The terrified Christine rushes back to Raoul but before they can run away together, Erik kidnaps her.
Christine cannot resist the temptation and unmasks him. He takes her to his underground lair, confesses his love and proposes. It turns out that her music teacher is the masked Erik (Lon Chaney), aka The Phantom of the Opera. It seems that she has a spectral music teacher who promises to make her the prima donna of the opera. Meanwhile, Raoul (Norman Kerry) is a nobleman who has just been dumped by his love, Christine (Mary Philbin). When crossed, he tends to leave a trail of strangled bodies. He demands tribute in the form of his own private box for every performance. More on that in a bit… Chaney’s concealed makeup.įor those of you who would like a refresher, here is a quick rundown of the plot: In fact, Chaney’s makeup used very normal techniques and its success is more due to careful planning than masochism. Nowadays, people are more likely to think of The Phantom as a stage musical but Chaney’s makeup remains iconic, often cited as an example of the crazy lengths that he went to for realism. When the film was re-released with its toned-down terror, it eventually became a hit and cemented Lon Chaney’s claim to stardom. Why? Universal was dismayed to discover that audiences found it scary and suspenseful. In fact, The Phantom was pulled back for tinkering after its premiere. The movie horror genre was still very young and no one was sure how far they could go. The film is often classified as horror but that’s not truly accurate. At yet, these pluses continue to overwhelm the minuses of this unique production. Lon Chaney’s performance has to make up for the dreadful acting of his co-stars. Gorgeous sets and costumes are undermined by lackluster direction. However, even its most devoted fans admit that the film is deeply flawed. The Phantom of the Opera remains a beloved classic of silent cinema. Therefore, I shall be spoiling the living daylights out of it. Also, as this is one of the most viewed silent movies of all time, I am taking for granted that everyone has at least a passing familiarity with it. Notes: This is my 150 th silent film review and so I am pulling out all the stops.
Who would want to see Lon Chaney play a monster?
Home Media Availability: Released on DVD, Blu-ray and via streaming.
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