The Phantom of the Opera Hammer Horror Series

U.K. / 1962 Directed by Terence Fisher Starring Herbert Lom Heather Sears Michael Gough Color / 85 Minutes / Not Rated Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC/ 2-disc set) Universal Home Video

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The classic novel on Audio CD

9     8   10 = Highest Rating   Guest Review by Troy Howarth

• A look at one of the films in the Hammer Horror Series • DVD Rating is for entire set

A disfigured musician known as the Phantom (Herbert Lom) haunts the London Opera House, wreaking havoc and falling in love with a young singer named Christine (Heather Sears)...     Of all the films directed by Terence Fisher, Phantom of the Opera, apart from being one of the most controversial, comes closest to fulfilling his desire to helm a love story in the Frank Borzage mold. Wistful, delicate and almost entirely devoid of 'horror', the film was a critical and financial flop in 1962 and it remains hotly debated to this day. Fisher enthusiasts tend to embrace it as one of the director's best films, while others deride it as tedious. Reportedly developed as a vehicle for Cary Grant (according to producer Anthony Hinds, it was Grant's idea to do a horror film, but he got cold feet at the last second), this unusually genteel adaptation of Gaston Leroux's novella works very well as a drama and less persuasively as a horror picture. Compared to other versions of the story, it is neither the most faithful nor is it the most far-afield of the original concept. I would argue that it is, ultimately, the best film as a whole out of the whole slew of filmic adaptations, but I would be in the minority on that point. The film lacks the memorable Phantom makeup of Lon Chaney in the 1925 silent version, but the point of Fisher's take on the story is that the Phantom isn't a villain to be despised — he's a sympathetic, misunderstood and abused figure. In order to remove all the horrific deeds from the character, screenwriter Hinds devised a dwarf sidekick (Ian Wilson) to do all the dirty work, whether it be accidentally breaking the chandelier that plays a role in the finale or stabbing a rat-catcher (Scars of Dracula's Patrick Troughton) in the eye. The few flashes of horror do feel a trifle grafted on, notably the sequence with the rat-catcher. There is no real motivation for this action, making the dwarf character seem more psychotic than the bulk of the narrative seems to suggest that he is. An earlier moment, with the Phantom disrupting a performance of his opera by thrusting a hanged man onto the stage, is more satisfactory but still jars with the overall tone of the film.     The most problematic aspect of the film is the Salieri-like character of Lord Ambrose, played to reptilian perfection by Michael Gough (Horrors of the Black Museum). The problem isn't with Gough, who is superb, but with the resolution of his character — but the problem goes beyond just his character to the very end of the film itself. Having been established as a complete and utter swine who steals the Phantom's music and attempts to force his advances on Christine, he is set up as a villain of epic proportions. Yet, when the Phantom confronts him, all we get is Gough ripping the mask from his face and running off in fright. What happens then? Does he get away scot-free, and if so, why? And if he does indeed get some kind of comeuppance, what exactly is it? Fisher and Hinds lose site of this as the film moves rapidly to a close — the villain's fate left unresolved, the film then sets about disposing of its tragic protagonist in a somewhat hasty manner. As Christine performs the Phantom's masterpiece to an appreciative audience, Fisher includes one of his trademark sensitive touches — a close-up of the Phantom's eye as tears stream down his cheek. However, the dwarf accidentally breaks the chandelier and the Phantom leaps to save Christine from being crushed, only to be crushed himself. All this happens so quickly and suddenly, with the Phantom taking time to rather pointlessly remove his mask so that we can get a perfunctory look at his scars (a decent makeup job from Roy Ashton). So much of the film is so good and so sensitively handled, and yet Fisher and Hinds really drop the ball in these last 10-15 minutes. Were they running behind schedule? Was there more material intended to go in to this section of film that they simply couldn't film? It's hard to say, but the fact remains that what could have been Fisher's masterpiece suffers as a result of such thoughtless hastiness.     Clearly designed to reach a wider audience than their earlier horror films, Phantom has impressive production values. The decision to switch the setting to the London Opera House was a practical one, and the settings and set dressings are nicely rendered throughout. Reportedly shot on a higher than usual budget, it doesn't necessarily put the earlier run of Hammer films to shame for the simple reason that Arthur Grant's cinematography isn't as impressive as Jack Asher's. Grant creates some impressive images here and there, but overall his approach is more realistic than lyrical, thus clashing somewhat with the mood Fisher is trying so hard to maintain. While not unattractive, his lighting has a pedestrian quality to it that detracts from the mood somewhat. Edwin Astley's score is more on the money, though the Opera snippets aren't exactly high art. (In fairness, the actual music is very nice... the lyrics, however, could have benefited from some polishing.)     The cast is, once again, first rate. Herbert Lom is absolutely brilliant as the Phantom. He makes for a credibly eerie presence — there are some marvelous shots of him lurking in the shadows — but he goes beyond being a stereotypical bogeyman to become a tragic hero. Lom handles the neurotic aspects of the character without overacting and is even granted a nice flashback sequence to show the audience, approximately, what he really looks like. As with Clifford Evans in Curse of the Werewolf, one can't help but wonder why Hammer didn't capitalize on their core audience by casting Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee in the role — either actor could have played the role very well, especially Lee whose gifts with mime acting were displayed in Curse of Frankenstein, The Mummy and others. It would seem that after Grant dropped out of the project they simply sought to find somebody "fresh" and free of horror connotations, perhaps in the hope of selling the film to a wider audience. Supporting Lom is a fine gallery of character actors. Heather Sears (Sons And Lovers), another odd choice for a Hammer leading woman, gives a sensitive performance as Christine. She credibly conveys her character's iron will while also displaying her more vulnerable qualities. Edward DeSouza (Kiss of the Vampire) makes for a likable romantic lead, while Gough steals his scenes with ripely overplayed villainy and lechery. Fisher favorite Thorley Walters (Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed) is also on hand as Gough's meek business associate, while Michael Ripper (Dracula Has Risen from the Grave), Miles Malleson (Hound of the Baskervilles), Harold Goodwin (The Mummy) and others pop up in smaller supporting roles.

Phantom of the Opera (Hammer Horror Series Disc 1, Side B) has been transferred at the odd aspect ratio of 2.0 and while early speculation on the 'net worried that it would be overmatted, this seems to be the ratio at which it was framed. Granted it takes a little while to get used to seeing the film looking so wide as this, but compositions look balanced throughout. Bearing in mind that this was conceived as something of a 'super production' by Hammer's standards, it's not inconceivable that they opted to lens the film in a wider ratio to play up the improved production values and so forth. Compared to the fullscreen laser disc edition, there is appreciable image gained on the peripheries, while some dead space is missing from the top and bottom of the frame. Print quality is lesser than the other films in the set, I'm sorry to report, but it still looks very nice. The eerie pre-credits/credits sequence looks unacceptably blurry, but once the main action starts the image is far sharper. Colors are a little muted, but this seems to be the general tone of Grant's cinematography. Some minor print damage is evident, but overall the image — which is enhanced for widescreen TVs — is in good shape and is an improvement on MCA's original VHS and laser disc incarnations. There are no bonus materials or supplements included. 10/04/05

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