Phantom of the Opera

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Phantom of the Opera

1943,

1h 32m,

Horror

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Watchlist

Watchlist

83%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

77%

25,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Talented Christine (Susanna Foster) is unaware that her singing lessons are being funded by a secret admirer, Enrique (Claude Rains), a mysterious violinist with a disfigured face. Christine's colleagues become suspicious when mysterious accidents start occurring at the Paris Opera House, as the deaths coincide with her meteoric rise to stardom. Christine's suitors, Raoul (Edgar Barrier) and Anatole (Nelson Eddy), brave the dark recesses of the opera house to find the true culprit.

Critics Consensus

Though it lives beneath the 1925 version, Claude Rains plays title character well in this landmark color version of the classic tragedy.

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Marc Horton

Edmonton Journal

Aug 10, 2026

1/4

It's not campy enough to be interesting and the performances are dull, dull, dull.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Oct 28, 2023

3/4

While Lon Chaney Sr. remains the best (and most frightening) Phantom, Claude Rains lands in the place position for his more sympathetic handling of the role.

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Alan French

1428 Elm

Oct 12, 2018

2.5/4

The cinematography remains gorgeous to this day, and the sets are pretty. It is a picture of opulence. On that front, the film remains a success

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Dan Jardine

All Movie Guide

Nov 13, 2015

Lon Chaney created such an empathetic villain that it was nearly impossible not to root for him

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Paul Chambers

Movie Chambers

Oct 26, 2014

A

Rains, one of my favorite actors, gives a superb interpretation of the mysterious recluse.

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Mar 8, 2008

4/5

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George G

Aug 15, 2018

Less Phantom, more Opera. Instead of just copy and past the 1925 just with in color and different actors. they made it more a drama/Thriller. The Phantom more of a Tragic man who went insane. And (SPOILERS) The Phantom's death makes you fell pity for him. This Film's a MASTERPIECE.

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Abraham W

Jun 9, 2018

I've seen a number of Phantom of the Opera adaptations and, as much as I like Claude Rains, this is one of the lesser ones. This movie uses a number of extended operatic numbers to pad the runtime, and it really makes it drag. The filmmakers also throw in some goofy comedy bits, which feels out of place. It was interesting to see a different version of this story, but I doubt I'll watch this movie again.

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Finn S

May 1, 2018

Lazily put togheter and unfocused this turns out to be a mediocre lackluster remake of 1925´s version

Albus P

Jan 21, 2018

I know it is called Phantom of the Opera... But there is too much opera. I do like the unusually progressive ending though, lol.

Abraham L

Oct 7, 2017

While parts of this were enjoyable, I do not think that this is the best version of this story. I am not big on Opera music, and this version floods with it. I appreciate the classic nature of this film, but prefer the others with better music and songs.

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Poe W

Jun 8, 2017

I can't help but compare this to Chaney's silent classic, and it just plain doesn't hold up. Completely lacking in the gothic, macabre visuals of that one, it instead leans into the phantom's romantic origin story, and it's just not that engaging. The tone is all over the place, with lots of dramatic men with wispy mustaches saying (intentionally?) comedic things, with a few cool moments of tension breaking the doldrums (chandelier, use of shadow).

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Arthur Lubin

Director

Claude Rains

Enrique Claudin

Nelson Eddy

Anatole Garron

Susanna Foster

Christine Dubois

Edgar Barrier

Raoul D'Aubert

Jane Farrar

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Synopsis

Talented Christine (Susanna Foster) is unaware that her singing lessons are being funded by a secret admirer, Enrique (Claude Rains), a mysterious violinist with a disfigured face. Christine's colleagues become suspicious when mysterious accidents start occurring at the Paris Opera House, as the deaths coincide with her meteoric rise to stardom. Christine's suitors, Raoul (Edgar Barrier) and Anatole (Nelson Eddy), brave the dark recesses of the opera house to find the true culprit.

Director: Arthur Lubin
Producer: George Waggner
Screenwriter: Samuel Hoffenstein, John Jacoby, Gaston Leroux, Eric Taylor
Distributor: Universal Home Entertainment, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA, Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 27, 1943, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 19, 2014
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Academy (1.33:1)

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