Phantom of the Opera (2014)
Directed by: Anthony D.P. Mann
Premise: Inspired by Gaston Leroux’s novel. A television crew visits the Garnier Opera House to document the myth of The Phantom. One crew member experiences flashbacks.
What Works: The 2014 version of Phantom of the Opera splits the difference between adapting Gaston Leroux’s novel and telling an original story. The film is presented as a frame narrative. In the present day, a television crew investigates the history of the opera house. That history is dramatized in flashbacks. The inner frame, set a couple of generations earlier, is the better part of this film. It’s presented in black and white and the high contrast images create a spooky atmosphere and conceal the limitations of the budget. This version of Phantom of the Opera mostly embraces the villainy of the Phantom. The filmmakers don’t lose sight of the fact that he is a murderer and Anthony D.P. Mann’s vocal performance conveys menace, especially when it is disembodied and echoes through the opera house. This version of Phantom of the Opera is also notable in that it includes the Persian (Ilke Hincer), a character that figures prominently in Leroux’s book but was omitted from most film adaptations.
What Doesn’t: 2014’s Phantom of the Opera was a low budget production and it shows. The filmmakers could have turned their limited means into an asset. The outer narrative frame is partly presented as a television program and the movie might have worked as a found footage style investigation but the filmmakers don’t commit to that format. Instead, they made a conventional dramatic film that looks and sounds shoddy. The present-day scenes are presented in harsh color images that look like they were shot on early digital videotape and the sound is frequently terrible, probably recorded on the camera mic. Many scenes play out in cropped closeups (probably to block out the lack of a set), which gives the movie the feel of a stranger standing too close. The performances are either stilted or melodramatic. What’s especially lost is the music. Christine (Savannah Kimmerer) is supposed to be a talented singer but her musical performances are not convincing. It’s also unclear exactly when and where this Phantom of the Opera is set. The cast speaks in both American and English accents. The age of the opera house owner suggest that the flashbacks are set in the 1970s but the costumes look much older. It’s a generic historical setting that doesn’t work because of the specificity of the present-day scenes.
Disc extras: Available on various streaming services.
Bottom Line: 2014’s Phantom of the Opera plays like a student film. There are moments of inspiration here but overall it is poorly conceived and the filmmakers don’t have the means to fulfill their ambitions.
Episode: #1069 (October 19, 2025)