THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925/1929) - Kino Classics - October 13, 2015

[GeoffOliver]

Very useful article. I’m trying to remember which version was used for the screening I saw. I seem to remember the second part of the Ball Masque sequence in color, but I also distinctly remember the tinting spilling out to the pillarbox.

Also, I’m not sure which score the organist played, but from what I remember, it seemed pretty close to the Gaylord Carter score on the disc.

[brian9229]

I screened this for my kids last night, well, not my 1 year old, but teenage son(16) and daughter(19) and 9 year old daughter. It was an absolute marvel to witness their reactions of complete terror. Not terribly dissimilar from my own initial reaction to the film. The older kids were truly astonished by the makeup, and the effectiveness of a silent film. I just wish I would've recorded all their reactions when the Phantom gets unmasked, just priceless. Not bad for a nearly 100 year old film.

[happydood]

I've shown it to my 8 and 5 year old. They like it- they are fans of the Universal Horror atmosphere in general. It's really nice to finally witness all of the beautiful detail on display in this movie after growing up with bad public domain editions.

[Mikezilla3k]

Which release is the best?

[oddbox83]

Kino and BFI both have good stuff. I have both. BFI jumps into the lead if the 1925 version is of primary interest. Kino if as much examples of the sound footage is.

[Neon Rabbit]

The first version of this that I ever saw as a kid was a VHS release that I rented several times form the local Movie Gallery in the 90s. It had a modern (at the time) synth score with vocal arrangements and lyrics, similar to the Giorgio Moroder version of Metropolis. I distinctly remember the music to this day despite not having seen this particular version about 20 years, so I finally went on ebay to look up what version this was and apparently it was a new soundtrack done by Rick Wakeman in 1993.

I just got the Kino Blu-ray and have enjoyed it quite a bit, but I kinda want to get a copy of this version now and transfer it to disc for nostalgia's sake, lol.
I also remember renting a copy of this from the library that was completely silent, with no music to speak of. It kinda took me by surprise as a kid. I knew it was a silent movie, but come on. Since there was no sound to it at all, I probably put on some random Hip Hop music or whatever I was listening to at that time while watching it.

[happydood]

Got to see this tonight with live organ accompaniment from Famous Players Orchestra presented by L.A.'s Silent Cinema Society- a 35 mm print hand-cranked on a pristine 1909 machine. It was a pure delight and I highly recommend you check out their other events if you're in the area. The print was a work of love that incorporated faithfully recreated missing titles and featured the original color ending- finally the lantern bearer in the opening and the wanderer Raoul and the detective find in the catacombs when searching for the Phantom made complete sense and even got audience laughs. A delightful experience all around.

http://fporchestra.org/events/

[vortexx]

Originally Posted by RandyK

Like others, I'm happy with the BFI disc. Anyone who hasn't seen the movie in any form should definitely pick up that disc or this one. The movie is a classic.

It's also the basis for one of my all time favorite songs (skip to 2:43):

Iron Maiden - Phantom of The Opera - Live Sweden (2005) - YouTube

My favorite of their albums were the first 2. I almost saw the Killers tour but I couldn't get enough money together ($14. I think).

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by happydood

Got to see this tonight with live organ accompaniment from Famous Players Orchestra presented by L.A.'s Silent Cinema Society- a 35 mm print hand-cranked on a pristine 1909 machine. It was a pure delight and I highly recommend you check out their other events if you're in the area. The print was a work of love that incorporated faithfully recreated missing titles and featured the original color ending- finally the lantern bearer in the opening and the wanderer Raoul and the detective find in the catacombs when searching for the Phantom made complete sense and even got audience laughs. A delightful experience all around.

http://fporchestra.org/events/

What original color ending is this?

[oddbox83]

Has there been a new restoration?

[happydood]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

What original color ending is this?

A very short color sequence of Christine and Raoul gazing at each other and living happily ever after.

[Neon Rabbit]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

Kino and BFI both have good stuff. I have both. BFI jumps into the lead if the 1925 version is of primary interest. Kino if as much examples of the sound footage is.

How does the 1925 version look on the BFI? I tried watching it on the Kino but I just couldn't get into it as much as the '29 version due to the much lower quality of the transfer.

I know the BFI disc has it in true HD, but does it look significantly better than the Kino even with print damage and being from a lower quality print source than the '29 version?

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

Has there been a new restoration?

I have just asked the experts at Nitrateville about this. I think a previously unseen color ending and restored prologue/intertitles is news to a lot of us silent film aficionados. I frequent Nitrateville and have read everything posted there about PHANTOM and I’ve never heard of anything like this.

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by happydood

A very short color sequence of Christine and Raoul gazing at each other and living happily ever after.

WOW. Can’t wait to hear what the Nitratevillains have to say about this extremely interesting development!

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by Neon Rabbit

How does the 1925 version look on the BFI? I tried watching it on the Kino but I just couldn't get into it as much as the '29 version due to the much lower quality of the transfer.

I know the BFI disc has it in true HD, but does it look significantly better than the Kino even with print damage and being from a lower quality print source than the '29 version?

The print source is as manky as any 1925 print known to exist. The difference is made by the filmic look of the HD scan vs the ropier 80s/90s video transfer look.

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

I have just asked the experts at Nitrateville about this. I think a previously unseen color ending and restored prologue/intertitles is news to a lot of us silent film aficionados. I frequent Nitrateville and have read everything posted there about PHANTOM and I’ve never heard of anything like this.

Yeah if it’s all true it’s a big surprise to me. I hope someone releases it on disc.

[happydood]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

WOW. Can’t wait to hear what the Nitratevillains have to say about this extremely interesting development!

I frequent Nitrateville, too and had never heard of it- nor the filled in inter titles that made sense of the man with the lantern in the opening nor the strange wanderer (a rat catcher) they come across in the catacombs in the second half of the film. This restoration was completed in 2013, apparently, so I don't know what the deal is.

[Neon Rabbit]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

The print source is as manky as any 1925 print known to exist. The difference is made by the filmic look of the HD scan vs the ropier 80s/90s video transfer look.

Yeah, that's kinda what I was figuring. I may have to grab that disc sometime. I like the look of the color tinting quite a bit better on the '29 print of the BFI restoration as well.

[monks19]

Did anyone here watched that projection and can compare it with actual Blu-rays ?

[happydood]

Originally Posted by monks19

Did anyone here watched that projection and can compare it with actual Blu-rays ?

It was a lot softer overall. I absolutely prefer the look of the Kino blu I have, but it was cool to see. I think I might want to eventually get to the BFI disc, but was initially under the impression that 1080p didnt do much for the 1925 print on it.