Lon Chaney THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA January 10th at Schlafly Bottleworks

“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) starring Lon Chaney screens Thursday January 10th at 7:00pm at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue Maplewood, MO 63143). A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE

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 when we screen PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Thursday January 10th at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue Maplewood, MO 63143)

A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE

https://www.facebook.com/events/308449089523519/

$6  for the screening. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed suds.

“Culture Shock” is the name of a film series here in St. Louis that is the cornerstone project of a social enterprise that is an ongoing source of support for Helping Kids Together(http://www.helpingkidstogether.com/) a St. Louis based social enterprise dedicated to building cultural diversity and social awareness among young people through the arts and active living.

The films featured for “Culture Shock” demonstrate an artistic representation of culture shock materialized through mixed genre and budgets spanning music, film and theater. Through ‘A Film Series’ working relationship with Schlafly Bottleworks, they seek to provide film lovers with an offbeat mix of dinner and a movie opportunities.