SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: Approx. 1 Hr., 32 Min.
Adapting Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, Universal Pictures initially released this silent film in 1925. Rupert Julian received sole credit as the director, though others (including Lon Chaney) were among its known creative contributors.
Set in the 1880’s, the new co-owners of the opulent Paris Opera House confirm that their predecessors were not joking about a ghost-like patron occupying the coveted Box Five. Specifically, the ‘Phantom’ (Chaney) is smitten with young understudy/soprano Christine Daaé (Philbin), and insists, through written messages, that she replace the opera’s star attraction, Carlotta (Fabian), at the next performance. Otherwise, the Opera House will be sabotaged by the masked Phantom’s unspecified acts of terrorism.
French noble Viscomte Raoul de Chagny (Kerry) risks a fateful love triangle with his beloved Christine and her self-appointed ‘mentor.’ The Phantom’s macabre efforts to mesmerize Christine into loving him ignites a dangerous series of events once the Opera House’s owners and even Christine herself defies him.
Descending deep into the Opera House’s sinister catacombs, Raoul, his worried older brother (St. Polis), and the enigmatic Ledoux (Carewe) incur the Phantom’s wrath attempting to rescue an abducted Christine from their homicidal adversary’s clutches. Yet, these dark and mysterious sub-basement levels were once medieval torture chambers where the Phantom knows all their architectural secrets. The question becomes: can anyone save Christine in time?
Notes: This enhanced version was released in 2011, with a new instrumental score supplied by I’Musici de Montréal and conducted by Yuli Turovsky. Providing operatic vocals for Christine/Carlotta is soprano Claudine Côté.
Credited Cast
The Phantom/Erik: Lon Chaney
Christine Daaé: Mary Philbin
Viscomte Raoul de Chagny: Norman Kerry
Ledoux: Arthur Edmund Carewe
Simon Buquet: Gibson Gowland
Comte Philip de Chagny: John St. Polis
Florine Papillon: Snitz Edwards
Carlotta: Mary Fabian
Carlotta’s Mother: Virginia Pearson
Historical Notes: Germany produced Phantom’s first-ever movie adaptation in 1916, but that film is deemed lost. Universal’s original release version was reportedly 107 minutes. In a rarity for its time, the color-tinted movie includes approximately seventeen minutes of Technicolor footage. A partial reshoot in 1929 meant for a sound version replaced some of the original actors and apparently edited out some fifteen minutes for a shorter running time.
REVIEW:
This first American film adaptation of Leroux’s novel is mostly faithful to the source material, despite alterations to the Phantom’s backstory (i.e., the novel’s ‘Persian’ is the movie’s ‘Ledoux;’ a faster-paced and more exciting finale, etc.). More so, Universal Pictures doesn’t skimp on the film’s lavish production values. For contemporary audiences, though, Chaney’s movie represents something of a viewer’s pendulum.
Given the curiosity of seeing an iconic film nearly a century old, Phantom’s slow first half risks dulling anybody to sleep – even those well-acquainted with Leroux’s plot. A partial upside is the I’Musici de Montréal score might help keep one from nodding off, despite how bland this mood music generally sounds.
Provided one is patient for the famous Phantom’s lair sequence where Christine exposes Erik’s face, the film is exceptional the rest of the way. Phantom’s final fifteen to twenty minutes, suffice to say, are riveting.
Bolstered by the impressive Technicolor sequences, most of the credit, unsurprisingly, belongs to Chaney (and to a lesser extent, Mary Philbin). What Chaney’s acting/make-up single-handedly does conveying the Phantom’s innate evil readily surpasses today’s mega-budget, green-screen special effects. Hence, this movie is deservedly Chaney’s career masterpiece.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
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