PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: 4K UHD Blu-ray re-issue (Universal, 1943) Universal Home Video
Universal went all the way back
into its own antiquity, digging up Gaston LeRoux’s celebrated tale of death
stalking the Paris opera house for Arthur Lubin’s lavishly appointed Phantom
of the Opera (1943) - a spectacular, even mind-boggling excursion in
glorious Technicolor, alas, predestined to fail in its primary objective – to
thrill. The original 1925 Phantom starring Lon Chaney had been a
phenomenal success for the studio. But this remake proved problematic on
several levels. First, LeRoux’s classic was heavily tampered with by
screenwriters, Eric Taylor and Hans Jacoby to showcase some gargantuan
production numbers composed by Edward Ward, who basically took operatic
masterworks already in public domain, re-orchestrating them with newly written
lyrics. Universal’s decision to transform the macabre tale into a
horror/musical hybrid was further encouraged after the talents of baritone,
Nelson Eddy and soprano, Susannah Foster had been secured to costar as the
ill-fated lovers. By this time, Eddy’s popularity had cooled at MGM,
particularly after the end of his pairings with their resident soprano,
Jeanette MacDonald. He had sincerely hoped Phantom of the Opera would
reestablish his imminence in the musical milieu. Although in fine voice, Eddy
remained true to his own limited appeal as an actor, more wooden than dynamic
and suffering from the added folly of having to play a rather foppish romantic
suitor who never entirely wins the heart of this tale’s dreamy-eyed, though
decidedly fickle princess.
Yet, in Claude Rains’ phantom
(herein rechristened Erique Claudin) the film succumbed to an even more
self-conscious performance, threatening to sink the enterprise. Rains, a superb
actor elsewhere in his repertoire, herein somehow manages to make the least of
his part. It’s odd too, because Rains had already played a superb villain in
Universal’s The Invisible Man (1933), exploiting his mellifluous vocal
range with exceptional dexterity. But in Phantom he begins as a
rather unsympathetic soul, thoroughly misguided in his ambitions to elevate
aspiring singer, Christine Dubois (Susannah Foster) from the chorus. In the
original draft, Christine was Erique’s illegitimate offspring from a
clandestine affair. The self-governing censorship of the times precluded this
back story from seeing the light of day. Instead, screenwriters Samuel
Hoffenstein, Hans and John Jacoby and Eric Taylor simply chose to omit any
explanation as to why a middle-age, near-penniless violinist should choose to
spend all his hard-earned money on the education of this winsome ingénue. And
thus, something elsewhere perverse might be inferred as, in this light,
Erique’s obsession with Christine adopts a failed May/December infatuation with
a whiff of the lascivious and slightly depraved.
It also did not help this remake,
the Production Code was forbidden from revealing the more obvious gruesomeness
that had helped Chaney’s phantom yield its carte blanche shrieks of terror,
particularly during the phantom’s climactic unmasking. As such, this new Phantom
of the Opera became a rather tame excursion, the chills taking the
proverbial backseat to Alexander Golitzen’s resplendent production design. And
it is, if nothing else, a devastatingly handsome production from start to
finish, and much more so than what Universal was used to manufacturing. There
is one unforgivable sin committed, however, and it is at the outset of this
movie. Universal never bothered to film its trademark art deco/glass globe with
the iconic ‘Universal’ logo encircling in Technicolor. Hence, Phantom of the
Opera opens without this memorable fanfare or logo - a rather lackluster
title card reading ‘Universal Presents’ inserted before the opening
credits instead.
As scripted, Erique (Rains) is a
violinist with the Paris Opera Company who has lost all feeling in the fingers
of his left hand. Unbeknownst to the management or even the benefactress of his
philanthropy, Erique has spent virtually all his money anonymously to fund
Christine Dubois’ musical education. Dismissed from the opera’s orchestra,
Erique becomes increasingly desperate for money. To continue Christine’s
patronage, he approaches music publishers, Pleyel and Desjardins with a
concerto he has toiled on for many months. After several days, Erique returns
to inquire about his piece. He is rudely ordered from the premises by an
irritated and preoccupied Monsieur Pleyel (Miles Mander). Hearing his
composition being played in the next room by Franz List (Fritz Leiber), Erique
assumes the publishers have stolen his music. Enraged, Erique attacks and
murders Pleyel. His assistant, Georgette
(Renee Carson) retaliates by throwing acid in Erique’s face, thus horribly
disfiguring him for life. The wounded Erique takes to the sewers beneath the
city and later, finds his way to the Paris opera where he steals a prop mask to
conceal his hideously scorched flesh.
