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Cast: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry
Lon Chaney is Erik, the horribly disfigured Phantom who leads a menacing existence in the catacombs and dungeons beneath the Paris Opera House. When Erik falls in love with a beautiful prima donna, he kidnaps her and holds her hostage in his lair.
In a time when movies are filled with CGI effects, action and explosions imagine getting a Blu-ray of the classic Lon Chaney film. Not many will even remember this version ever existed since the Andrew Lloyd Webster musical but all horror buffs are going to want to sink their teeth into this. The film itself never gained the recognition that Universal's second monster film, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" did but this is still I must see for any fan of horror. Lon Chaney's performance is something to behold and his make-up work was something special for it's time.
There are three versions of the film on this Blu-ray.
Brand-new HD digital transfer of the 24fps version of 1929 reissue (Academy Aspect Ratio; 16x9 pillar-boxed) from the 35mm negative, with tinted sequences including the Bal Masque sequence in two-strip Technicolor. Featuring a brand new music score by Alloy Orchestra, plus Gaylord Carter’s famous theatre organ score, released for the first time in stereo;
Brand-new HD transfer of 20fps version of 1929 reissue with tinting, Technicolor and hand-coloring. Symphonic score composed by Gabriel Thibaudeau, performed by I Musici de Montreal, conducted by Yuri Turovsky with Claudine Cote, soprano presented in stereo, along with a new full-length audio essay by Dr. Jon Mirsalis;
Standard definition presentation of the original 1925 release from a 16mm tinted source copy. Accompanied by a new piano score by Dr. Frederick Hodges. The 114 minute version to me is the best and most complete of the film. If you're a fan of the classics the Blu-ray is worth owning for this version alone.
Released by Image Entertainment
***** Out Of *****