The Phantom of the Opera (Ultimate Edition) DVD, 1925

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MovieMail's Review

With both 1925 and 1929 versions plus a choice of soundtracks, this is a comprehensive edition of this classic silent. Lon Chaney remains the screen's finest Phantom, says David Parkinson.

A must for all fans of the inimitable Lon Chaney, this splendid set presents both the original 1925 version of Rupert Julian's adaptation of Gaston Leroux's celebrated novel and the 1929 variation edited by Maurice Pivar and Lois Weber, which not only contains new scenes directed by Edward Sedgwick (later a frequent collaborator with Buster Keaton), but also a masked ball sequence in experimental two-strip Technicolor.

All eyes will naturally be on 'the Man of a Thousand Faces', as he skulks around the bowels of the Paris Opera House seeking to ensure protégé Mary Philbin sings the part of Margueritte in the production of Gounod's Faust and keep her out of the clutches of amorous viscount Norman Kerry. However, Charles Van Enger's moody lighting of Chaney's typically inventive make-up and Ben Carré's Expressionist sets casts a suitably Gothic pall over proceedings that can be enlivened by one of three scores, by Gaylord Carter (1974), Gabriel Thibaudeau (1990) or The Alloy Orchestra (2011). This may not be Chaney's masterpiece, but he remains the screen's finest Phantom.

David Parkinson on 18th October 2011
View all 171 of David Parkinson's reviews

The Phantom of the Opera (Ultimate Edition)

Film Information

Director - Rupert Julian

Produced - 1925

Main Language - Silent

Countries & Regions - American film

Cast - Lon Chaney

DVD Details

Certificate:	PG	Publisher:	Park Circus	Region:	2
Length:	107 mins	Cat No:	PC0037
Format:	DVD B&W

DVD Extras

2 discs
All-new restoration
Includes both 1925 and 1929 versions
Brand new score by The Alloy Orchestra as well as Gaylord Carter's famous 1974 score (released for the first time in stereo), plus Gabriel Thibaudeau's 1990 score' Audio Commentary by Dr Jon Mirsalis
Stills gallery
Original Trailers
interview with Gabriel Thibaudeau
Reproduction of 1925 Programme and Script.

Film Description

Beneath the sewers of the Paris Opera House, a masked figure dwells. He is Enrique (Lon Chaney), the Phantom, a hideously disfigured composer whose dream is to turn chorus singer Christine (Mary Philbin) into a diva. This adaptation of Gaston Leroux's novel gave 'Man of a Thousand Faces' Lon Chaney his most famous role.

Lon Chaney's genius for mime and his ability to bring humanity to the most deformed of creatures make for a phantom that has yet to be surpassed, a creature both terrifying and tender, and one of the defining performances of all silent cinema. Some scenes were even directed by an uncredited Chaney, and the sheer visual power of the film has rarely been equalled. A thrilling experience with chase sequences in the dungeons beneath the Paris Opera House to compare with Indiana Jones. Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, once confessed that he owed his entire career to the inspirational unmasking scene.