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I just attended a special showing of "The Phantom of the Opera" at Orange County Performing Arts Center's Segerstrom Concert Hall with Pacific Symphony. The symphony performed the restored 1925's film score with Dennis James at the helm of the concert hall's concert Organ. I knew something great was going to happen when the opening scene of the movie on the big screen was accompanied with a wall of sound from the concert organ playing Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. In my many years of movie going, I have never experienced watching a movie along with full symphony orchestra playing its score, it just brings watching a classic silent film up to a whole new level.

Even-though, the film was shown as film-to-video transfer, the images came out loud and clear, but not without some blotches, the film is after all some 84 years old. I have never watched any of the Phantom movies before nor the musical version, so last night's showing was my first exposure to the franchise. The story of the film was the timeless story of unacquired love and human hideousness. Much in the same vein as "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "King Kong", and "Frankenstein". The plot of the the film was limited to what the title card of the silent film can express, but the words flashed before the screen speaks volume to the actors emotions and further more bring it up couple of notches by the organ and orchestra's film score. I was in awe by the movie's venture into Technicolor at the second half of the film. With color one could really tells the difference if the showgirls in the film were wearing white leg stockings or just barelegged. The acting style of the actors to those not accustomed to silent film did caused some snickers from the peanuts gallery, but mostly those of us at the concert hall were captured by the powerful imageries and music of this 84 years old film. In the end, I must remind myself that I'm watching a silent film.

This movie begins quietly on the prairie like other great western films with a man profess his love to a woman. A causal viewer would mistaken this as a western love story. Boy, would he or she be surprised. This movie is a cross between "The Searcher", "Days of Heaven", and "Feast". For me, I like the quiet opening of the movie without any loud and overbearing music, and its subtle overtone might strike others as being slow, but for me the subtleness sets up the creepy atmosphere of the film. I love Doug Hutchison's performance as cavalry officer, he gave this film a realistic feel to it, although, I doubt all cavalry officers behaved like him back in the old west days. The monsters which I am sorry to say are the weak point of the movie. Even though, they are scary but not well put together consider this film has some budget that are higher than other horror films. Also, I found the settings of the movie a bit disruptive at the end of the film as the characters went from a prairie setting to a forested mountain setting and back all too quick. It's too bad that this movie didn't see its theatrical release. Perhasp a better title would help.