit from this Kartes video copy is that it plays mute, no score of any kind added. Another video company, VIDEO YESTERYEAR, does include an organ score by Rosa Rio, but the film plays at video accuspead of 122 minutes. It's slow pacing makes this version seem longer than it actually is. There was even another video company (name uncertain) that played THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA with a fine organ score, but at a shorter print of 50 minutes. The now out-of-business BLACKHAWK Video, which later became REpublic Home Video, the home to many silent film classics, included an excellent organ score (by Gaylord Carter) and clear picture quality at 79 minutes, the standard running time of many video copies, but excluding the brief honeymoon closing. This similar print can be found from the KINO Company. In one of the Turner Classic Movies cable TV presentations of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA during its weekly Silent Sunday Nights, the station, which had aired this film with a traditional organ score in years past, presented on one Halloween night some years ago one of the worst reproductions I have ever witnessed for a silent film, consisting of loud red color tinting, unsatisfactory orchestra score with operettic vocalizing added to the soundtrack, making this 97 minute version seem an eternity to sit through. This newly-scored print played a couple of times before the TCM decided to go ahead and rebroadcast the film with a more soothing copy and organ score.

As it stands, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA can be seen numerous ways on video and the new technology of DVD (which includes a 97 minute copy and an orchestral score), but it's Lon Chaney's performance that will remain the key cloak figure to this silent film's lasting appeal.