The very first adaptation of the Gaston Leroux novel
PHILM PHACTS
USA 1925
Directed by Rupert Julian and Edward Sedgwick
CAST:
Lon Chaney Sr.- Erik, the Phantom
Mary Philbin- Christine Daae
Norman Kerry – Raoul de Changy
Also Starring: Arthur Edmund Carewe, Gibson Gowland, and John Sanipolis
Universal Studios
Silent Black and White with Tinted Color
Summary: The original film version, this movie follows Leroux’s novel and is best known for Lon Chaney’s masterful performance and make up. The unmasking sequence between Chaney and Philbin is one of the most famous scene in classic horror film history.
Other Philm Phacts
Rupert Julian and Lon Chaney did not get along well during the filming of Phantom. In fact, Julian left the picture and director Edward Sedgwick was brought in to finish the picture
The Phantom set, Studio 23, still stands on the Universal lot. It was the first set to be built with a steel framework and is the only set from the Silent era still standing. The 1943 remake of Phantom was filmed using the set, as well as many other Universal films
Like “Ben-Hur” released in the same year 1925 Phantom was one of the first color tinted films
Phantom was later re-issued with sound in 1930, but Lon Chaney did not provide the Phantom with his voice
Reviews:
ICEHEART’S REVIEW: 5 STARS
I would recommend this film to any Phantom phan, horror film advocate or classic film admirer. It’s very dramatic and follows the story better than any other film. I got shivers after the first time I saw it. Even for an old movie it still has the power to give you the creeps, in a good way. Lon Chaney is the classic Phantom. Enough said!
JOANNA PHANTOM’S REVIEW: 5 STARS
My all time Phantom movie because it is the closest movie to the original book. Lon Chaney did his own make-up and his interpretation of Erik is exquisite.
RAPHAEL'S REVIEW OF THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA ULIMATE DVD
· Commentary by film historian Scott MacQueen
* Carl Davis orchestral score
* Original Vitaphone soundtrack
* Stills Galleries featuring deleted scenes from original San
Francisco and Los Angeles premieres
* 1925 original feature version with a score by Jon Mirsalis
* "Carla Laemmle Remembers" a 7-minute video interview with
David Skal
* 1925 and 1930 reissue trailers
* FAUST (opera extract) from the 1929 Tiffany sound feature,
MIDSTREAM
* Audio Gallery: Additional dialogue from the 1929 Vitaphone
disks, and interview with Phantom cinematographer Charles
Van Enger
* "1929 Version (98 minutes) restored by Photoplay
* Productions with original two-color Technicolor, Tints and
"Handschiegl" color process
* Number of discs: 2
Disc 1: The 1929 restored version that we all know.
"Restored" is right. The picture quality is absolutely wonderful.
I've watched it twice, once with the Carl Davis score which works very well with the picture, and once with the audio commentary by Scott MacQueen (it also comes with the option of watching with the original 1930 soundtrack). MacQueen's commentary is very good, sounding like the historian that he is rather than the typical actor/director/producer commentaries you're used to hearing on dvds (obvious, since the majority of the people associated with the film have passed away). But MacQueen supplies the viewer with many details on the production while also poking fun at the occasional idiosyncrasy -- like why Erik has *two* breathing
tubes on the wall.
Bonus features on disc 1 include the 1925 and 1929 trailers (the 1925 trailer was also featured on Image Entertainment's Collector's Edition Phantom dvd), original 1930 dialogue selections, and recreations of the Los Angeles and San Francisco previews using still photos and title cards.
Disc 2: The 1925 Release version
It looks to be a show at home version, so the picture isn't as clear as the 1929. I have to say it's almost like watching a different movie. If you thought the 1929 version was close to the novel, this one is even moreso. The shots *are* different, if only slightly, since both footage was shot simultaneously with two cameras (I believe that is what MacQueen said in his commentary). The score is serviceable, but of the two, I'm already favoring this version.
Bonus features on this disc include a mini documentary interview with Carla Laemmle, who played the part of the prima ballerina in the film; an extract of FAUST from the film, "Midstream;" and an audio-only interview with Cinematographer Charles Van Enger that basically restates what he says in the Riley book.
HIGHLY recommended for phans. But I'm still wondering where the full SF version Riley claims is in the possession of some San Francisco collector is hiding...
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