A Reel 100: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

​

“If I am the Phantom, it is because man’s hatred has made me so.”

This month marks the 100^th anniversary of the 1925 silent film version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. 

Directed by Rupert Julian and based upon the 1910 novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA told the tale of a deformed phantom who haunted the Paris Opera House, causing chaos to turn the woman he loved into a star. 

The phantom began its ascent in 1922, when Carl Laemmie, the president of Universal Pictures, visited Paris and met author Gaston Leroux. Taken by the story and the grandeur of the Paris Opera House, Laemmie secured the film rights as a vehicle for actor Lon Chaney. A French art director who had worked at the Opera House was brought on to design the lavish sets. Chaney was allowed to do his own makeup. 

Production began at Universal Studios in 1924. After a troubled shoot where Chaney and the rest of the cast had strained relations with director Rupert Julian, the film was completed and then went through several re-edits and reshoots. Chaney’s look was kept a secret until after the premier. 

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA premiered in September of 1925 in New York ahead of its wide release in November. Critical response was mostly positive, with high praise for the production and Chaney’s makeup, which reportedly had audience members fainting. Today it is considered to be one of the greatest horror films of all time, and in 1998 was added to the United States Film Registry. 

*

Years before Andrew Lloyd Webber would take the Phantom to Broadway, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA had a legacy of one of early cinema’s most iconic works of horror. Lon Chaney’s transformative makeup and performance set new standards for character creation and sympathetic monsters. The impressive sets and dramatic chandelier crash helped usher in grand-scale productions in Hollywood’s silent era and overall would cement the story in our culture; inspiring countless versions on film…and on stage. 100 years later it is a cornerstone of horror, and a landmark in silent filmmaking. 

“If I shall be saved, it will be because your love redeems me.”