This Technicolor retelling of the Gaston Leroux "grand guignol" classic The Phantom of the Opera has a little more opera than phantom, but that's because the stars are soprano Susannah Foster and tenor Nelson Eddy. Claude Rains carries the acting honors on his shoulders, playing a pathetic orchestra violinist who worships aspiring opera-singer Foster from afar. The girl is unaware that Rains has secretly been financing her music lessons with instructor Leo Carrillo. When he runs out of money, Rains attempts to sell the ...
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This Technicolor retelling of the Gaston Leroux "grand guignol" classic The Phantom of the Opera has a little more opera than phantom, but that's because the stars are soprano Susannah Foster and tenor Nelson Eddy. Claude Rains carries the acting honors on his shoulders, playing a pathetic orchestra violinist who worships aspiring opera-singer Foster from afar. The girl is unaware that Rains has secretly been financing her music lessons with instructor Leo Carrillo. When he runs out of money, Rains attempts to sell the concerto that he's been working on all his life. Mistakenly believing that his precious concerto has been stolen from him, Rains attacks and kills the music publisher he holds responsible. Terrified, the publisher's mistress throws a pan full of acid into Rains' face. Rains runs screaming into the night, and is not heard from for the next reel or so. Soon afterward, the Paris Opera house is plagued by a series of mysterious accidents. The managers are informed via letter that the "accidents" will continue if Foster is not immediately promoted to leading roles. Only after reigning diva Jane Farrar is drugged into incapacitation is Foster given her big break. Farrar accuses Foster's boyfriend, police inspector Nelson Eddy, of doping her in order to advance Foster's career. Farrar is later strangled, and Eddy is accused of the crime. The culprit is, of course, Rains, who now poses as the masked-and-caped "phantom". Maniacally determined that no one will impede Foster's success, Rains causes a huge chandelier to crash down on the opera audience when Foster fails to appear onstage (she'd been kept from performing by police-chief Edgar Barrier, who hoped in this manner to flush The Phantom out of hiding). A chase through the catacombs below the opera house ensues, with Rains holding Foster prisoner. When Rains briefly lets down his guard, the tremulous Foster removes his mask. It's "yecccch," all right, but nowhere near as frightening as the unmasking scene in the silent Lon Chaney version of Phantom of the Opera. The same can be said for the rest of this 1943 remake, though in fairness it appears as though the film wasn't really designed to scare anyone, but instead to serve as a suspense yarn with musical interludes. Hume Cronyn makes his second film appearance in Phantom in a microscopic role. The huge sets designed for this picture were hastily reused for the 1944 Universal melodrama The Climax, starring Boris Karloff and (again) Susannah Foster. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Add this copy of Phantom of the Opera (1943) to cart. $7.99, very good condition, Sold by St. Vinnie's Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Universal.
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Very Good. DVD 100% of proceeds go to charity! Complete item with limited signs of use and wear. May have minor scuffs and flaws but is in very good working condition.
Add this copy of The Phantom of the Opera to cart. $14.33, new condition, Sold by Importcds rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sunrise, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Universal.
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Nelson Eddy; Susanna Foster; Claude Rains; Edgar Barrier; Jane Farrar; Hume Cronyn; Leo Carrillo. New. Run time: 92 mins. Language: English. New in new packaging. USA Orders only! Brand New product! please allow delivery times of 3-7 business days within the USA. US orders only please.
Add this copy of Phantom of the Opera (1943) to cart. $19.22, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Universal Studios.
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Edgar Barrier, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains, Nelson Eddy. New. 1943 Run time: 93. Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Delivery Confirmation included for all orders in the US.
I loved Claude Rains in this picture. This is the first version to do the wronged composer ending up with acid thrown in his face. Its different from the first universal film with Lon Chaney. Trivia note, Lon Chaney's son was considered for the phantom's part until the studio finally decided to hire Claude Rains.
Claude Rains plays a sensitive and kind Phantom who before having his face mutilated was paying for music lesson for Christine Dubois. Its nice to see the phantom have a long relationship with Christine. Originally Christine was supposed to be the phantom's daughter, but that eliment of the story was cut. The father daughter relationship is still there.
Susanna Foster was a charming Christine. She fits the the blonde with blue eyes desciption of the book perfectly. Unlike most versions of the phantom this one has a feminist twist to it. Christine has two men beside the phantom after her. At the end both men want her to chose and she does. She chooses her carear and leaves them both for the stage. I loved it.
There was supposed to be a squel to this version. It was rewritten into The Climax with Borris Karloff and Susanna Foster. Claude Rains gave a top notch performance as the phantom and it is worth the time to view. Also this is the first phantom film to be done completely in color.
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