8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
At the Opera of Paris, a mysterious phantom threatens a famous lyric singer, Carlotta and thus forces her to give up her role (Marguerite in Faust) for unknown Christine Daae. Christine meets this phantom (a masked man) in the catacombs, where he lives. What's his goal ? What's his secret ?
Starring: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Gibson GowlandHorror | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.2:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: LPCM 2.0
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: There are some technical issues with the first pressing of this disc which are still being addressed by
Image. I am in touch with several sources and will update this review if/as information becomes available.
Note 2: Scores above are averages spread over the three cuts of the film. See below for detailed information on
each cut.
Years ago I was conducting a production of the musical Godspell and had a full day of auditions scheduled. In
what turned out to be something of a major headscratcher, one which had me convinced I was being filmed for an
episode of Candid Camera or Punk’d, I had 25 sopranos audition that day and each and every one of
them brought in “Memory” from Cats as their audition piece. Now I chalked up the first three or four to mere
coincidence—after all, Cats had at that point just opened on Broadway, was a huge smash and Barbra
Streisand’s pop version of the tune was topping the charts. But by the time I was approaching the twentieth of the
young women auditioning and was still being greeted with the sheet music of "Memory", I sensed a more sinister
influence at work, namely the ungodly allure of Andrew Lloyd Webber for young female singers. It’s somewhat ironic
then that Webber should have gone on to even greater acclaim for his musicalization of Phantom of the Opera,
a show which is after all about the ungodly allure of a master musician on a young female singer, and a show which
seems to appeal somewhat preternaturally to women (including, heaven help me, my wife) more than men. I had loved
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s work in Jesus Christ Superstar, but found a lot of his subsequent material less than
appealing, an unsettling combination of pastiche and quasi-Puccini, especially with regard to his
Phantom, that never set very well with me. (Musical lovers know there’s another musical Phantom, one
by Nine’s Maury Yeston, that many aficionados, including me, prefer). Be that as it may, the planetary sensation
caused by Webber’s Phantom of the Opera quickly eclipsed older versions, and many lovers of the musical are
only faintly aware that there were equally iconic versions, many of which were, in their day at least, as sensational as
Webber’s was in the eighties and nineties. Chief among these is the legendary Lon Chaney silent film version, originally
released in 1925 and then rejiggered in late 1929-early 1930 at the dawn of the sound era with interpolated segments
which featured a synchronized soundtrack. (It should be noted that it's to Lloyd Webber's credit that he has always
cited the Chaney Phantom as one of the prime influences on his musical). This new Blu-ray release offers three
versions of the film, two high
definition remasters of the 1929 version, one at 24fps sourced from a 35mm negative, and another 1929 version
running at 20fps. A
standard definition version of the original 1925 film is also offered, sourced
from a 16mm print (somewhat humorously misdescribed on the back cover as a 6 millimeter print, which some
viewers may actually believe when they see the condition of this version).
The Phantom of the Opera is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC codec. The 24fps 1929 version is offered in
1080p in a 1.2:1 aspect
ratio. The 20fps 1929 version is presented in 1080i in a 1.2:1 aspect ratio. The 1925 version of the film is presented in
480p standard definition in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1. The press
releases accompanying
this release are a tad confusing. Both the 24fps and 20fps versions were sourced from the same 35mm negative (the first time this particular
element has ever been used for a home video release), but the restoration algorithms utilized by FotoKem only work well with standard frame
rates, so there is a noticeable quality difference between the 24fps and 20fps versions. The good news is that the
24fps 1929 version is
going to be a minor (perhaps even a major) revelation to those who have grown up with inferior 16mm transfers of this
film. The transfer is
surprisingly damage free. Don't get me wrong—there is still abundant speckling, scratching and nitrate decomposition
(especially in the
famous boudoir scene), but overall this is an incredible improvement on any version I've previously seen (and I've seen
lots, believe me). The
two strip Technicolor Bal Masque sequence looks great, if a tad soft, with the reds popping magnificently. Several other
sequences have been
hand colored to recreate the original Handschiegl Color Process. The 24fps version offers superior clarity and sharpness,
within reasonable
expectations. The 20fps 1929 version is a rather major step downward in quality, at least in terms of visible damage if not in overall clarity
and sharpness. This
version has considerably
more wear and tear, with many more scratches, flecks and specks dotting the image with fair regularity. It still has some
nicely sharp
moments and those who prefer 20fps for their silents will most likely not be too disappointed. The 1925 version, in
standard def and sourced
from a 16mm print, is obviously the worst looking of the bunch. The image is often quite fuzzy and some of the inserts,
as in the letters which
are seen in close-up, verge on the unreadable. Still, it's wonderful to be able to see the (more or less) original version of
the film, despite its
obvious drawbacks.
Note: Screencaps 1-10 are from the 24fps version. 11-15 are from the 20fps version (and have been deinterlaced
before uploading). 16-
19 are from the SD 1925 version. Do not be concerned with the AR on the 1925 screencaps. Our system stretched the
SD image, it is
correctly formatted at 1.37:1 on the disc. The SD screencaps are offered only so that you have a benchmark of basic
quality to go by).
Producer David Shepard has detailed that the original pressing of this BD incorrectly offered mono soundtracks instead of the advertised new stereo tracks. With that caveat, and with the understanding that my score above is based on the audio options and fidelity aside from the stereo issue, let's address all of the audio options on this Blu-ray, all presented (ostensibly) in uncompressed LPCM 2.0. The 24fps version has an all new orchestral score (which is perhaps anachronistically too modern at times, with lots of percussion and dissonance) by the Alloy Orchestra. Purists may want to choose the iconic Gaylord Carter organ score which is offered as an alternate audio option on this version. The 20fps 1929 version has the previously released Gabriel Thibaudeau score performed by I Musici de Montréal, conducted by Yuli Turovsky and featuring soprano Claudine Côté. The 1925 version advertises an "all new" piano score by Frederick Hodges, but it is in fact a pastiche of musical quotes from everyone from Brahms to Gounod. The fidelity on all these tracks is superb, with brilliant reproduction through all frequency ranges. Hopefully I will receive a corrected disc from Image and at that point I can address stereo separation.
Silent film aficionados haven't had all that much to celebrate on Blu-ray thus far, and so this release is hotly anticipated. The bad news is there are some issues on this first pressing that need to be addressed. The good news is, once those are addressed, this is going to be a stellar release, especially with regard to the amazing looking 24fps 1929 version of this film, which is easily the cleanest and clearest looking version of Phantom I've personally ever seen. Stay tuned to this review for further developments, as I will make sure to update it as more information becomes available. My bottom line is, hold off on this for the time being until we get some definitive information from Image about a repressing. But once that hurdle is overcome, this is a no-brainer for Phantom fans.
1923
Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga
1972
2013
Warner Archive Collection
1935
1939
2017
1941
2016
1961
1931
1971
1943
1935
Curse of the Crimson Altar
1968
Collector's Edition
1981
2018
Includes "Drácula"
1931
The Secret of Marrowbone
2017
2015
2015