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Beneath the sewers of the Paris Opera House, a masked figure dwells. He is Enrique (Lon Chaney), the Phantom, a hideously disfigured composer whose dream is to turn chorus singer Christine (Mary Philbin) into a diva. This adaptation of Gaston Leroux's novel gave 'Man of a Thousand Faces' Lon Chaney his most famous role, and is celebrated today as one of the great classics of American silent film. (British Film Institute (BFI))
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A great atmosphere, a demonic Lon Chaney in a perfect mask, admirable sets (if Christopher Lee hadn't told me in the opening that this wasn't real theatre, but a mere imitation, I wouldn't have guessed it), and a riveting, terrifying tale of love/possession unfolding within them. I consider the first unmasking of the Phantom to be the highlight of the film, but the Masque of the Red Death, for example, was not without its flaws. The modern "rock" music from 1990 fit the film surprisingly well for me.
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The first film version of The Phantom of the Opera has a similarly "characterful" protagonist as, for example, the German vampire Nosferatu, convincing supporting actors and impressive sets, but that doesn’t make it a horror film worthy of legendary status. Whereas Nosferatu was a unique product of the expressionist movement with superb visual interplay throughout and a depressing tinge in every thoughtful shot, The Phantom is skilfully rendered and entertaining, but it’s an overly melodramatic and in some scenes unnecessarily grotesque attempt at American horror that only gives you chills thanks to Lon Chaney's superb make-up, which would hold its own even today. The focus on the torn mind of the unfortunate monster is in any case very convincing and thanks to it the film has not fallen into oblivion, but became a beloved and often quoted classic. 70%
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