The British Film Institute has officially announced and detailed its final Blu-ray release for 2013: Rupert Julian's
The Phantom of the Opera (1925), starring Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, and Norman Kerry. The three-disc release will be available for purchase on December 2.
When Erik, the Phantom (Lon Chaney) falls in love with the voice of Christine, a young opera singer (Mary Philbin), he drags her to the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera House and forces her to sing only for him...
Special Features:
- Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition;
- Original 1925 version (b&w, 103 mins) with newly commissioned piano accompaniment by Ed Bussey;
- Original 1925 trailer and 1929 sound reissue trailer;
- Reel 5 from lost 1929 sound reissue: the only surviving element, discovered in the Library of Congress archives;
- The 'man with the lantern' sequence: mysterious footage thought to have been shot for non-English speaking territories;
- Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces (2000, Kevin Brownlow, 86 mins, DVD only): the definitive documentary on the legendary actor and make-up artist;
- Channel 4 Silents restoration souvenir programme (PDF);
- Illustrated booklet featuring new essays, an original review and film credits.