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  Starring
  Specs
  • Full Frame
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Mono
  Subtitles
    English, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Arabic, Turkish, Romanian
  Extras
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Audio commentary - with Film Historian Scott MacQueen
  • Photo gallery
  • Documentaries - The Opera Ghost - A Phantom Unmasked

Phantom of the Opera (1943)

Universal/Universal . R4 . COLOR . 89 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
Contract

While this 1943 Universal version of Gaston Leroux's timeless horror tale is certainly considered to be a classic, it's not really the 'horror' film that it is marketed as these days. Rather this version is all about the opera and the romance that occurs within. The set pieces are grandiose and the opera performances lavish; the specific elements of high-camp humour, love triangles and saddening obsession are what make this stand out, not as the most chilling, but certainly the most memorably splendorous version.

Claude Rains makes for enigmatic viewing and does a fine job in the role of the obsessive and twisted phantom, however he just doesn't compare to the terror of Lon Chaney's 1925 original. Rains' phantom is in comparison terribly polite about his hauntings, only straying from the path to drop one chandelier and kill all of two people.

Aside from the opera set pieces, the film has a large amount of humour injected into it. Specifically Anatole (Nelson Eddy) and Raoul (Edgar Barrier) as Christine's (Susanna Foster) pencil-mustachioed suitors, never hesitating to give each other the evil eye when crossing paths.

Though it is far from terrifying, it makes for a moving and enjoyable film that doubles as a wonderful showcase for the then newly developed Technicolor method. Anyone who enjoys opera should revel in the magnificent pieces on display here, and those more inclined towards visuals will take note of the magnificent colour and beautiful framing.

  Video
Contract

The film is presented in its original theatrical ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. Like the rest of the Universal Classic Monster Collection titles, The Phantom of the Opera's generous video transfer betrays its age almost entirely.

The film has been restored for DVD with loving detail, and this being the second Universal film ever to feature Technicolor makes it even more special. The print is alarmingly stable throughout the entire programme, with only film artefacts giving evidence of the film's age. They are fairly constant throughout, however they appear only as little white flecks that shouldn't distract too much.

Other than these minor problems, the transfer here simply looks magnificent with all considerations as to its age. The colours throughout are vibrant and extremely well saturated and the level of detail is excellent, aside from the odd soft focus shot. Shadow detail has also been restored to the picture, making it arguably more detailed than it ever was.

  Audio
Contract

Like the video, the audio here has been meticulously restored for this release. While it's only a mono transfer, it is entirely satisfying and surprisingly dynamic for the film's age.

Considering that the film features a lot of opera sequences, it was ever more important to get this audio transfer to sound good. The success is immediately apparent in these scenes. The fact that you can hear the sequences clearly without your speakers sounding like they're made of paper is, quite frankly, comforting. While the sound does get a little distorted every now and then, the music and dialogue is still remarkably clean for the most part.

Excellent results are also apparent in the reduction of hiss and background noise; something that always distracts when viewing films this old.

  Extras
Contract

It seems that no disc included in the Universal Classic Monsters Collection goes without a decent set of extras:

Audio Commentary - With film historian Scott MacQueen, this is an extremely detailed and factual commentary. Scott certainly knows his film history and dishes out the data at a rapid pace - often with a good dose of humour. For fans of the era, there are many useful and interesting titbits of information here. You'll have to listen very closely however, as he doesn't brake until the film is over.

Documentary - Entitled The Opera Ghost - A Phantom Unmasked, this 51-minute doco was put together in 2000 and is hosted by Scott MacQueen. It's a fantastic documentary for fans of not only the film, but the legend of The Phantom of the Opera in general. Literally going from A through Z, it covers all of the Phantom incarnations as well as some of the other well-known Universal monster films.

Photo Gallery - This six-minute photo reel features original poster art, images from the film and photos of the actors.

Theatrical Trailer - The original trailer for the film. Pretty much shows every good bit from start to finish... as was the style at the time.

  Overall  
Contract

While this version could hardly be called a horror film, it is still a great film in its own right. As previously stated, Claude Rains makes for a wonderful phantom, championing the role to the nth level of empathy and sorrow. This is certainly a classic DVD that should be in any collection with an entry for this genre.


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      And I quote...
    "...not the most chilling, but certainly the most memorably splendorous version."
    - Ben Pollock
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Omni SL-P2000KD
    • TV:
          Palsonic 71cm
    • Speakers:
          Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
    • Centre Speaker:
          Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
    • Surrounds:
          Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          standard s-video
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