The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Phantom of the Opera
Year: 1925
Director: Rupert Julian
Country: US
Language: English

Le Fantome de L'Opera began as a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialization in Le Gaulois in the early twentieth Century. Leroux was partly inspired by Paris real events that occurred at the Paris Opera during the 1800's. Unfortunately few people know that Le Fantome was originally a novel, because the numerous film adaptations and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical overshadow it in their success. I would argue that the worst adaptation is Gerard Butler's 2004 musical disaster and the best adaptation is Lon Chaney's 1925 Classic. I will be reviewing the latter today.

At the Opera of Paris, a mysterious phantom (Lon Chaney) threatens a famous lyric singer, Carlotta (Mary Fabian) and thus forces her to give up her role (Marguerite in Faust) for unknown Christine Daae (Mary Philbin). Christine meets this phantom (a masked man) in the catacombs, where he lives, to try to understand the phantom's goal.

It is difficult to tell whether or not The Phantom of the Opera deserves to be seen among silent greats such as Nosferatu, Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and/or Greed. Director Rupert Julian was certainly inspired by German Expressionism and incorporated it into this work. Phantom has the atmosphere and tone of Caligari mixed with similar character's from Nosferatu. However Phantom is sensational melodrama mixed with dreary romance. It does not offer as much layer as the great silents, it does not have a deep message nor a tremendous amount of depth. Although as a picture of emotion it does quite well.

Despite the fact that the phantom's mask-less face was on the DVD cover, I still found myself on edge waiting for the big reveal within the film. It is one of the most famous scenes in film history and a testament to the power of film makeup. His grotesque face in this silent is more disturbing than any other version since. The phantom himself is quite an intriguing man. He is a tortured soul who has been cruelly mistreated and has been on a self-imposed exile for quite some time. Any other actor might have made the phantom into an absurd caricature, but Lon Chaney makes him a haunting solemn figure.

In conclusion, The Phantom of the Opera may not be as important as other silent greats, but it has aged well and deserves to be seen by future generations. Anybody even thinking of pursuing a career in makeup needs to see this flick, as the phantom's face set a standard that would never be reached again, let alone improved. 3.5/5