You Don't Need Voices To Be Thrilled...

The classic silent horror film The Phantom of the Opera stars Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains & Edgar Barrier. Directed by Arthur Lubin and produced by George Waggner in 1943.



Enrique Claudin (Claude Rains), an orchestra violinist gets fired from his position playing in the Paris Opera House. Claudin, broke from spending his money to pay for voice lessons for Christine DuBois (Susanna Foster). Claudin goes to a music publisher, who had been given a manuscript of his concerto, to try and sell the piece.

The publishers, having stolen his concerto, lie to him and claim his concerto has been lost.

Claudin, knowing they have stolen his concerto storms into their office and attacks one of the publishers. A woman in the office throws a tray of etching acid into the face of Claudin disfiguring him for life.
He becomes a recluse, living in the sewer.

Determined to see Christine as prima donna, Claudin mysteriously has terrible acts happen to the current divas. After one is killed, the police decide to set a trap to lure out the Phantom.

Instead, Claudin kidnaps Christine and takes her to his home under the opera house. Urging her to sing along to the music still playing in the opera house.

Anatole Garron (Nelson Eddy) and Inspector Raoul Daubert (Edgar Barrier) comb the tunnels, following the voice of Christine. She unmasks the Phantom just as they arrive to her rescue.

The inspector fires a pistol as Claudin grabs a sword. The echoes from the gunshot cause the rocks of the underground world to fall in an avalanche, collapsing, leaving only a violin and a mask in the rubble. This is all that is left of the Phantom.



The ending is a bit strange. A twist of off beat humor.

I suggest starting from the very first Phantom of the Opera movie (1925 with Lon Chaney Sr.) and working your way up to the most recent. You see a variety of different views and you see how the movie industry has progressed over the many years. There was also a television series based on the Phantom of the Opera.