The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

The Phantom of the Opera (1925) — a landmark silent horror melodrama — tells the gothic tale of a disfigured, mad composer who haunts the Paris Opera House and becomes obsessively in love with a young chorus girl, Christine Daaé. When the company’s prima donna, Carlotta, is mysteriously driven from the stage, Christine is promoted and soon attracts the attention of the masked phantom who lives in the catacombs beneath the theatre. From shadowed passages and high, hidden vantage points he manipulates the opera house, professes his love, and ultimately kidnaps Christine during a performance. Her lover, the Vicomte Raoul de Chagny, aided by the police, ventures into the phantom’s subterranean lair for a desperate rescue, forcing a tragic confrontation that exposes the phantom’s ruined face and shattered humanity. What you’ll experience: a slow-building, intensely atmospheric film driven by expressionistic sets, stark chiaroscuro lighting and the unforgettable performance and prosthetic makeup of Lon Chaney — the “Man of a Thousand Faces.” As a silent-era picture, story and emotion are conveyed through dramatic physical acting and intertitles, often supported today by powerful musical scores in restored prints. Expect tense, suspenseful sequences (the masked stalker, the unmasking, the climactic rescue and the famous chandelier disaster), a darkly romantic undercurrent, and a tragic sympathy for the Phantom’s isolation and longing. It’s a must-see for fans of classic horror, silent cinema, and gothic romance. Content notes: themes include violence, kidnapping and disfigurement.

Actors: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry

Directors: Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney, Ernst Laemmle

Runtime: 93 min

Genre: Horror

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