The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

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

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:

A Jewel Production. Unlike most of its peers, Universal never owned a theater chain (ultimately, a wise decision given the 1949 Supreme Court anti-trust decision that would threaten the livelihood of many of its competitors). As a result, in 1916, Carl Laemmle devised a 3-tiered branding system to market its features to independent theater owners: Red Feather (low-budget programmers), Bluebird (mainstream releases) and Jewel (costly prestige productions). The studio would abandon branding altogether by the end of 1929.

Goofs:

Continuity: Raoul reads Christine's card message with his right hand. The close-up however shows the card being held in the left hand.

Quotes:

Christine: You... You are the Phantom!
Erik: If I am the Phantom, it is because man's hatred has made me so... If I shall be saved, it will be because your love redeems me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Buenas noches, señor monstruo (1982)

A magnificent performance from the legendary Lon Chaney, Sr.

This 1925 silent classic is still impressive, even after seventy-nine years!

Lon Chaney's performance is easily the highlight of the movie. His ghostly movements about his underground lair are haunting even by today's standards.

Use all of the computer generated images you want, but there is no substitute for authentic, old-world macabre. The scene where Erik's face is revealed is still shocking. He seems as horrorified by Christine seeing his face as she is by seeing his face. He seems to feel genuinely violated by her taking his mask off, revealing his horrible visage to the last person on earth he would want to see it. The Technicolor scene of the "Bal Masque" is also quite famous. The backdrops are very effective in creating the moody, medieval atmosphere of the underground passages. All in all, an excellent version of a timeless story.