The Phantom of the Opera

"The greatest horror film of modern cinema!"

1925 1h 47m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🔥

90%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 420🍅90%Rotten Tomatoes★7.5IMDB · 21,277

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House causes murder and mayhem in an attempt to make the woman he loves a star.

“The greatest horror film of modern cinema!”

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Cast

Lon Chaney
Erik, The Phantom
Norman Kerry
Vicomte Raoul de Chagny
Mary Philbin
Christine Daaé
Arthur Edmund Carewe
Ledoux
Gibson Gowland
Simon Buquet
Snitz Edwards
Florine Papillon
John St. Polis
Comte Philip de Chagny
Virginia Pearson
Carlotta

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rupert Julian
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

101 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rupert Julian, shot by Milton Bridenbecker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Sam Perry. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Edward Curtiss shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Lon Chaney and Norman Kerry and Mary Philbin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The greatest horror film of modern cinema!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0016220 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rupert Julian directs. Milton Bridenbecker behind the camera. Sam Perry scores. Edward Curtiss cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1101 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Rupert Julian, shot by Milton Bridenbecker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Sam Perry. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Edward Curtiss shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Lon Chaney and Norman Kerry and Mary Philbin carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The greatest horror film of modern cinema!".
7IMDB entry: tt0016220 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 18 themes, including "opera", "paris, france", "based on novel or book", "diva".

The technical file

Cinematography: Milton Bridenbecker
Original score: Sam Perry
Editing: Edward Curtiss
Production design: Ben Carré
Makeup / hair: Lon Chaney
VFX supervisor: Jerome Ash
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Status: Released
Box office: $2,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 21,277 votes
MPAA: Passed

Awards

4 wins & 1 nomination total

Also by

Rupert Julian

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-12-07
★ 7/10
When then famed Paris Opera finds new owners, they are full of enthusiasm for their star "Carlotta" (Mary Fabian) whom they know will wow the audiences. Both she and they, though, get a letter informing them that should she take the stage instead of her understudy "Christine" (Mary Philbin) then they'll all rue the day. Nobody pays a blind bit of notice and, well, the audience really do bring the house down! Using the enchantment of his voice, and promises of success, the "Phantom" (Lon Chaney) manages to lure the young "Christine" to his lair some five floors beneath the stage where he declares his undying love. She's more interested in the mask that he's wearing, and upon it's removal is abhorred. She begs to go free and he agrees - provided she spurns her lover "Raoul" (Norman Kerry). She does quite the opposite however and that antagonises her admirer to the point where life and limb are threatened and even the opera house itself could end up in smithereens. It all builds to a marvellous climax - a race against time, against flood waters and gunpowder - if "Raoul" is to save his love from their clearly insane nemesis. A lot will spend on the accompanying music here, but if you get a good score then this film really does come alive. The sparing use of colour - especially as Chaney straddles the gargoyle atop the roof of the building, but also during some of the theatrical scenes contrasts well with the rather more drab monochrome scenes. The creative use of light and shadow to create a genuine sense of peril and, at times, even desperation as the story develops is also enthralling to watch. A great story of love and obsession on a big screen with a live pianist - this takes some beating.

Production companies