The screenplay lingered in development until 1941, when Henry Koster was brought on board to direct.
The ancient vampire Count Dracula arrives in England and begins to prey upon the virtuous young Mina. Chaney's Phantom is seen in shadow, untying the rope slowly that holds the chandelier accompanied by a title slide that quotes the novel: "She is singing to-night to bring the chandelier down!". An historically interesting rendition of the “Phantom”. https://archive.org/details/UniversalStudiosMonsters1943PhantomOfTheOpera
Variety called it "a vivid, elaborate, and, within its original story limitations, an effective production geared for substantial grosses." A young soprano becomes the obsession of a horribly disfigured composer, who has plans for those who oppose him or the young singer. Please try againSorry, we failed to record your vote. Finally giving up, Claudin stands there for a moment and hangs his head sadly. Anatole then tells Christine that she and Claudin had come from the same town district which she responds with by saying while Claudin had seemed a bit like a stranger to her she had somehow "always felt drawn to him". A practical man is infected with a horrific disease his disciplined mind tells him cannot possibly exist. A crazed composer (Claude Rains) transforms into a masked phantom who schemes to make a young soprano the star of the opera and wreak revenge on those who stole his music. Claudin plays along with it on his Piano as Christine watches. Another After Raoul agrees to re-open the opera, but with another singer, Lorenzi, in her place, to lure the murderer out, Christine is visited by her two suitors, who argue over their two plans to catch the killer. I have always held a great regard for Claude Rains as an actor (character actor/leading actor - what you will) but his part in this film does not quite gel for me. He also composed an original theme, Lullaby of the Bells, which was heard in the film as the Phantom's piano concerto. Drama She will forget the whole affair only if Christine's performance is not mentioned in the papers. An acid-scarred composer rises from the Paris sewers to boost his favorite opera understudy's career. Hollywood as it's best in the 40's. This was probably an economic decision, as most of the music used would be in the public domain, hence no royalties to pay. With an effective production design and a great musical richness Phantom of the Opera shows Hollywood expertise at its best.
thank you. It was filmed on the same Universal soundstage as the studio's Erique Claudin (Claude Rains) had been a violinist at the Paris Opera House for twenty years. It changes the story a lot - Erique Claudin (the Phantom) is not disfigured from birth, he is burned by acid. Raoul fires his gun at Claudin, but Anatole knocks Raoul's arm and the shot hits the ceiling causing a cave in.
Anatole and Raoul escape with Christine but Claudin gets crushed to death by the falling rocks. this is a film for people who like to own a piece of movie history. Absolute brilliant lots of extras excellent sound the picture quality so many extras Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. The opera is closed by the police, only to have a note arrive, demanding Christine's performance. Christine considers them both good friends but doesn't openly express if she loves them.
Bosley Crowther of The New York Times panned the film for being "watered down" from the original, calling the opening sequence "the only one in the film in which the potential excitement of the story is realized," while otherwise the "richness of décor and music is precisely what gets in the way of the tale."