With Halloween finally upon us, the time comes for me to wrap up this gothic review series. How better to end a review series then to discuss one of the earliest films in this series, The Phantom of the Opera. The 1924 Silent film stars Lon Chaney Sr. as the devious phantom, terrorizing a French opera house. The movie is oft regarded as a classic, and as one of the greatest horror films of all time, even in regards to its talkie successors. And from my experience with the film, I believe this testament to be absolutely true.
Alright, so a warning to horror fans taking the viewing of this into consideration- THIS IS A SILENT FILM. MEANING YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THIS FILM’S STORY. So, anyone who finds this fact to be a detractor to your viewing experience, well, no matter how much I laud and praise this film, there will be absolutely nothing that keeps you watching this film. So unless my analysis of a film pushing on 90 years old interests you, then I suggest you leave this page. Go watch Paranormal Activity or whatever it is you young people call horror movies these days.
The story is one that all horror fans probably know , being the tale of a Christine Daee, an opera singer who owes her talents to a mysterious figure lurking under the opera house, a figure obsessed with her, and could never be with her because of his deformed face. This story sets up for a wonderful experience of a film, and one of the rare times in a classic horror movie where the audience can actually find itself just as engaged in the protagonists as they are in the legendary villain. The story goes into what each event means for the characters of the film, whether that be the tragic obsession of the Phantom, or the sheer terror that Christine is experiencing. It’s taken a long time, but finally, I’ve found a classic horror movie that makes you care about both sides, and doesn’t just make me want the awesome villain to win. However, this balanced view of protagonist/antagonist motivations drops by the climax, where it just becomes the same old, Good vs Evil, mustache twirling garbage. The movie does attempt to salvage some kind of character analysis out of the end, but it just doesn’t work out. However, the first hour and 25 minutes can make you forget about this single cheat at the end.
Alright, now it is time for this critic’s greatest challenge thus far. This critic has very little experience with silent films, reviewing the performances of the actors will be quite a difficult task. All I can say really say is that I THINK they’re doing a good job…I really don’t know. The actors are all presenting themselves well as their characters, and I buy that their the characters and not just people on screen just getting money. But, the issue occurs here-. Nothing done by the actors is particularly memorable. They did their jobs well enough, but….meh. That being said, one of these actors actually does stand the test of time. One actually actor who it seems has transcended into a new realm of life when he dons his costume and make up: Lon Chaney Sr.
Lon Chaney Sr. is regarded as one of the horror greats, and with good reasoning. Every motion, every dialogue, every single possible second he’s there, the screen belongs to him. He just seems to become the monster, having the time of his life being this malformed, sinister being . When one see’s this performance, they know Chaney isn’t there, it’s just the Phantom. He moves like a shadow when told to be stealthy, and rages like a storm when needed to monstrous. Chaney has been praised by every horror fan ever, so there isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been stated more clearly than others. But Chaney’s commanding presence on the screen makes this film worth seeing for any horror fan.
The film is a precursor to the Universal monster movies, and the atmosphere of eeriness and darkness seen in those is just as powerful in this movie, if not more so. The sets look wonderful, each one its one miniature world, and the cinematography is extremely impressive in creating as sense of fear, despite the limitations the age had suffered. Perhaps this is the simple fact the film must rely more on visuals to tell the story since the film can only have so much dialogue, but if that is the case, then we should all seriously miss silent film. Chaney’s Phantom make up looks amazing, and has become an icon of the genre. The music assists in the realization of this film, but to be honest, it’s nothing particularly memorable. It’s likely the viewer will be too engulfed with the film to particularly care about the soundtrack anyhow.
This film is a well deserving classic. It’s difficult to have many complaints about it, as everything is just so well realized that you can overlook most all of its flaws, which don’t really go over small plotholes and the climax. Horror fans, this is required viewing, even if its status as a silent film is distracting. This is a perfect way to end the Halloween season, so please, find this film, and appreciate the glory of the classic film age.
Final Rank: A+
+ Amazing Story, Great horror film tone, strong acting, Characters surprisingly well rounded, overall a well made film
-the somewhat weak climax of the story
Phantom of the Opera is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and for Instant Streaming on Netflix.
No responses yet