Phantom of the Opera
Well it was a pretty uneventful Halloween. I didn't dress up or go anywhere and not a single kid came to the house. I did however watch the 1925 silent version of Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney. Not necessarily my favorite silent film but Chaney was definitely awesome as the phantom. The film also had two notable sequences: the scene when the Phantom is first unmasked is brilliantly done. Apparently when the movie first came out in the theaters it made people faint. I doubt it would have that effect today but it's still a pretty neat sequence.
The other great scene is a color sequence during the Bal Masqué scene. It's two strip so you can really only see shades or red and some greenish/blue but it's still pretty neat to see. Apparently there were more color sequences in the original but that is the only scene that survived.
The Phantom's lair and Paris Opera House had a nice Gothic touch. And the fact that the movie is so old makes it seem more authentic in a way.
My only complaint is the ending was sort of lackluster. Weirdly enough the book ending was what the director had planned but preview audiences reacted negatively so it was changed. I personally don't think the change works. Darn 1925 audiences!
Anyways if you like the story of Phantom of the Opera I would still recommend it as something neat to see. And if you have Netflix it is streaming instantly.
The other great scene is a color sequence during the Bal Masqué scene. It's two strip so you can really only see shades or red and some greenish/blue but it's still pretty neat to see. Apparently there were more color sequences in the original but that is the only scene that survived.
The Phantom's lair and Paris Opera House had a nice Gothic touch. And the fact that the movie is so old makes it seem more authentic in a way.
My only complaint is the ending was sort of lackluster. Weirdly enough the book ending was what the director had planned but preview audiences reacted negatively so it was changed. I personally don't think the change works. Darn 1925 audiences!
Anyways if you like the story of Phantom of the Opera I would still recommend it as something neat to see. And if you have Netflix it is streaming instantly.