O Fantasma da Ópera (1925)

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

Directors:

Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney (uncredited)

Writer:

Gaston Leroux (from the 1910 celebrated novel by)

Stars:

Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry

2 wins & 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
Virginia Pearson	...	Carlotta / Carlotta's Mother

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 | singer | underground | opera house | mask | 

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Taglines:

The greatest horror film of modern cinema!

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Genres:

Horror

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Release Date:

15 November 1925 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Fantasma da Ópera

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Gross USA:

$3,751,476

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,360,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 101 min (original) 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) (some sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ben Carré was called in to design the sets, and although he had worked at the Paris Opera House, he had already been living in California for some time doing sets.

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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

The Phantom: Since first I saw your face, this music has been singing to me of you and of - love triumphant! Yet listen - there sounds an ominous undercurrent of warning!

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Crazy Credits

In 1925 (and for many years afterwards), credits used to appear at the beginning of movies. In "The Phantom of the Opera", the credits do appear at the beginning and are also repeated at the end, preceded by the following caption: "This is repeated at the request of picture patrons who desire to check the names of performers whose work has pleased them."

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Featured in Os Marretinhas: Sing a Song of Superheroes (1990)

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.