Phantom of the Opera (1943)

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Gaston Leroux (novel) and
Samuel Hoffenstein (writer)
(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 | Inspector | Music Publisher | Phantom | Acid

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
Gaston Leroux		(novel)
Samuel Hoffenstein		writer
Hans Jacoby		uncredited
John Jacoby		adaptation
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 (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special photography (uncredited)
Russell Lawson	....	matte artist (uncredited)

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)
• Motion Picture Export Association (MPEA) (1947) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Realart Pictures Inc. (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Universal Filmverleih (1949) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• MCA Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Filmiseppo (1946) (Finland) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Finland (2002) (2009) (Finland) (DVD) (single disc editions)
• Universal Pictures Finland (2002) (Finland) (DVD) (8-disc Classic Monsters Collection)
• Universal Pictures Finland (2004) (Finland) (DVD) (14-disc Monster Legacy Collection)
• Universal Pictures Finland (2004) (Finland) (DVD) (9-disc Original Monsters Collection)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1967) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G (cable rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #9388) | Argentina:Atp | Spain:13 | Netherlands:12 | West Germany:12 (nf) | Netherlands:14 (original rating) (1947) | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Because the war in Europe made it so difficult to track down who had the rights to most operas (coupled with the studio's reluctance to pay the required royalties), all the operas performed in the film were either in the public domain (i.e., copyrights had expired and anyone could use them without paying royalties)) or were based on classical music that was in the public domain. The filmmakers were able to slip in a reference to the opera "Faust" (which featured heavily in the original novel) by having Christine appear in the Marguerite costume as she comes off stage at the end of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Anatole is pursuing the Phantom over the catwalk, the ladder wobbles in long shots but is very stable when the actors are in close-up.

Quotes:

Signor Ferretti:[FERRETTI is telling CLAUDIN that if he can no longer pay for CHRISTINE's lessons, FERRETTI will have to stop teaching her] I'm sorry, Claudin. Really sorry. If I had the time- But my expenses are great, and you must remember that many who can pay are waiting to study with me. Well, I'll let her come a few times, and, uh, then I will tell her she no longer needs me.
Enrique Claudin:B-But that isn't true.
Signor Ferretti:As a matter of fact, if you had the money, she might be launched on a career very soon. I assume that Mademoiselle Dubois has not the means to pay for her own instructions.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in An American Filmman in Finland (1946)

Soundtrack:

LE PRINCE MASQUE DU CAUCASUS

Too much Opera, too little Phantom

A lot was obviously put into the operatic scenes, which were probably spectacular back in 1943. However, more effort could have been put into displaying the motives and madness of the phantom. The light hearted comedy attempts of the two courters of Christine Dubois seems out of place and takes the final edge of any suspense in the film.