 The Phantom of the Opera/The Hunchback of Notre Dame dvd movie. |
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The Phantom of the Opera/The Hunchback of Notre Dame
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Features
• Black & White
• Silent |
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The Phantom of the Opera/The Hunchback of Notre Dame Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥
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Two Of The Greatest Silent Films Starring The Man Of A Thousand Faces Available Together. Recommended For Film Students.
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Before he became known as "The Phantom Of The Opera," Lon Chaney was "The Hunchback Of Notre-Dame." Now both films are available in a DVD Double Feature.
The Movie (1923 version).
The movie which launched Lon (Leonidas) Chaney into stardom has enormous production values. The son of deaf parents, Chaney drew on this period in his life for his portrayal of the deaf (and almost mute) bellringer of Notre-Dame. Though Chaney was very faithful in recreating Hugo's deformed and tormented character to the tiniest detail (hence his well-earned reputation as "The Man Of A Thousand Faces"), the filmmakers were less so to the author's storyline. The movie takes a lot of liberties with the plot, but retains the central element: the heart of a creature more beautiful on the inside than on the outside. When Quasimodo, during the pillory scene, cries, "I thirst," you empathize with him and from the first moment he appears on screen all the way to the film's conclusion, you feel sorry for a man whom love "Forswore me in my mother's womb." Sadly, Chaney would die in 1930, having cemented his star in Hollywood five years earlier in 1925 with "The Phantom Of The Opera;" but he left his mark on cinema for all eternity. He not only relied on the makeup and prosthetics, but threw himself wholeheartedly into every performance. Excellent acting make this film version of one of Hugo's most enduring works a classic to be watched and reseen over and over again. Then, once you've seen it, talk about the liberties taken with the plot and whether it made a difference to the outcome of the movie. Granted, everyone will have differing opinions, but for me, this film version is the best (I'll have to see the others in order to have a more thorough knowledge of the matter). This film is Not Rated.
THE 1925 SILENT FILM VERSION "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA"
This first silver screen rendering of the classic novel by Gaston Leroux is faithful to the book and Lon Chaney is excellent as The Phantom, oozing pure menace as he tries to force Christine Daae, a young opera singer, to fall in love with him. He doesn't appear until 33 minutes into the film, however, which makes it very suspenseful; I guess Hitchcock was inspired by his shadow on the wall to create that eerie effect himself whenever he came on camera. He was one of the greatest actors that ever graced the silver screen (second only to Sir Laurence Olivier, THE greatest Shakesperean actor the world has ever known, with Kenneth Branagh [see my reviews of their versions of "Hamlet" and Branagh's "Much Ado About Nothing" for more information]). The movie is Not Rated.
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