The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Director: Rupert Julian

Writers: Walter Anthony, Elliott J. Clawson, Bernard McConville, Frank M. McCormack, Tom Reed, Raymond L. Schrock, Richard Wallace, Jaspar Spearing, from the novel by Gaston Leroux

Stars: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Gibson Gowland, John St. Polis, Snitz Edwards

A disfigured maniac (Lon Chaney) who lurks in the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera House schemes to possess the beautiful singer Christine (Mary Philbin).

 

This Gothic melodrama becomes a bit silly toward the end but never fails to be less than an impressive spectacle, even when viewed with 21st-century eyes. 

It is best in its first acts as it builds a mood of dread and mystery surrounding the figure of the Phantom. 

The Masked Ball, at which the Phantom appears as the Red Death, is particularly fascinating with its primitive coloring techniques. 

And, of course, this film features arguably the most famous makeup job in all of cinema history. 

The backstage areas of the Opera House and the labyrinthine catacombs are masterpieces of set design, setting a surreal stage and influencing cinema for decades to come.

Spoiler alert!!! The final scene!!