All-consumed with his protégée,
Erique vows to make her a great star. Topside, Christine is wooed by two men -
baritone Anatole Garron (Nelson Eddy) and amiable police inspector, Raoul
D’Aubert (Edgar Barrier). The two are civil to each other, though jealous
rivals for this chanteuse’s affections.
To secure his soft spot in Christine’s heart, the phantom decides to
murder Mme. Biancarolli (Jane Farrar), the pompous diva who is standing in the
way of Christine rising to the top of her profession. Alas, this heinous act
sends the entire opera company into a panic, with Raoul setting into motion a
plan to snuff out the phantom. Refusing to let Christine sing, Raoul has List
play Erique’s concerto. The phantom murders one of Raoul’s officers and then
takes to the vaulted auditorium ceiling, cutting loose its massive chandelier
and causing it to plummet into the audience. Amidst the chaos, Erique reveals
himself to Christine as her most ardent admirer. He steals her away into the
bowels of the opera house. But his hideous visage frightens Christine and she
screams, alerting Raoul and Anatole to their whereabouts. The phantom is confronted
by both men and destroyed. In the final moments, Christine is seen pursuing
another suitor, leaving Anatole and Raoul to set aside their differences and
walk together, arm-in-arm as friends.
It is exceedingly difficult not to
admire this Phantom of the Opera as it remains an ultra-glamorous
affair. W. Howard Greene and Hal Mohr’s
eye-popping and sumptuous cinematography is a visual feast for the eye. Vera West’s costumes are quite simply
gorgeous. And Edward Ward’s musical re-orchestrations take on the flavor of
legitimate opera, virtually indistinguishable from the real thing to the
untrained ear. Tragically, these virtues are subverted by the story, lacking in
spirit and spark. Worse - the phantom gets relegated to skulking through dank
sewers, seedy alleys and gloomily lit byways, glimpsed in evaporating shadows
racing along the wall and only momentarily made a figure – not of human tragedy
– but maniacal and vial retributions inflicted on the unsuspecting and
undeserving of his wrath. This phantom is not to be pitied, but feared – a
miscalculation from which the character and the film never entirely recover. As
the solitary and friendless phantom, plotting supreme revenge from within the
bowels of the Paris opera house, Claude Rains never assuages beyond cloying
menace; seemingly too much the gentleman to be embraced as evil incarnate. To
be sure, Rains had played bad boys before. His Alexander Sebastian in 1946’s Notorious
is as disreputable as he is sly and calculating. But Rains’ phantom shares in
none of these more wicked attributes. He is tyrannical, plotting and venomous –
in short – wholly unlikable. The best movie villains are those we love to hate.
Regrettably, Rains phantom is someone we just wish would go away.
Universal Home Video’s 4K master of
Phantom of the Opera, previously released, was – and remains, definite
cause to rejoice. When Uni issued the
monsters on standard Blu-ray, Phantom’s image was wan, dull and
occasionally, slightly out of focus, with minor Technicolor mis-registration scattered
throughout. However, when this title made the leap to UHD, Uni apparently had
second thoughts – either rescanning from an OCN or digitally performing minor
miracles to virtually eradicate all of the aforementioned shortcomings. Seeing Phantom
of the Opera in 4K is literally like seeing it for the first time. Colors
are precise and sparkle with that stellar look of vintage Technicolor at its
exceptional best. Film grain is subtle, but present and looking very indigenous
to its source. Contrast has been superbly rendered. And virtually all
age-related artifacts, and mis-registration problems are gone! Wow! What a
transformation. The DTS 2.0 mono sounds admirable within the limitations of
original Westrex sound recording. Extras are all repurposed and include a
comprehensive ‘making of’ that covers not only the enduring popularity of
Gaston LeRue’s novel, but also touches on the stage incarnations, the various
film adaptations and also provides good background info on the making of this
film. Universal also gives us a comprehensive audio commentary and theatrical
trailer. For fans of this version of Phantom of the Opera, the 4K is a
perfectly realized outing.
FILM RATING (out
of 5 – 5 being the best)
3
VIDEO/AUDIO
5+
EXTRAS
2
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