The Phantom of the Opera

Reviews
CinemaSerf
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.
Movie Recommendation
The Hunchback of Notre Dame1923-09-06In 15th century France, a gypsy girl is framed for murder by the infatuated Chief Justice, and only the deformed bellringer of Notre Dame Cathedral can save her.More...
Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations1938-04-21Starting with a long and lyrical overture, evoking the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, Riefenstahl covers twenty-one athletic events in the first half of this two-part love letter to the human body and spirit, culminating with the marathon, where Jesse Owens became the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.More...
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp1926-03-21A poor cobbler's son enters a $25,000 cross-country hiking contest sponsored by the footwear company that has nearly bankrupted his father. He also has fallen in love with the girl on the company's billboards, the competition's daughter, and her sweet inspiration keeps him tramping along.More...
Sole Survivor1970-01-09In 1960, the ruins of an American bomber were found in the Libyan desert, but the remains of the crew were never located. In Guerdon Trueblood's teleplay, the ghosts of a bomber crew hang around their derelict plane, awaiting the day that their bones will be recovered and given a decent burial. The sole survivor, navigator Russell Hamner, has in the intervening 25 years become a General. He joins an investigation team that has come across the wreckage, while the ghosts, headed by Major Devlin, plot to expose Hamner as a coward who deserted his post and left his crew mates to die.More...
Spooks1931-12-20Flip the Frog finds himself in a house haunted by crazy skeletons.More...
The Devil-Doll1936-07-10Wrongfully convicted of a robbery and murder, Paul Lavond breaks out of prison with a genius scientist who has devised a way to shrink humans. When the scientist dies during the escape, Lavond heads for his lab, using the shrinking technology to get even with those who framed him and vindicate himself in both the public eye and the eyes of his daughter, Lorraine. When an accident leaves a crazed assistant dead, however, Lavond must again make an escape.More...
The Out-of-Towners1970-05-28A trip to New York for a job interview turns into a trip to hell for a small town couple.More...
The Lost World1925-02-02The first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam.More...
The Thief of Bagdad1924-03-18A recalcitrant thief vies with a duplicitous Mongol ruler for the hand of a beautiful princess.More...
Phil Spector2013-06-14A drama centered on the relationship between Phil Spector and defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden while the music business legend was on trial for the murder of Lana Clarkson.More...
Boys State2020-01-24This raucous journey into the heart of democracy captures an unusual rite of passage: 1,100 teenage boys from across Texas coming together to build a representative government from the ground up.More...
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde1931-12-24Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men - a good and an evil side. He believes that by separating the two, man can become liberated. He succeeds in his experiments with chemicals to accomplish this and transforms into Hyde to commit horrendous crimes. When he discontinues use of the drug, it is already too late.More...
Battleship Potemkin1925-12-24A dramatized account of a great Russian naval mutiny and a resultant public demonstration, showing support, which brought on a police massacre.More...
The Philadelphia Experiment1984-10-05Based on an "actual event" that took place in 1943. About a US Navy Destroyer Escort that disappeared from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and sent two men 40 years into the future to 1984.More...
Onibaba1964-11-21While her son, Kichi, is away at war, a woman and her daughter-in-law survive by killing samurai who stray into their swamp, then selling whatever valuables they find. Both are devastated when they learn that Kichi has died, but his wife soon begins an affair with a neighbor who survived the war, Hachi. The mother disapproves and, when she can't steal Hachi for herself, tries to scare her daughter-in-law with a mysterious mask from a dead samurai.More...
Puppet Master1989-10-12After being contacted by their mysterious former colleague, four psychics arrive at a secluded hotel where they are stalked by a group of murderous puppets.More...
Black Sabbath1963-08-17Three tales of supernatural horror include a woman plagued by threatening phone calls, a family targeted by vampiric monsters, and a deceased medium who wreaks havoc upon the living.More...
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari1920-02-27Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep.More...
Au Revoir les Enfants1987-10-07Au revoir les enfants tells a heartbreaking story of friendship and devastating loss concerning two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie—until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Malle’s own childhood, the film is a subtle, precisely observed tale of courage, cowardice, and tragic awakening.More...
The Adventures of Robin Hood1938-05-13Robin Hood fights nobly for justice against the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne while striving to win the hand of the beautiful Maid Marian.More...
