The Phantom of the Opera
Dir.
Rupert Julian.
U.S. 1925.
92 min. B&W. Organ Score.
Lon Chaney's The Phantom Of The Opera, marked the actor's hard-earned entry into full-fledged superstardom.n portraying the maniacal Erik, the spectral figure who lurks within the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, Chaney demonstrated a physical and emotive talent few performers have ever approached. While he has been duly praised for the creation of Erik's monstrous skull-like visage (a masterpiece of makeup that still retains its power to astonish), Chaney is to be credited just as much for his performance from within the featureless, face-concealing mask. Though his expressions are hidden, Chaney moulds the Phantom into a complex bundle of contradictory, libidinal emotions that punches through the surface of cinematic sterotype and carried the art of screen acting to a new plateau, upon which the foundation for the American horror film would be laid.
Gaston Leroux's story has been remade, revamped, and set to music by numerous artists since, yet all owe a substantial debt to the 1925 production and the shining star upon whose shoulders the film was majestically carried.
In portraying the maniacal Erik, the spectral figure who lurks within the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, Chaney demonstrated a physical and emotive talent few performers have ever approached. While he has been duly praised for the creation of Erik's monstrous skull-like visage (a masterpiece of makeup that still retains its power to astonish), Chaney is to be credited just as much for his performance from within the featureless, face-concealing mask. Though his expressions are hidden, Chaney moulds the Phantom into a complex bundle of contradictory, libidinal emotions that punches through the surface of cinematic sterotype and carried the art of screen acting to a new plateau, upon which the foundation for the American horror film would be laid.
Gaston Leroux's story has been remade, revamped, and set to music by numerous artists since, yet all owe a substantial debt to the 1925 production and the shining star upon whose shoulders the film was majestically carried.
Available in 16mm, 35mm, VHS, Other