The Phantom of the Opera

1925
PG
1h 41m

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

21K

YOUR RATING

Lon Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Play trailer2:46

1 Video

99+ Photos

Tragedy Horror

A mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.A mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.A mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

21K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 4 wins & 1 nomination

Carlotta
(1929 re-edited version)
…

Alma Wayne

Undetermined Secondary Role

Olive Ann Alcorn

La Sorelli
(uncredited)

Betty Allen

Ballerina
(uncredited)

Betty Arthur

Ballet Dancer
(uncredited)

Joseph Belmont

Stage Manager
(uncredited)

Alexander Bevani

Mephistopheles
(uncredited)

Earl Gordon Bostwick

Minor Role
(uncredited)

Ethel Broadhurst

Frightened Ballerina
(uncredited)

Edward Cecil

Faust
(uncredited)

More like this

7.2

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

6.4

7.4

7.6

7.0

7.8

7.8

Bride of Frankenstein

7.2

The Wolf Man

8.0

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

7.7

The Unknown

7.6

Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages

7.6

The Man Who Laughs

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
Lon Chaney's horrific, self-applied makeup was kept secret right up until the film's premiere. Not a single photograph of Chaney as The Phantom was published in a newspaper or magazine or seen anywhere before the film opened in theaters. Universal Pictures wanted The Phantom's face to be a complete surprise when his mask was ripped off.

Goofs
(1929 cut) When the Phantom's alarm goes off, the sound of the chimes does not always match the striking of the device's "arms". That is because what is heard is the film's soundtrack, not "sound effects", which do not exist in a silent film. As such, this being "off sync" is allowable.

Quotes
The Phantom: [Christine sees a casket in the room] That is where I sleep. It keeps me reminded of that other dreamless sleep that cures all ills - forever!
Christine Daae: You - You are the Phantom!
The Phantom: If I am the Phantom, it is because man's hatred has made me so. If I shall be saved, it will be because your love redeems me.

Crazy credits
In 1925 (and for many years afterwards), credits used to appear at the beginning of movies. In this film, the credits do appear at the beginning but also are repeated at the end, preceded by the following caption: "This is repeated at the request of picture patrons who desire to check the names of performers whose work has pleased them."

Alternate versions
In 2012 it was determined that an "accidental 3-D" version of the film existed. From an examination of various prints of the film, it was discovered that most - if not all - of the original film was shot using two cameras placed side-by-side. This was most likely done to create simultaneous master and safety/domestic and foreign negatives of the film. However, when synched together and anaglyph color-tinted, the spatial distance between the two simultaneous film strips translates into an effective 3-D film. Under the working title of LA FANTOME 3D, a fund-raising effort is under way to locate and restore (create) a full "accidental 3-D" version of the film.

Connections
Edited into Drácula (1931)

User reviews218

Review

Featured review

Music, Words and Personality Cannot Make Up for That Face.

The titled character is a badly disfigured man (Lon Chaney) who stays in the catacombs of the Paris Opera House. He falls in love with the theater's newest leading lady (Mary Philbin) and hatches a plan to take her down to his tomb. Masked, able to play lovely music and say such lovely things, she finds herself strangely attracted to Chaney. However, she makes the mistake of unmasking him and that is when he shows his true deviant colors. "The Phantom of the Opera" is one of the finest pictures of the late silent era and Chaney was arguably the greatest performer of the period (of course Buster Keaton and Charles Chaplin fans would not agree). His ability to literally transform himself into movie monsters is truly uncanny, especially considering the lack of technical resources in the 1920s. New Zealand director Rupert Julian (who took sole credit in spite of the fact that Chaney and fellow director Edward Sedgwick also did some of the work behind the camera) uses tone to stretch his audience to their outer-limits throughout. Spooky, dramatic, stressful and memorable, "The Phantom of the Opera" is one of those silent pictures that will suck you in and never let you go. 5 stars out of 5.