The Opera Ghost: A Phantom Unmasked

The Opera Gost: a Phantom Unmasked is a wonderful documentary about the history/evolution of Gaston Leroux's creation from printed page to film. Detailed histories of the 1925 masterpiece as well as a seemingly lost 1930 sound version, the 1943 remake and Hammer's 1962 film comprise the backbone of this documentary. We get an inside look through Universal's vault as well as stage information and as a splendid bonus first hand knowledge from surviving stars such as Susana Foster, Carla Laemmle, and Turhan Bey. I was pleased with the way the information was presented and the scholarship that had been dedicated to this labour of love from David Skaal and Scott MacQueen. Generous film clips and still photographs are used throughout(with only the tedious property of Universal having to be proclaimed every moment on every clip as a minor distraction). I learned a lot I did not know about how one of the most beloved horror icons of the 20th century came about and transformed from a character in a book in 1910 to the mega-star of Broadway. Very satisfying stuff. The archival footage of the 1930 version is worth a look alone as it has some clips I thought, as the other reviewer noted, that I would never have an opportunity to see. This documentary can be seen with Universal's release on DVD of the 1943 version. My only real gripe is that that version was included in the Universal Monster Classic Collection rather than the much superior 1925 film.

A home video extra to Universal's 1943 remake "Phantom of the Opera," this documentary, at least, is better than that lackluster adaptation. Besides the '43 version, David J. Skal and Scott MacQueen's documentary covers the 1925 Lon Chaney film and the 1962 Hammer iteration in some detail. Not coincidentally, the Hammer movie is also available on home video from Universal, while it was probably unavoidable discussing, as was a mention of the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical--but just a mention, the 1925 version, which has since fallen into public domain. Plus, surely Universal doesn't care too much about throwing some free advertisement the way of small and specialty video distributors that continue to sell that old silent film. The program also shows clips for various other Universal films, including the Phantom reworking "The Climax" (1944) and other movies that reused the 1925 opera auditorium set or are somehow tangentially related and sold by Universal. Not mentioned are "Song at Midnight" (1937), "Phantom of the Paradise" (1974), the 1989 "The Phantom of the Opera," or the 1998 Dario Argento version, among others, but, of course, that's because Universal doesn't own the rights to them.

That said, there's some value here, especially rare clips from the 1930 sound reissue of the 1925 silent version. In between the fawning praise, which I think is mostly undeserving for the 1943 and 1962 versions, but I digress, there are some other interesting tidbits, although, personally, I was already aware of most of it from reading other material. For example, the script for the 1943 film originally had the Phantom as Christine's father, but the studio allegedly axed this for fear of an incestuous subtext. So, instead, they settled for a confusingly pathetic titular character. Unfortunately, no explanation is provided for where the idea of the Phantom's disfigurement from acid came from, which appears in both the 1943 and 1962 versions, as well as "Song at Midnight," but is not in the book.

Additionally, I like Chaney's performance in it and the 1925 film in general, but, c'mon, the silent cinema did not die with Chaney, as MacQueen claims. For one, there was that guy named Chaplin who was still making them at the time, and he was rather popular.

This is an impressive, detailed behind-the-scenes story on the various screen versions of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, described by narrator Scott MacQueen as "a darkly romantic icon of the gaslight era." The documentary is a look at the earlier versions of the Gaston Leroux story written in 1910 and made even more famous by the 1925 version starring Lon Chaney and Mary Philbin. MacQueen's commentary guides the viewer through the other projects--the 1930 sound version with which Universal hoped to make another big profit after the success of the silent film. Bits of the sound version can be heard here for the first time.

SUSANNA FOSTER and TURHAN BEY both talk about their roles in the 1943 film in which they appeared with NELSON EDDY and CLAUDE RAINS. Jessica Rains, the actor's daughter, recounts some amusing bits of trivia about her father. Film historian RUDY BEHLMER adds some other interesting tidbits about the making of the various versions.

Although other actors were considered first for the role of The Phantom, CLAUDE RAINS was between contracts at Warner Bros. and was thus available to take the role, only insisting that the make-up for the disfigured genius not be too severe.

Interesting to note that the 1925 set was refurbished for the 1943 version and used regularly since then, a set that Universal has recycled many times over the years and is still standing.

Well researched and very interesting, it's a valuable addition to the DVD of 1943's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, covering a wealth of material and a short history of the Universal studio as the maker of horror films featuring stars like Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr., Basil Rathbone and others.

This hugely interesting documentary includes footage I never thought I'd be able to see/hear...sections from the 1930 sound re-release of 1925 silent version of "The Phantom of the Opera." It has been reported numerous places that this version no longer exsists, and I am so happy to find out that at least some material survives. The audio sounds as if it was discovered on it's own and then matched to the silent footage, but this is still a major treat for "Phantom" fans. We can at last hear Mary Philbin and Norman Kerry's voices!

The sound recording is very scratchy and low in resolution, but this adds a spooky effect when married with the film footage. The booming voice of the man reading the Phantom's lines (which was not provided by Lon Chaney, it should be noticed) is truly frightening. We can at last hear the horrifying crash of the chandelier tumbling earthward as that chilling voice cries "She is singing to bring down the chandelier!"

I was so excited about this footage that it took me a while before I continued with the program, which was very informative and entertaining. Susanna Foster is as lovely and lively as ever, and everyone interview provides fascinating insight into the "Phantom" phenomenon.

This program was featured on the DVD release of the !943 Claude Raines "Phantom" which is now out of print, but is definately worth seeking out!

Opera Ghost, The: The Phantom Unmasked (2000)

*** (out of 4)

Nice documentary from Universal that was originally released on the DVD of the 1943 PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Universal released many great documentaries on their monster films but this here is perhaps the weakest. I'm going to say this is probably because there's really not too much to talk about as it seems the 1943 PHANTOM has been overlooked by movie fans, although I personally think it's an underrated gem. The documentary starts off telling us the history of the 1925 version with Lon Chaney. We hear about how Universal got the rights to the story, Chaney's make up and the eventually fighting between star and director. We hear a few points on the 1930 version and then move to the 1943 version. We hear about Lon Chaney, Jr. originally wanting to play the role but apparently the studio never took this too serious. We hear about the decision to make it in color and the hiring of Claude Rains and his demands for the lack of make up. Finally, we jump to the Hammer remake, which was distributed by Universal. This documentary is entertaining but at the same time it comes off rather disappointing because it jumps around so much and yet we really don't learn too much about any of the three version. The 1925 version gives basic stuff and we don't get Chaney expert Michael Blake. The 1943 version gets some nice comments from Rains daughter but a lot of stuff is pretty much overlooked. Then, the Hammer version is pretty much skipped all together. Again, we're greeted with some good information but this is certainly the weakest documentary from Universal in regards to their classic monsters.