Before I get deep into this review, I want to give a little praise to Image Entertainment for getting the rights to release some of the classic horror films on Blu-ray and doing so with the utmost respect to the films. The release of the original Phantom of the Opera on Blu-ray is a rare treat, and I am happy that I got a chance to cover this disc. With that said, The Phantom of the Opera, Lon Chaney in particular, was one of the reasons I was scared to sleep in my own room when I was a child.

   One of the most shocking things when you’re a young child is when you first get the fear of something scary you saw; something that frightened you so much, you could never get that image out of your head. I can remember being about four years old and I was in the mall with my mother. There was this poster/picture frame store that had all of the classic movie monsters posters. In the middle of Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein and Bela Lugosi Dracula was a frightening close-up of Lon Chaney’s Phantom, mouth wide open, big eyes staring at me. It freaked me out to the point where I was scared to walk past the store. That image to this day freaks me out, and I consider the Lon Chaney Phantom to be among one of the most frightening-looking monsters in cinema history. Even looking at the box cover of this Blu-ray disc brings me back in time.

   The Phantom of the Opera is a film that has been remade a few times, turned into a hit musical (which also spawned a film), and is a story that I’m sure will be reimagined in the future. The plot is simple: A disfigured man living in the catacombs below the Paris Opera House is seen haunting the theater during performances. He prefers to sit in opera box #5. When the Opera House is sold and new management takes over, the old owners warn them of the Phantom. The new owners shake it off as a joke until they witness the Phantom sitting in box #5. After the performance, Carlotta, the Primadonna of the Paris Grand Opera with the lead role in the play approaches management saying she got a letter from the Phantom, telling her that a young girl, Christine, should be in the lead role, and if not, there will be hell to pay. Management pays no mind to it and the next night, Carlotta appears in the role. The Phantom, not happy with this, causes a crystal chandelier to fall down onto the audience. Christine, scared by this, runs into her dressing room where the Phantom is waiting for her behind a mirror. He puts her into a trance and takes her to his lair under the opera house. He lets her know his name is Erik and he confesses his love for her. He tells her she is free to go as she pleases, but she may never look behind his mask. However, while he is playing his organ, Christine sneaks up behind him, and rips it from the phantom's face revealing his deformity. This, in turn, enrages Erik and he keeps Christine as his prisoner. He gives her one last wish to go view the world one last time before she must come and live with him forever underground in the catacombs below the Opera House. However Christine has other plans, but little does she know so does the Phantom, and as long as he’s around, terror will follow.

   Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, the French novel by Gaston Leroux on which Phantom is based was not a big hit at all when it was published in 1909. The movie is really what made the story a hit, and most of that can be credited to Lon Chaney's paying close enough attention to the details in the story of how the Phantom looked. The studio gave Chaney permission to do his own make-up after the success of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Chaney said that the book described the phantom's face as almost being like a skull. Chaney painted his eye sockets black, pinned his nose back so it would stick up, painted the inside of his nostrils black to give his nose the effect that it looked more like a nose bone on a skull and wore a set of false teeth. It is said that when people first saw the phantom’s face revealed in the theaters, women in the audiences actually fainted and people where screaming in terror. This is the film that cemented the legacy of Lon Chaney and when the film was released by Universal Studios in 1929, and profiting a million dollars, Phantom of the Opera would become the film to launch the sound age of horror films. It is the first horror film to pave the way for the Universal classic horror monsters and the sequels that followed. Without Phantom of the Opera, there might not be a Bela Lugosi Dracula in which Chaney was cast before his untimely death) or of Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein and Lon Chaney’s own son as The Wolfman. Phantom of the Opera can be credited for starting it all.

   The Blu-ray disc is decent although I wish the prints were cleaned up a little better as is done with most classics released on Blu-ray. I read a lot of reviews criticizing the transfer to Blu-ray, but bear in mind that the print of the Phantom of the Opera that Image Entertainment had to go of of is a relic that has been through a lot, in fact it’s a long story that I won’t get into, but I give them a lot of credit for doing their best to preserve the picture and sound of the original 1925 version, and the 1929 reissue versions which are presented both in 20 frames per second and 24 frames per second. The original 1925 version from the 6 millimeter source copy of the film is presented in standard definition and is color tinted. The 1929 reissue version in 24 frames per second has a brand new musical score by the Alloy Orchestra plus Gaylord Carter’s Famous Theatre Organ score in stereo. The 1929 reissue version in 20 frames per second features an Orchestral Score composed by Gabriel Thibaubeau and is performed by I Musici de Montreal and conducted by Yuri Turovsky with soprano singer Claudine Cote. There is also a Full-Lenth Audio Essay by Dr. Jon Mirsalis about this version of the film. Other features on the disc include an interview with Composer Gabriel Thibaubeau, the original Theatrical Trailer, the film’s script, a Theatrical Souvenir Program Reproduction and Still Gallery.

   If you’re a true horror fan, this is a film that you must watch. The Phantom of the Opera is the film that paved the way for the classic Universal monsters and today’s modern day horror films. Lon Chaney was the first real horror icon and every horror fan should pay respect to his short career. His talents and his achievements in makeup effects are where it all began for the horror film. This is a Blu-ray disc that is a must-have.

  - Horror Bob

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