The Phantom of the Opera
Originally released in 1925


Lon Chaney as Erik the Phantom

After the success of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Lon Chaney was cast as the title role in The Phantom of the Opera because he was sure to create a creature of horror.  Universal Pictures was right to assume this, and in 1925 Chaney's Phantom came to life.  As Erik, the phantom of the Paris Opera House who lived in the catacombs, Chaney's make-up scared young and old movie goers alike, and the scene in which his mask is removed to reveal his hideous face is still talked about today.  Taken from the 1911 novel by Gaston Leroux, the story tells of a phantom that lives under the opera house and falls in love with Christine Daae, a singer, who he eventually kidnaps and takes underground.  There the famous unmasking ensues as well as the hunt for Erik by the authorities.


L.C. Subject Headings

The following Library of Congress Subject Heading is for use in searching the on-line catalog for materials pertaining to The Phantom of the Opera.


Reviews

The New York Times Film Reviews 1913-1968.  Vol. 1, 1913-1931.  New York: The New  York Times & Arno Press, 1970.
[Davis Ref: PN 1995. N4 v1]

Variety Film Reviews 1907-1980.  Vol. 2, 1921-1925.  New York: Garland Publishing  Inc., 1983.
[Davis Ref: PN 1995 .V34 v2] Variety Film Reviews 1907-1980.  Vol. 4, 1930-1933.  New York: Garland Publishing  Inc., 1983.
[Davis Ref: PN 1995 .V34 v4]

Original Novel

Leroux, Gaston.  The Phantom of the Opera.  London: O'Mara, 1987.  (originally  published in 1911)
[Davis, 7th floor stacks: PQ2623.E6 F213 1987]

One of only two copies in Davis that are in English, this one is the better version.  Even though this is the older copy, it keeps truer to the original story and provides the reader with a few decent illustrations.  For a very good copy that is not in the libraries here, you can try the 1993 edition released by Barnes and Noble.

Video

The Phantom of the Opera.  New York, N.Y.: Kino on Video, 1989.
[UL NonPrint: 65-V2391]

Where Chaney left off with The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this movie picks right up with the “Man of a Thousand Faces” as Erik, the phantom who lives under the Paris Opera House.  Just when everyone thought the makeup of Quasimodo could not be out done, Chaney shocked audiences and critics alike with one of the most famous scenes in movie history.  When Erik is unmasked by his kidnapped Christine in the bellows of the building, the grotesque face that the phantom has is revealed, filling viewers with dread even today.  Originally released in 1925, it was put back in the theaters in 1929 with some added footage and the famous scene with the masquerade ball, in which Chaney dons himself as the Red Death.  This scene was filmed in two-tone Technicolor and looks unbelievable.  This movie is also available on DVD.
To Universal Pictures Page
To Lon Chaney Page