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The Phantom of the Opera
(1925),
Directors: Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney, rated Passed
The greatest
horror film of modern cinema!
  Starring:
Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe,
Gibson Gowland, John St. Polis, Virginia Pearson
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★☆☆
- great
"Beneath your dancing
feet are the tombs of tortured men! Thus does The Red Death
rebuke
your merriment!" - The Phantom, dressed as The Red
Death
Why watch this? This
is the original Phantom film starring the amazing Lon Chaney Sr.
Plot Summary:
A shadowy figure, known as the Phantom, haunts the Paris Opera
House, manipulating events from behind the scenes to promote the
career of the young singer, Christine Daaé. The Phantom,
secretly a disfigured musical genius named Erik, lures Christine
to his subterranean lair and reveals his obsession with her.
When Christine's fiancé, Raoul, attempts to rescue her, he and a
detective are drawn into the Phantom's elaborate traps within
the opera house's depths.
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Dad's Preview:
This silent film's success was the catalyst that
convinced Universal studios to make more gothic horror films. It
rewards the viewer with spectacle and adventure, but also
suspense. The famous scene where Christine unmasks the phantom
terrified audiences so much that it was reported some filmgoers
became ill. Chaney's make-up and facial transformations, in 1925 mind you, were too
incredible to believe. He was called "The Man of a Thousand
Faces". |
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Carl Laemmle; Universal Pictures |
