The Phantom of the Opera
Short description
In Victorian London, a poor composer named Petrie is cheated out of his work by Lord Ambrose d'Arcy, a theatre owner with ambitions of his own. When Petrie tries to reclaim his score at a printers, a fire breaks out, leaving him badly disfigured. He retreats into the cellars beneath the opera house where his stolen music is being prepared for performance, and from there he works to sabotage the production and to reach Christine Charles, the young singer he loves.
Terence Fisher directed this British production for Hammer Film Productions, working from a screenplay by Anthony Hinds, who also produced. It was Fisher's ninth film as director in the sequence recorded here, following The Curse of the Werewolf and preceding The Gorgon. Herbert Lom plays the Phantom, Professor L. Petrie, with Heather Sears as Christine, Edward de Souza, Thorley Walters, Michael Gough as Lord Ambrose d'Arcy and Harold Goodwin rounding out the main cast.
The film runs eighty-four minutes and combines horror with romance. It holds a rating of 6.4 out of 10 on IMDb from around four thousand two hundred votes, and the same figure on TMDB from roughly a hundred. The small TMDB tally suggests limited attention there, while the larger IMDb sample points to a modest but lasting following among viewers of the period's British horror output.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on the novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux.
- The film 'The Phantom of the Opera', which was intended for international release and dubbed into major European languages, and which had the largest budget of any film previously made by Hammer Studios, was not successful with audiences, and plans were revised.
- The audience, accustomed to elements of shock, bloody and frightening scenes in previous films from Hammer Studios, was very disappointed.
- Time Magazine wrote about the film: "The New Phantom is about as frightening as a dear old grandpa dressed up for Halloween." The New York Times was even more scathing: "The only shock is that the British, who could have profited handsomely from such a classic plot, simply botched everything after making grand promises."
- Heather Sears (who played Christine Charles) was dubbed in the vocal parts by singer Pat Clark.
- The film does not feature the opera "Faust"; it has been replaced by the opera "Saint Joan: The Tragedy of Joan of Arc." This interesting musical composition, with several complex arias and choruses, was specially written for the film by the composer and has not been heard anywhere else.
- The final word "End" and the closing credits appear against the backdrop of a lying white mask.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
