The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Directed by Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney

Film Review

It was the runaway success of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) which prompted Carl Laemmle, the founder and head of Universal Pictures, to attempt an even more lavish horror-themed production, this time based on Gaston Leroux's well-known novel The Phantom of the Opera, first published in 1910. This film rapidly became something of a personal obsession for Laemmle, who set aside unprecedented resources to make what would be Universal's most ambitious and best-known production, arguably the finest film the company ever made.

Despite Laemmle's commitment and despite the fact that it all came right in the end, making this film was an ordeal of almost epic proportions.  After a series of major mishaps, the production team became convinced that the film was afflicted by the curse of the phantom.   The original shoot was almost derailed by the extremely bad working relationship between the cast and the authoritarian director Rupert Julian.  When a preview audience reacted badly to the first cut of the film, Laemmle insisted that it be reshot.  Julian refused and walked off in a huff, so additional scenes had to be recorded by another director, Edward Sedgwick.  This second version was hardly better received than the first, so the entire film was re-edited for a third preview, which was more favourable. 

In spite of these various setbacks and soaring production costs, the film proved to be one of Universal's  biggest successes, grossing over two million dollars on its first release.  In 1929, a re-edited sound version of the film was released, with the inclusion of new dialogue scenes, and this again proved to be a major money spinner.  The healthy box office receipts from The Phantom of the Opera are what led Universal to make Dracula and Frankenstein in 1931, beginning a long and highly profitable series of classic Gothic horror films.

One of the main reasons for the popularity of The Phantom of the Opera was Lon Chaney's unforgettable interpretation of the phantom, in particular his self-applied make-up which gave cinema one of its most iconic horror creations.  The phantom's skull-like visage was so shocking to contemporary audiences that many spectators fainted at the sight of it. This, the most memorable of Chaney's many creations, still manages to send a shiver down the spine no matter how many times you see it.  Of course, Chaney's true genius is to make his horrific character human and believable, investing it with such pathos that, in the end, you cannot help siding with him against his enemies.

There are striking similarities between Chaney's phantom, Erik, and the vampiric Count Orlok in F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922), the other legendary horror film of the decade.  The Germanic influence of this film can be seen in the slick expressionistic edge to The Phantom of the Opera.  Shadows and silhouettes are used throughout this film to accentuate the power and menace of the elusive phantom, whilst the labyrinthine sets, with their precise yet unsettling Escher-like geometry, convey an oppressive dreamlike feel that can only add to the mounting tension and terror.  

There have been several other film versions of The Phantom of the Opera but all pale into insignificance when compared with this 1925 classic.  Although the original 33 mm print of this film has long since been lost, it still exists in various formats (derived from 16 mm home-use prints issued by Universal in the 1930s and a well-preserved print taken from the original camera negative in the 1950s).  Poor quality edits of the film are easy to come by (downloadable from the internet) although these should be shunned in favour of the recently restored, digitally remastered versions.  The latter bring the film back to life in all its chilling realism and dazzling visual splendour.   Regarded by some as the greatest horror film ever made, The Phantom of the Opera is a mesmirising and haunting piece of cinema, unquestionably a landmark production of the silent era.

Film Synopsis

Midway through a production of Gounod's Faust, the Paris Opera House is about to change hands, but its new owners are unconcerned by the rumours that the building is haunted by a sinister phantom.   These rumours acquire some substance when the prima donna Madame Carlotta receives a note from The Phantom insisting that she must not perform one evening, but must let her understudy, Christine, take her place.  Thanks to Carlotta's indisposition, Christine becomes an overnight star, but she owes her success to her mysterious mentor, whom she has never seen.   The next evening, Carlotta defies the Phantom and sings the role of Marguerite herself, but the performance ends in disaster as the great chandelier comes crashing down on the audience.  As panic reigns in the opera house, Christine is lured into the subterranean depths beneath the building by a cloaked stranger.  In his secret lair, the masked Phantom identifies himself as Erik, the man who has been patiently teaching her all these years.  It is love that has made Erik Christine's devoted servant and now he intends that she will be his bride.  Curious to see her benefactor's face, Christine furtively slips off his mask, and reveals a visage of indescribable horror...