The Phantom of the Opera - The Ultimate Edition (1925 Original Version and 1929 Restored Version)
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Movie Reviews of The Phantom of the Opera - The Ultimate Edition (1925 Original Version and 1929 Restored Version)
Movie Review: Lon Chaney is spectacular!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this Ultimate Edition after receiving another edition by DigiView in Oct 2005.
Lon Chaney is truly magnificent!!
This Phantom is better than the newest movie and the other version with Claude Rains.
Movie Review: Lon Chaney's Finest Hour
Summary: 4 Stars
Despite a history of production troubles and extensive re-editing, "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925) has survived as a landmark of the silent era - thanks largely to Lon Chaney's classic performance in the title role. It's a stylish melodrama with serial-style thrills and some genuinely horrific moments. The DVD "ultimate edition" features plenty of extras and a memorable Carl Davis score. Remakes come and go, but the original reigns supreme. Movie Review: I'm Reviewing The Kino Video Tape.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have never read Gaston Leroux's novel that this movie is based on, I have the novel but haven't gotten around to reading it yet but I have seen this movie which is the first silent movie I have ever watched and I really liked it and thought that Lon Chaney was great as the Phantom. According to information on the back cover of my Kino video tape they used the original organ music score that was originally played live by an organist in theaters when people were watching the movie and I liked that! I have really enjoyed watching this tape but tapes wear out easily and I will have to think of buying the movie on DVD!Movie Review: The Ultimate Version? Not quite... (Milestone Edition)
Summary: 4 Stars
While I have absolute praise for what is the most comprehensive edition of the original edition of the silent Lon Chaney, Sr. classic, what prevents this edition from being virtually flawless is the actual presentation of the 1929/1930 foreign reissue version, from the finest known surviving print courtesy of The George Eastman House.
Transferring what is essentially a hybrid of silent (approx 18 frames per second) and sound (24 fps) footage from this release at its closest possible silent presentation (except for the sound version chandelier sequence footage featuring Mary Fabian as Carlotta), mastering in Europe's PAL (25 fps) format, and converting it yet again to NTSC (30 fps) for North American Region 1 release makes this presentation very choppy looking.
Film preservationist Scott MacQueen did a fine digital cleanup to remove as much dirt and scratches from the video source provided by Photoplay productions, and the film has a pristine look, but the jerky appearance of the all the multiple frame-rate conversion cannot be saved. Having to match the Vitaphone soundtrack from the lost 24fps sound reissue to this sluggish presentation also affects the pacing. The supplemental sound reissue trailer (with soundtrack intact at proper sound projection speed) is a better indication of what the film should have sounded like. The Art Deco trailer also gives a glimpse of a cut scene as Chaney is first revealed by being brought up by the mechanism moving the mirror of Christine Daae's dressing room, instead of the more suspenseful hand on the shoulder.
In all fairness (and this may upset silent film purists), I believe a 24fps presentation would have been the best way to go.
That aside, the bonus materials make this a fabulous addition for Phantom fans, thanks to an informative audio essay by Mr. MacQueen, who documents the troubled production, the incompetence of 'director' Rupert Julian, and the sole savior of the film, actor/make-up master (and self-director) Lon Chaney. His body language is what makes the film most powerful, and his use of several variations of masks and facial makeup combined with critical lighting and photography under his direction make Chaney's Phantom one of the most iconic villians/monsters in movie history, while making him (like his other monstrous creations like "Hunchback"'s Quasimodo) a creature worthy of pity.
Another rarely-seen bonus is the inclusion of a 16mm print of the "show-at-home" 1925 general release version, first seen by laserdisc fanatics on Image Entertainment's 1990 double feature laserdisc. By the time this version of the film had been issued in 1925, it was the third such release for 'Phantom', and the hodgepodge of title cards vary from rewrites and reshoots that occured (the first two premieres were disasters). The 16mm 1925 version features several different (albeit better) takes of shots and additional sequences dropped from the later sound reissue and give a more cohesive story than the version commonly seen today, but its visual quality understandably leaves much to be desired.
Missing pieces of the Phantom's history are filled out in recreations of the first two premiere versions thanks to surviving shooting scripts and still photos.
The 'Ultimate' version of Chaney's Phantom has yet to be satisactorily released, but his package will do very nicely, thank you very much...
Movie Review: Discovery of an Icon
Summary: 5 Stars
The image of Lon Chaney as The Phantom of the Opera is one of those classic screen images, right up there with Karloffs Monster & Lugosis' Dracula, instantly recognisable. I purchased this Milestone 2 DVD release on a whim & have thoroughly enjoyed it. Despite Rupert Julians flawed direction, nothing can diminish the impact of Chaney's performance. As with all great monsters, the sympathy & understanding are with him. According to the excellent commentary by Scott MacQueen, it was rumored that Chaney directed his own scenes, & the performance of Mary Philbin does become remarkably 3 dimensional in their scenes together.
The new score by Carl Davis is a work of pure genius, brilliantly integrating excerpts from Gounods Faust in a tone poem of extreme beauty. The colour restoration is breathtaking, particularly the Lyre of Orpheus scenes. Nothing to complain about....treats all 'round.