THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) with Live Music by The Invincible Czars October 25th at Webster University

“His eyes are ghastly beads in which there is no light – like holes in a grinning skull! His face is like leprous parchment, yellow skin strung tight over protruding bones! His nose – there is no nose!”

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) will screen at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium Thursday October 25th  at 7:30pm. Austin, Texas’ most adventurous band, The Invincible Czars, will provide live music.The band encourages fans and attendees to dress for the Halloween season at these shows.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is not only a classic of the silent screen, it is one of the all-time greatest movies ever made. The great Lon Chaney, at the peak of his career, plays the title character, in perhaps the role for which he is best remembered. Mary Philbin plays the heroine, Christine, an opera singer for whom the Phantom has taken a personal interest, and Norman Kerry as Raoul, Christine’s love interest and hero of the piece.

The now famous story centers around the Phantom’s interest in Christine, who is an aspiring diva at the Paris Opera. He arranges through devious means for her to become the star of the opera. When he has achieves this he then reveals his love for her and then convinces her to follow him to his lair far beneath the Opera House. Then the fun begins.

There is so much to be said of this great motion picture. First there are the magnificent sets of the Paris Opera House and the cavernous cellars below. When we first see the Phantom’s living quarters, it is revealed that he sleeps in a coffin. Then there is the eerie lighting and shadows that abound throughout the story. The chandelier sequence is breathtaking. The two strip technicolor sequence at the Ball Masque where the Phantom appears as the Masque of the Red Death is excellent. The finale where the Phantom is caught by the mob is pure Chaney.

Perhaps the most famous sequence in the film is when Philbin unmasks the Phantom. The audience sees the Phantom’s grotesque appearance before the heroine. When he turns around, she expresses the horror that the audience has just experienced. A classic unforgettable moment in American cinema.

Chaney’s skull facial make-up for the Phantom, which he did himself, is simply amazing. It conveys the mystery and horror of the character at one glance. The gloomy settings and dark shadows compliment the Phantom’s appearance.

There have been several remakes of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, but for my money, the Lon Chaney version is the definitive version, and you’ll have the chance to see it with an audience hen we screen PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium Thursday October 25th  at 7:30pm

Admission for this event is $10

Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.