Phantom of the Opera (1943)

A disfigured violinist haunts the Paris Opera House.

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Eric Taylor (screenplay), Samuel Hoffenstein (screenplay)

Stars:

Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nelson Eddy	...	Anatole Garron
Susanna Foster	...	Christine DuBois
Claude Rains	...	Erique Claudin
Edgar Barrier	...	Raoul Daubert
Leo Carrillo	...	Signor Ferretti
Jane Farrar	...	Biancarolli
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Amiot
Fritz Feld	...	Lecours
Frank Puglia	...	Villeneuve
Steven Geray	...	Vercheres
Barbara Everest	...	Aunt
Hume Cronyn	...	Gerard
Fritz Leiber	...	Franz Liszt
Nicki Andre	...	Lorenzi
Gladys Blake	...	Jeanne

Storyline

Pit violinist Claudin hopelessly loves rising operatic soprano Christine Dubois (as do baritone Anatole and police inspector Raoul) and secretly aids her career. But Claudin loses both his touch and his job, murders a rascally music publisher in a fit of madness, and has his face etched with acid. Soon, mysterious crimes plague the Paris Opera House, blamed on a legendary "phantom" whom none can find in the mazes and catacombs. But both of Christine's lovers have plans to ferret him out.

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Plot Keywords:

fired | acid burn | cape the garment | hacksaw | mirror | 

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Taglines:

The screen's classic of terror!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Music | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 August 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

El fantasma de la ópera

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$3,488,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Claude Rains accepted to play the Phantom under the condition that no overdone disfiguration would be made. Jack Pierce succeeded in fulfilling his requirement, according to the documentary included in the DVD release.

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Goofs

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.

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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?

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Connections

Referenced in Videoclub (2013)

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Soundtracks

LE PRINCE MASQUE DU CAUCASUS
(uncredited)
(Russian Opera sequence)
Adapted by Edward Ward (from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "4th Symphony")
Lyrics by George Waggner, translated by William von Wymetal
Sung by Nelson Eddy, Nicki Andre & company

User Reviews

Horror may be muted...but the music is glorious...

Before writing a film article on Claude Rains for CLASSIC IMAGES (December 2000), I took another look at 'Phantom' to appraise his performance. He's one of those rare actors who can make you feel sympathy when he plays the ill-treated violinist so that you understand why he turns into 'The Phantom'. His performance is just one asset of this handsome technicolor adaptation of the famous story. Why carp about the changes made for this version? It stands on its own as an entertaining melodrama studded with operatic sequences that give it added dimension. Nelson Eddy has never been in better voice and Susanna Foster is certainly up to the demands of her singing role. The comic aspects of the story are a bit overdone and the only weakness of the film is giving Eddy and Edgar Barrier silly routines as they compete for the hand of Foster. Aside from that, this can still be enjoyed as a horror story set against the Paris Opera background. The sets are rich and detailed. Understandably, the film won Academy Awards for color cinematography and color art direction. Edward Ward's haunting score was also nominated and contributes greatly to the overall enjoyment of the film. The horror is muted in this version--but the rich musical highlights are a compensation. Absorbing entertainment.