The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

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

Director:

Rupert Julian

Writer:

Gaston Leroux (from the celebrated novel by)

Stars:

Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lon Chaney	...	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)

Storyline

At the Opera of Paris, a mysterious phantom threatens a famous lyric singer, Carlotta and thus forces her to give up her role (Marguerite in Faust) for unknown Christine Daae. Christine meets this phantom (a masked man) in the catacombs, where he lives. What's his goal ? What's his secret ?

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Plot Keywords:

opera | phantom | singer | catacomb | opera singer | 

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Taglines:

A masterpiece of horror that shocked cinema for decades!

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Release Date:

15 November 1925 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Phantom der Oper

Filming Locations:

Stage 28, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 101 min (original release) 92 min (1995) 107 min (DVD) 106 min (Ontario) 95 min (1929 re-release)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Black and White Color (2-strip Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Edward Sedgwick directed a few scenes after director Rupert Julian walked off the set after heated arguments with cast and crew.

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Goofs

Parts of the unmasking scene were clearly filmed on days when Lon Chaney didn't wear his character makeup. When he has the mask on, his ears are not glued back, which suggests that his face was "au naturel" underneath the mask.

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Quotes

Erik: [title card]
[after having drowned Raoul's brother]
Erik: The callers have departed.

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Crazy Credits

None of the technical staff of this film receives screen credit.

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Connections

Referenced in Tod Browning's 'Freaks': The Sideshow Cinema (2004)

User Reviews

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.