Tuesday, October 27, 2020

The Phantom of the Opera (1943)

Universal, 1943
Starring Claude Rains, Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, and Edgar Barrier
Directed by Arthur Lubin
Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we explore two very different retellings of the classic 1910 horror novel by Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera. Universal made a second go at the story after the famous silent version from 1925 with Lon Chaney. This one would feature full Technicolor, the same sumptuous sets, costumes as glamorous as possible during war time, Nelson Eddy fresh from MGM, and Universal's newest soprano find Susanna Foster. Does it ascend to the same heights as the Chaney film, or will the chandelier come down on this show? Let's begin at the Paris Opera, just in time for a performance, and find out...

The Story: Enrique Claudin (Rains) played the violin at the Opera for twenty years, but he's quickly dismissed when the head conductor discovers his left hand can no longer function. He threw all of his money into anonymously funding singing lessons for Christine DuBois (Foster), a talented young member of the chorus. He tries to sell his latest composition to make money, only for the publisher Pleyel (Miles Mander) to constantly turn him down. When he hears Franz Liszt (Fritz Lieber) playing it, he thinks Pleyel stole it and strangles him to death. His horrified secretary throws etching acid at Claudin's face, disfiguring him. He runs off and hides under the opera.

Meanwhile, Christine has her own problems. She's being pursued romantically by robust baritone Anatole Garron (Eddy) and clever police officer Raoul Dubert (Barrier), but frankly prefers her singing career over either of them. The opera favors spoiled diva Blancarolli (Jane Farrar), who loathes being upstaged. The mysterious Phantom who's been stealing from the opera won't put up with her tantrums or shoving Christine out of the spotlight...and he's determined to get his golden-haired singing angel into the starring role no matter what.

The Song and Dance: This version is light on horror and heavy on music, making it of most interest to classical and opera fans. Some of the opera sequences are beautifully staged, and the color is exquisite. Rains is no Chaney, but he still does pretty well as the soft-spoken musician who unleashes his homicidal side when he thinks he's lost his composition and his love. 

Favorite Number: "Lullaby of the Bells" is the composition by Claudin that causes all the fuss. Eddy and Foster give it a lovely performance early in the film, when we see Christine at her lessons. The three opera sequences are all colorful and exquisitely sung. The first excerpt, from Marta, is the only real opera used. Amour Et Glouire, the sequence where Blancarolli almost ends up off-stage for good, and the finale Le Prince Masque Du Caucasus are fictional, made up from the music of Chopin and Tchaikovsky respectively.  

Trivia: In the original script, Claudin was Christine's father, who had abandoned her and her mother in favor of a musical career. It was cut from the final draft, but it's never really clear in the film why he sponsors her, other than vague attraction. 

This is the only Universal monster movie of the 30's and 40's to win Oscars, for color cinematography and Set Design. 

What I Don't Like: This isn't really much of a horror movie, or a musical, either. On one hand, I'm glad they opted to end with the men being friends and Christine choosing a career over either of them. You don't often see a musical today end with a woman choosing a career over romance, let alone one from 1943. On the other hand, it leaves the film feeling rather anti-climatic. Wish there'd been more of the men confronting Claudin before they bring the roof down. Claude Rains requested that his disfigurement makeup be played down...but it just makes him look a little wrinkled, rather than genuinely frightening. 

The Big Finale: Don't come here expecting to be really scared. This is mainly for fans of Rains, Eddy, classical music, or the Universal horror roster. 

Home Media: Easy to find in all major formats. It's currently streaming for free on Vudu.

No comments:

Post a Comment