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.
© James Travers 2010
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
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...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.