The music chosen for this release is a good accompaniment The sets are good and in fact the Opera House stes survives to this day and has seen use in other films, notably the 1943 Claude Rains version of Phantom (*1). It's obvously much harder to act without dialogue and mugging was not uncommon. Mary Philbin as Christine but naturally there are a few performances that are a little OTT and accompanied heavy handed attempts to be humorous from supporting characters. It's a shame that for the early part of the film he wear a mask obscuring facial movements, which is much more of a problem in silent films than talkies. He evokes sympathy and pathos in what would otherwise be just a monster, his background related by a police detective which is far from sympathetic is almost at odds with Chaney's portrayal! Like in all the best silent films, you can almost hear him talking in his best moments e.g.during the scene where he reveals his real name & someting of his history. The look of horror on his face as the Phantom has his mask removed still packs a punch. Chaney's performance is a very strong one. For many it's still the definitive version. Phantom is one of his best remembered & loved films. Although his repertoire was vast it is a small portion of it he is remembered best for now-the grotesques, monsters etc. I won't say anymore than this, otherwise I'll be spoiling many surprises of why the original cut is more great than the reshoot.īriefly Lon Chaney was a star character actor in silent films. Although not as wondrously remastered as its reversion, it is fully there for you with all of its glory that made audiences scream and gasp with shock. Now for the first time in years, and on Bluray and DVD, one can finally watch the original 1925 cut of the film. For decades, viewers and Phantom lovers had to make do with the 1929 version, which to put it plainly was a reshoot. There's a restoration souvenir programme you can access through your computer, the famous documentary on the life of the movie's title star Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces, the enigmatic 'Man with the Lantern' sequence, and a special look at a 12 minute segment of the otherwise completely lost sound version of the film.Įverything on this edition is fantastic, but there is one thing it has that makes it stand out from the rest. Then of course there's what are on the discs. Inside the edition's case, there is a little booklet which basically covers the film's production, its place in cinematic history, and of the time and effort it took in making the remastering possible. The special features are quite excellent as well. The 1929 version is beautifully revitalised in both High and Standard Definition there is not a single thing wrong with its quality, although I do find the music change quite jarring (I grew up knowing the soundtrack IML Digital Media and Eureka Video used for the film). If there was ever a competition to determine which edition of this classic masterpiece was the best, this one would win hands down., and not just because it gives you it on Bluray and DVD in one go.