Phantom of the Opera (1943)
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72% of critics liked it
(18 reviews) -
73% of users liked it
(34,486 ratings)
This Technicolor retelling of the Gaston Leroux "grand guignol" classic The Phantom of the Opera has a little more opera than phantom, but that's because the stars are soprano Susannah Foster and tenor Nelson Eddy. Claude Rains carries the acting honors on his shoulders, playing a… More This Technicolor retelling of the Gaston Leroux "grand guignol" classic The Phantom of the Opera has a little more opera than phantom, but that's because the stars are soprano Susannah Foster and tenor Nelson Eddy. Claude Rains carries the acting honors on his shoulders, playing a pathetic orchestra violinist who worships aspiring opera-singer Foster from afar. The girl is unaware that Rains has secretly been financing her music lessons with instructor Leo Carrillo. When he runs out of money, Rains attempts to sell the concerto that he's been working on all his life. Mistakenly believing that his precious concerto has been stolen from him, Rains attacks and kills the music publisher he holds responsible. Terrified, the publisher's mistress throws a pan full of acid into Rains' face. Rains runs screaming into the night, and is not heard from for the next reel or so. Soon afterward, the Paris Opera house is plagued by a series of mysterious accidents. The managers are informed via letter that the "accidents" will continue if Foster is not immediately promoted to leading roles. Only after reigning diva Jane Farrar is drugged into incapacitation is Foster given her big break. Farrar accuses Foster's boyfriend, police inspector Nelson Eddy, of doping her in order to advance Foster's career. Farrar is later strangled, and Eddy is accused of the crime. The culprit is, of course, Rains, who now poses as the masked-and-caped "phantom". Maniacally determined that no one will impede Foster's success, Rains causes a huge chandelier to crash down on the opera audience when Foster fails to appear onstage (she'd been kept from performing by police-chief Edgar Barrier, who hoped in this manner to flush The Phantom out of hiding). A chase through the catacombs below the opera house ensues, with Rains holding Foster prisoner. When Rains briefly lets down his guard, the tremulous Foster removes his mask. It's "yecccch," all right, but nowhere near as frightening as the unmasking scene in the silent Lon Chaney version of Phantom of the Opera. The same can be said for the rest of this 1943 remake, though in fairness it appears as though the film wasn't really designed to scare anyone, but instead to serve as a suspense yarn with musical interludes. Hume Cronyn makes his second film appearance in Phantom in a microscopic role. The huge sets designed for this picture were hastily reused for the 1944 Universal melodrama The Climax, starring Boris Karloff and (again) Susannah Foster. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Arthur Lubin
- Written By
- Samuel Hoffenstein, John Jacoby
- Genres
- Classics, Drama, Horror, Musical & Performing Arts, Mystery & Suspense, Special Interest
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Aug 27, 1943 Limited
- Studio
- MCA Universal Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Steve Crum, Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers
Fine version of classic horror/love story/tragedy...minus music, of course.
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Eric Lurio, Greenwich Village Gazette
If you liked the stage version, you'll LOVE this version.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Nelson Eddy
as Anatole Garron
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Susanna Foster
as Christine DuBois
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Claude Rains
as Enrique Claudin
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Jane Farrar
as Biancarolli
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Edgar Barrier
as Raoul D'Aubert
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Hume Cronyn
as Gerard
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Leo Carrillo
as Signor Feretti
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Barbara Everest
as Aunt
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J. Edward Bromberg
as Amiot
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Fritz Leiber
as Franz Liszt
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Steven Geray
as Vercheres
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Frank Puglia
as Villeneuve
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Hans Herbert
as Marcel
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Fritz Feld
as Lecours
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Gladys Blake
as Jennie
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Nicolle Andre
as Lorenzi
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Renee Carson
as Georgette Pleyel's Girl Friend
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Wheaton Chambers
as Reporter
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Lane Chandler
as Officer
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Edward Clark
as Usher
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Elvira Curci
as Biancarolli's maid
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Cyril Delevanti
as Bookkeeper
- William Desmond
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Kate Lawson
as Landlady
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Miles Mander
as Pleyel
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Hank Mann
as Stagehand
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Paul Marion
as Desjardines
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Anthony Marlowe
as Martha Singer
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Alphonse Martell
as Policeman
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Belle Mitchell
as Feretti's Maid
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Beatrice Roberts
as Nurse
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Walter O. Stahl
as Dr. Lefours
- Tudor Williams
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Marek Windheim
as Renfrit
- Richard Bartell
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Muni Seroff
as Reporter
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Ernest Golm
as Office Manager
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James Mitchell
as Reporter
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Johnny Walsh
as Office Boy
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Rosina Galli
as Christine's maid
