Rupert Julian, Edward SedgewickThe Phantom Of The Opera (1929) (1929)

The most commonly available version, this release is visual-only representation with musical accompaniment) of the 1929 sound reissue for foreign markets (note that the title sequence and Carlotta's performance as Marguerite are shot at sound speed of 24 frames per second) and is the best surviving 35mm version of the film (the 1925 general release version only exists in 16mm show-at-home prints and is of very poor quality). Far beneath the Paris Opera House, a mysterious Phantom advances the career of an understudy to the female lead role in Faust in hopes of claiming her for his love. The tour-de-force is Lon Chaney's acting beneath several variations of masks and makeup, rescuing wooden supporting characters and pedestrian directing by Rupert Julian.

This item is part of the collection: Sci-Fi / Horror

Director: Rupert Julian, Edward Sedgewick
Producer: Carl Laemmle
Production Company: Universal
Audio/Visual: sound (silent w/music accompaniment), b&w w/color sequences
Keywords: silent; drama; horror; Lon Chaney

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Campfire - - January 12, 2008
Subject: Phantom Comparisons

With all due respect to Kevin Brownlow, quoted in another review here, the gradual increase in projection speed was really due more to a striving for visual quality. Generally the "persistance of vision" that makes movies work lasts for about a 16th of a second, and most movies in the 1910s were filmed between 16 and 18 frames per second. However, a significant number of people can still see the image flickering at that speed, and so it was nudged upwards to overcome that. By the end of the silent era, 24 frames was pretty much the industry standard.

As for the two versions of "Phantom", it has been noted frequently that only the 1929 version seems to have survived in a respectable quality print. This reissue had a complete score (requiring it to be projected at 24 fps - the optimum speed had apparently originally been 20fps). Musical numbers were added, and according to some sources, a couple of scenes involving Mary Philbin and Norman Kerry were re-filmed with dialog together with an off-screen voice of the Phantom. Lacking the original sound track, the most obvious change is that the original character of Carlotta was changed, via new intertitles, into Carlotta's MOTHER interceding for her daughter, allowing a new Carlotta to appear in the sync sound musical sequences. The Technicolor sequences, of course, were in the original and the reissue although only surviving today as a part of the reissue prints, leading the occasional nit-wit to claim that they were ONLY part of the reissue.

Reviewer: GuardianOfTheMorningStar - - January 12, 2008
Subject: meh

I am obsessed with the story, but this isn't my favorite version of it. It's ok, but I don't like the ending. It wasn't at all what I thought it'd be.

Reviewer: robcat2075 - - December 16, 2007
Subject: Film Speed

Phantom is one of my less favorite silent films, largely because of the enourmous number of intertitles telling us what the film makers should have shown us.

In his great silent film history "The Parade's Gone By" Kevin Brownlow has an alternate explanation of silent/sound film speed issue...

He notes that early silent films were shot at a very slow speed, as low as 12fps. Theater owners would crank that up a bit to get in more shows in a day. Studios tried to counter that by upping their frame rate. And back and forth. So all thru the 20's there was a gradual upward creep in framerate. When sound was being developed the engineers ascertained that 24 fps was the *average* projection speed at that time and made that the standard. So says Mr. Brownlow.

Reviewer: Greg K - - December 15, 2007
Subject: Organ score by Lee Erwin

Om my goodness....I haven't seen this particular print in over 30 years! Some trivia for the uninformed:

The organ score in this print is by the great Lee Erwin...I recognized it immediately when i heard the opening. A five minute suite of his themes from this movie was included on his 1974 album "Sound of Silents".

The opening scene of the "Man with the Lantern" is something I have remembered since I was a kid, but this is also the first time I've had to hear that sound narration during that footage in over 30 years too. Uncertain if this is sound footage from the 1929 re-release by Universal or something that was added for this particular print.

The "increased film speed" and "less choppy" comment posted previously is slightly incorrect....Most silent films were made and projected at 18 frames per second, which is technically how they should be seen because that's correct for how they were made. When 24 frames per second became the industry standard, silent films ended up being shown at that frame rate, resulting in the movement and action being seen as rather "speeded up". There's actually prints around (although from the original 1925 release and not this, the commonly-seen recut 1929 reissue) that are at the correct projection speed and have a running time of close to two hours.

Reviewer: helpdeskdan - - March 13, 2007
Subject: 5 stars, by 1929 standards.

This 1929 version is my favorite on archive.org. It is 31 minutes shorter due to the increased film speed which makes the movement much less choppy. It seems to be a much clearer copy, and there is a brief vocal introduction that is missing in the other version. The sound track in this version is played on the organ.

Reviewer: drui3 - - August 28, 2006
Subject: 35mm print

This has always been one of my favourite films! Lon Chaney gave masterful life to the printed page. The print here on the Archive is really good, clean B&W quality and I really enjoyed watching it. But... there is still nothing like seeing the film as it was originally released.

Happily for posterity, a few years ago a pristine master print of the 1925 35mm print (colour filtering and 2 colour technicolour process intact) along with the synchronized wax sound disks showed up in Germany. For those that have never seen it before in its orginal state, I highly recommend looking for it in your better stocked local rental store. It is available from Turner Home Entertainment. There is also another edition on the Kino International label from a mint condition colour print with a recreated music track. Although the original "soundie" is most effective, either edition will really blow your mind!