The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Directed by: Rupert Julian
Premise: An adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s novel. A mysterious figure known as the Phantom (Lon Chaney) haunts a Paris opera house. The fiend obsesses over a young opera singer (Mary Philbin) and holds her hostage while composing his magnum opus.
What Works: There are many versions of The Phantom of the Opera and the story is probably best known to the public due to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 stage musical. But the 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera established the story in popular (and especially American) culture. So much of this movie is iconic and established a baseline for the visuals and styles we’ve seen in later film dramatizations of this story. 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera is fascinating as a piece of cinema history given its chaotic production and the prodigious talents who were involved in making it. The key contributor is actor Lon Chaney as The Phantom. Chaney was known as “The Man of a Thousand Faces” for his extreme transformations and innovative use of makeup which Chaney designed himself. The facial makeup that Chaney created for The Phantom is one of the most famous visages in movie history. The unmasking scene is still a shocker in part because of the makeup but also because of the way the scene was shot. (It’s claimed that Chaney directed the scene himself.) Chaney’s performance highlights the tension in the character. He’s debonair and sophisticated like Count Dracula but he’s also disfigured and much like Frankenstein’s monster the Phantom has become violent in response to society’s mistreatment. Chaney makes the Phantom simultaneously frightening and pitiable. Both qualities are showcased brilliantly in the final scene. 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera has tremendous atmosphere and production value. The reveals are well staged and the picture has creepy use of shadows. The seventy-eight minute version is well paced with brisk storytelling but it appropriately slows down for horrific and dramatic moments.
What Doesn’t: Perhaps owing to the source material, 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera is not as purely horrific as Universal’s later monster films such as 1931’s Frankenstein and Dracula. It is more of a gothic melodrama and fans of Universal’s stable of classic horror films may not find it lands the same way. The weakest element of 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera is the love triangle especially the relationship between Christine and Raoul. Actors Mary Philbin and Norman Kerry don’t have much romantic spark although that may be due to their lack of meaningful scenes together and the much more compelling relationship between Christine and the Phantom.
Disc extras: The Kino Lorber Blu-Ray release of The Phantom of the Opera includes both the 78 and 92-minute versions of the film. It also includes excerpts from the sound version released in 1930, multiple music tracks, a commentary track, the screenplay, travel films, an interview, and a trailer.
Bottom Line: 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera is one of the signature horror films of its period. It has classic visuals and one of Lon Chaney’s most iconic performances. The film works as horror and as melodrama and it defined our popular idea of The Phantom of the Opera.
Episode: #1069 (October 19, 2025)