The Phantom of the Opera - 1925 1929Lon Chaney Rupert Julian

(Mouse over above the see the 'Original 1925 Release' title)

directed by Rupert Julian
USA 1925 / Restoration 1929

Beneath the splendid riches of the Paris Opera House lie ancient catacombs with a dark and forbidden secret. These vast underground rooms and hidden passages were once used as torture chambers to satisfy the blood lust of a crazed population. Rumors abound that the Opera Ghost lives there still, vowing vengeance on the human race.

When film director Rupert Julian was presented with the script for The Phantom of the Opera, he declared simply: "Lon Chaney, or it can't be done!" For the film, "the man of a thousand faces" transformed himself into his most recognizable character. Using chemicals to dilate his pupils, cotton and celluloid discs to heighten his cheekbones, fanged teeth to create a horrific grin and wires to pull his nose upwards, Chaney became the menacing Phantom who lurks in Box 5 of the Opera - and in the dark cellars below.

This spine-tingling, macabre masterpiece can now be viewed in all its grand guignol glory. Using the finest restored 35mm print of the 1929 reissue, and materials from archives around the world, and employing the latest in digital technology, Photoplay Productions created a stunning video master featuring a magnificent orchestral score by composer Carl Davis (Napoleon). The Photoplay team was also able to restore the stunning Technicolor bal masque sequence and has painstakingly re-created the Handschiegl color process used in the famous "Apollo's Lyre" scene on the roof of the Opera.

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The 1925 silent film "The Phantom of the Opera" starring Lon Chaney stands as the best argument against remaking classics. Since its release, there have been five official remakes (a sixth, based on the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, is currently in the works) which brought to the screen everything that the original lacked: color, music, a higher level of sadistic violence, and more sophisticated special effects. But none of these remakes came close to capturing the genuine sense of horror in the original version, which is widely regarded as being among the finest films ever created.

Yet "The Phantom of the Opera" itself has come down through the years rather worse for the wear. The problems began four years after its release, when Universal Pictures decided to cut 10 minutes from the footage and add new footage (including a prologue with a weird man holding a lantern in a dark catacomb) plus a new soundtrack that would take advantage of the new push to talking pictures. One major problem with this was the absence of Lon Chaney, who was then under contract at MGM and could not add his voice to the film. The solution, if you could call it that, was to leave the Phantom's voice off the soundtrack. Inexplicably, the soundtrack was lost over time yet this reissued version became the accepted standard version. The 1925 version survived, but the extant prints deteriorated to the point that they were rarely screened; many scholars mistakenly believed this version was lost. In 1953, Universal stupidly neglected to renew the film's copyright and "The Phantom of the Opera" lapsed into the public domain, resulting in a flood of badly duped prints that became commonly seen on TV broadcasts and cheap videos.

Excerpt from Phil Hall's review at Film Threat located HERE.

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 6th, 1925

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DVD Review: Image Entertainment (Milestone Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover	The Phantom of the Opera - The Ultimate Edition (1925 Original Version and 1929 Restored Version) (1925)	CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Image Entertainment (Milestone Collection) Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1929 - 1:34:42 / 1925 - 1:46:56
Video	1.15:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 1929 - 7.3 mb/s / 1925 - 7.0 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate:
Audio	1925 - Silent - Carl Davis orchestral score (Dolby Digital 2.0) , 1929 - minor dialogue talkie (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Image Entertainment (Milestone Collection) Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.15:1 Edition Details: • Commentary by film historian Scott MacQueen • Carl Davis orchestral score Original Vitaphone soundtrack • Stills Galleries featuring deleted scenes from original San Francisco and Los Angeles premieres • 1925 original feature version with a score by Jon Mirsalis • "Carla Laemmle Remembers" a 7-minute video interview with David Skal • 1925 and 1930 reissue trailers • FAUST (opera extract) from the 1929 Tiffany sound feature, MIDSTREAM • Audio Gallery: Additional dialogue from the 1929 Vitaphone disks, and interview with • Phantom cinematographer Charles Van Enger • "1929 Version (98 minutes) restored by Photoplay • Productions with original two-color Technicolor, Tints and "Handschiegl" color process • Number of discs: 2 DVD Release Date: September 9th, 2003 Double thick keep case Chapters: 1929 version has 23, 1925 version has 29

Comments:

2 disc - one with the restored 1929 version and the 2nd with the original (and longer) 1925 version.

Well, I've read quite a bit on these two releases and the processes that went behind the newer 1929 edition, and I can't say I am all for it, although it is impossible to deny that this restored version is the best that the Lon Chaney classic will ever look. I guess although we can be dyed-in-the-wool artistic protectionists that the 1929 version was extensively created over 75 years ago - but even in that sense we have a bit of a mish-mash put together far after-the-fact. I, in no way, mean to ignore the great detail and research that went into the piece-meal creation of this 1929 edition and this is much akin to Lang's Metropolis in that respect. Unfortunately footage or audio is lost forever and we should be thankful that we have anything at all.

Considering the age and elemental history this Image DVD showcases the 1929 restored version looking absolutely magnificent. Of course not perfect with much flickering contrast and some unavoidable damage marks but the Carl Davis track sounds pristine and the entire film gives a bona-fide 'step back' sense. I would compare this to Image's Les Vampires, for that same intrinsic historical 'feeling' of being in a theatre patron of over half a century ago. It has what might appear to be ghosting but I can only assume this has to do with frame rate conversion. I am also grateful that the original 1.15 aspect ratio has been preserved in both editions.

Unfortunately, the original 1925 edition (on disc 2) has been treated like a poor cousin and has not been transferred progressively. 'Combing' can be seen in many instances (see last large capture) which only adds to its extremely ill-lit and damaged appearance. Still the mere addition of this release is a testament to the respect Image has shown the film. Film students could spend hours comparing and calculating the additions and deletions... in fact you can't really 'not' do it yourself. With all the abundant extra features, including a commentary, this is a must-own digital release showcasing the only worthy versions of this magnificently crafted story. We strongly recommend! out of