Similar Movies
Freaks
1932-01-01A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.Dracula
1931-02-12A British estate agent travels to Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Dracula, who is interested in leasing a London castle. After Dracula enslaves the agent and drives him to insanity, the pair return to London together, where Dracula, a secret bloodsucker, begins preying on socialites.Don Quichotte
2010-06-15This May 2010 production of Massenet's 1910 opera "Don Quichotte" marked the opera's centenary and also Jose Van Dam's operatic farewell at the Theatre de la Monnaie, Brussels. It is beautiful in every way--vocally, scenically, sonically, and visually--and a worthy record of Van Dam's farewell. Van Dam is just shy of 70 in this production, but you would never guess it from his singing or stage movements--a consummate artist. His is a noble portrayal and deeply moving. The Act V death scene is a model of beautiful singing and acting.Verdi La Traviata
1992-08-14This set has Edita Gruberova singing in top form, all her scooping cast aside, which one finds in abundance in her Lucia under Richard Bonynge. Here, however, she makes ravishing use of those bits of tone that only she can produce: those instances of coloratura and dramatic legato with little asides and small florishes of style that suggest her intelligent approach and her high degree of musical involvement in this role. She does this in her I Puritani and her Anna Bolena, less so in Roberto Deveraux and Maria Stuarda(both sets). Listen to Addio del passato and the Sempre Libra...ravishing, yes, but there are again those nuances learned from Callas that she makes her own. A very singualr perform,ance, and extremely moving with its detail and cry for pity throughout..from the start even. Neil Schicoff is excellent, not an unworthy Alfredo at all! His is a great lyric tenor voice that should have been in the top line.The Newspaper
2005-01-01The writer Dario Fo applies his inventive genius to Rossini's comic opera in its premiere DVD release. Recorded in 2005 under the musical direction of Maurizio Barbacini, Fo's production brings fresh vitality and colour to the story of Lisetta, and of her father Don Pomponio's increasingly ridiculous attempts to find a husband for her through an advertisement in the newspaper LA GAZZETTA. Filmed using high definition cameras with multitrack sound.أختى ستيتة
1950-02-13Nabil is a famous singer and a member of the Thousand and One Nights band. Rising singer Hudhod wishes to work with him. She follows him to Kafr El-Zayat where he's meeting his wet nurse and pretends to be his sister in breastfeeding to get his attention, while Anwaar pretends to love him to benefit from his fame.Psycho
1960-06-22When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.Jaws
1975-06-20When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to kill the beast before it strikes again.Interview with the Va...
1994-11-11A vampire relates his epic life story of love, betrayal, loneliness, and dark hunger to an over-curious reporter.Vampyr
1932-05-06Allan Gray, a young man fascinated by the supernatural, goes to a small village where he feels a sinister force descending upon him. There, Allan meets an old man who asks him to protect his two daughters, for one of them has been bitten by a vampire.Rosemary's Baby
1968-06-12A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the purpose of starting a family.Werther
2005-11-05The production was the Vienna State Opera debut for the young Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan – the Argentinian tenor Marcelo Álvarez, took the title role. His Charlotte on this occasion was the young Latvian mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča. Her performances have been enthusiastically received and she has already been labelled as the new mezzo wonder. Staged by internationally sought-after Rumanian director, Andrei Serban, the apparently sentimental love story – normally presented in 18th century period costumes - reveals a study of personal relationships and a close observation of a woman, who comes of age too late. Serban’s aim was to rid the opera of the unjustified reputation of banality that clings to it despite its underlying tragic mood. By setting the production in the stiff, claustrophobic atmosphere of a small town in the 1950s, he aimed to make the audience more aware of its deeper levels of self-denial.Marcos Morau : La Bel...
2022-11-24There is no descriptionRameau Hippolyte et A...
2014-02-26Emmanuelle Haïm has established herself as one of the world’s leading performers, conductors and interpreters of Baroque repertoire, not only with Le Concert d’Astrée, the ensemble she founded in 2000, but with several of the world’s greatest orchestras. Known for her fresh and expressive approach to Baroque music, she has garnered critical acclaim and several international awards with her own ensemble, including Victoires de la Musique Classique, ECHOs, Gramophone Awards, and Grammy nominations.Don't Look Now
1973-10-11While grieving a terrible loss, a married couple meet two mysterious sisters, one of whom gives them a message sent from the afterlife.The Jazz Singer
1927-10-06A young Jewish man is torn between tradition and individuality when his old-fashioned family objects to his career as a jazz singer. This is the first full length feature film to use synchronized sound, and is the original film musical.Eraserhead
1977-09-28First-time father Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.Nosferatu
1922-02-16The mysterious Count Orlok summons a happily married real estate agent to his castle, located up in the Transylvanian mountains, to finalise a terrifying deal.The Shining
1980-05-23Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.A Hard Day's Night
1964-07-07Capturing John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in their electrifying element, 'A Hard Day's Night' is a wildly irreverent journey through this pastiche of a day in the life of The Beatles during 1964. The band have to use all their guile and wit to avoid the pursuing fans and press to reach their scheduled television performance, in spite of Paul's troublemaking grandfather and Ringo's arrest.