It is rare that horror films can be considered objectively great movies but this can.
The story has a great deal of potential. In 19th century Paris, lives Erique Claudan, a violinist who works at the Paris Opera. Though a veteran of 20 years, he is fired because his hands have developed a condition which interferes with the quality of his playing. However, he is interested in helping the career of Christine Duboise, a young, rising star in the Opera. But he himself needs the money to pay for her lessons, and attempts to have an entire book of music he has written published. When his publisher refuses to give it back to him, Claudan accuses him of stealing his life's work and murders him, in the process horrifying a young woman who throws a pan of acid at his face, disfiguring it. Claudan hides in the sewers, steals a mask to cover his face, and starts terrorizing the Opera into allowing Christine to sing, going as far as to murder the Opera's biggest star, and cutting the chandelier down to crash into the stage. All the while, the Paris chief of police and one of the Opera's biggest male stars, bot of whom are trying to win the affections of Christine, try various plans to catch Claudan after one of them confronted him high up in the place from which the Opera's effects are operated. Claudan However has plans to capture Christine and take her to his hideout under the Opera house, will Claudan be caught?
This movie is absolutely outstanding. The Technicolor is beautiful, and the cinematography is well done. Phantom of the Opera should have won the following Academy Awards.
Best Picture Best Actor Best supporting actress Best art direction Best cinematography Best costume design Best adapted screenplay Best original song Best original score Best makeup.
The sets and costumes are fabulous in taking you back to the era. The Opera sequences are very impressive and well done with powerful music. Claude Rains performance as Claudan is perfect, he is tragic, sad, and menacing all st once. This is certainly one the the best movies of all time and it's a shame that it's so obscure.
So if you want to see a truly great film from another era of film-making, choose this one!
The story has a great deal of potential. In 19th century Paris, lives Erique Claudan, a violinist who works at the Paris Opera. Though a veteran of 20 years, he is fired because his hands have developed a condition which interferes with the quality of his playing. However, he is interested in helping the career of Christine Duboise, a young, rising star in the Opera. But he himself needs the money to pay for her lessons, and attempts to have an entire book of music he has written published. When his publisher refuses to give it back to him, Claudan accuses him of stealing his life's work and murders him, in the process horrifying a young woman who throws a pan of acid at his face, disfiguring it. Claudan hides in the sewers, steals a mask to cover his face, and starts terrorizing the Opera into allowing Christine to sing, going as far as to murder the Opera's biggest star, and cutting the chandelier down to crash into the stage. All the while, the Paris chief of police and one of the Opera's biggest male stars, bot of whom are trying to win the affections of Christine, try various plans to catch Claudan after one of them confronted him high up in the place from which the Opera's effects are operated. Claudan However has plans to capture Christine and take her to his hideout under the Opera house, will Claudan be caught?
This movie is absolutely outstanding. The Technicolor is beautiful, and the cinematography is well done. Phantom of the Opera should have won the following Academy Awards.
Best Picture Best Actor Best supporting actress Best art direction Best cinematography Best costume design Best adapted screenplay Best original song Best original score Best makeup.
The sets and costumes are fabulous in taking you back to the era. The Opera sequences are very impressive and well done with powerful music. Claude Rains performance as Claudan is perfect, he is tragic, sad, and menacing all st once. This is certainly one the the best movies of all time and it's a shame that it's so obscure.
So if you want to see a truly great film from another era of film-making, choose this one!