Phantom of the Opera (1943)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Samuel Hoffenstein (writer)
John Jacoby (adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

27 August 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Music | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

In flaming Technicolor!

Plot:

This is the story of a disfigured violinist who haunts the Paris Opera House

Plot Keywords:

Opera | Music Publisher | Acid | Soprano | Murder

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Nelson Eddy	...	Anatole Garron
Susanna Foster	...	Christine Dubois
Claude Rains	...	Erique Claudin
Edgar Barrier	...	Raoul D'Aubert
Leo Carrillo	...	Signor Ferretti
Jane Farrar	...	Biancarolli
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Amiot
Fritz Feld	...	Lecours
Frank Puglia	...	Villeneuve
Steven Geray	...	Vereheres
Barbara Everest	...	The Aunt
Hume Cronyn	...	Gerard
Fritz Leiber	...	Franz Liszt
Nicki Andre	...	Madame Lorenzi
Gladys Blake	...	Jeanne
Elvira Curci	...	Biancarolli's maid
Hans Herbert	...	Marcel
Kate Drain Lawson	...	Landlady (as Kate Lawson)
Miles Mander	...	Pleyel
Rosina Galli	...	Christine's maid
Walter O. Stahl	...	Doctor (as Walter Stahl)
Paul Marion	...	Desjardins
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Bartell	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone	...	Officer (uncredited)
Renee Carson	...	Georgette (uncredited)
Wheaton Chambers	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Lane Chandler	...	Officer (uncredited)
Edward Clark	...	Usher (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Operagoer (uncredited)
Cyril Delevanti	...	Bookkeeper (uncredited)
William Desmond	...	Stagehand (uncredited)
Helen Dickson	...	Operagoer (uncredited)
Ernest Golm	...	Office manager (uncredited)
Hank Mann	...	Stagehand (uncredited)
Anthony Marlowe	...	'Marta' singer (uncredited)
Alphonse Martell	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Eric Mayne	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Belle Mitchell	...	Feretti's maid (uncredited)
James Mitchell	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Beatrice Roberts	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Muni Seroff	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Johnny Walsh	...	Office boy (uncredited)
Tudor Williams	...	'Marta' singer (uncredited)
Marek Windheim	...	Renfrit (uncredited)

Directed by
Arthur Lubin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Samuel Hoffenstein		writer
Hans Jacoby		uncredited
John Jacoby		adaptation
Gaston Leroux		novel
Eric Taylor		writer

Produced by
George Waggner	....	producer
Jack J. Gross	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Edward Ward

Cinematography by
W. Howard Greene
Hal Mohr

Film Editing by
Russell F. Schoengarth		(as Russell Schoengarth)

Art Direction by
Alexander Golitzen
John B. Goodman

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman		(as R.A. Gausman)
Ira Webb		(as Ira S. Webb)

Costume Design by
Vera West

Makeup Department
Jack P. Pierce	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles S. Gould	....	assistant director (as Charles Gould)

Art Department
Nelson Eddy	....	sculptor: bronze statue of Christine DuBois

Sound Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	sound director
Joe Lapis	....	sound technician

Special Effects by
Tim Baar	....	special effects (as Tim Barr)

Music Department
Arthur Schutt	....	orchestrator
William Tyroler	....	choral direction
Edward Ward	....	musical director
Harold Zweifel	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Joan Hathaway	....	dialogue director
Lester Horton	....	opera sequences
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
William von Wymetal	....	opera sequences

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1943) (USA) (theatrical)
• Realart Pictures (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Spain:13 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:G (cable rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #9388) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Of the three "operas" in the film, only the first, "Marta," by Friederich von Flotow, is an actual opera. The second, "Amore et Gloire," is adapted from music originally written for piano by Chopin: the overture and opening chorus is taken from the "Military" Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1; the duet between Anatole and Biancarolli is taken from the Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2; and the music for Christine's aria/duet with Anatole is taken from the Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2. The music of the third opera, "Le Prince Masque de Caucasie," is actually excerpts from the finale of Tchaikowsky's Fourth Symphony.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The use of a stunt-double for Claude Rains at the climactic cave-in is very obvious! The double has a bigger physique than Rains, and curly hair.

Quotes:

[Christine has left Raoul and Anatole in her dressing room while she greets a crowd of admirers]
Raoul D'Aubert: Would you join me for a bit of supper at the Cafe de l'Opera?
Anatole Garron: With pleasure, monsieur.
Raoul D'Aubert: Think we can get through this crowd?
Anatole Garron: Certainly. After all, who'd pay any attention to a baritone and a detective?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Little Britain: (#3.2)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

MARTHA (Act III, opera excerpt)

Not really a horror movie, more a romantic melodrama. Lavishly produced and Claude Rains is excellent.

Anybody approaching 'Phantom Of The Opera' as a horror movie will probably be disappointed, but if you look upon it as a romantic melodrama it's pretty entertaining. The sets (mostly recycled from the twenties version) are lavish, the music is strong and the performances are good, especially the wonderful Claude Rains ('The Invisible Man', 'Casablanca', 'Notorious') who is excellent (as always). The rest of the cast includes songbirds Nelson Eddy and Susanna Foster, the late Hume Cronyn in a bit part, and a nice cameo from Fritz Leiber (the father of the famous science fiction and fantasy writer Fritz Leiber, Jr) as Franz Liszt. 'Phantom Of The Opera' is far from my favourite Universal horror movie but I still enjoyed it and it's worth watching, though I think in many ways the Hammer remake in the 1960s starring Herbert Lom is a better movie.