Universal brings us the 1943 version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, as part of their Classic Monster DVD Collection. This was the first film version of Gaston Leroux’s play to utilize sound and Technicolor. Claude Rains portrays the sympathetic Phantom in a version that is fairly faithful to Leroux’s story, though the horror elements are downplayed. When released, the film was highly successful, and was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Sound, Best Color Cinematography, and Best Interior Decoration (and it won in those last two categories).

The movie mostly takes place at the Paris Opera House. The latest opera production is headlined by a lead vocalist named Lady Biancarolli (Jane Farrar), who shares the stage with the egotistical baritone, Anitole (Nelson Eddy). Anitole has a crush on Lady Biancarolli’s musical understudy, Christine Dubois (Susanna Foster). But he’s not the only one. Violin player Enrique Claudin (Rains) is secretly obsessed with Christine, and he has secretly nurtured her talents by spending his life savings on her music and vocal lessons (from expensive instructors). Christine does not know that Enrique is her benefactor. She only knows him as Enrique Claudin, the violin player in the Paris Opera Symphony. She has no idea he has watched her grow up on the stages of the Paris Opera House.

After 20 years of employment in the Paris Opera Symphony, Enrique has developed an affliction in his fingers that affects his playing. Because of this, the Maestro regretfully relieves Enrique of his position. To make matters worse, after years of music lessons for Christine, Enrique is penniless. But, he still has his musical talents, so he writes a Concerto that he hopes local music publishers will purchase. At the office of the music publisher, they take Enrique’s manuscripts and rudely tell him that they will call him if they are interested. When he asks the music publisher for his manuscripts back, the publisher insists that he cannot find them. One of the publisher’s musicians took the manuscripts into the back room, and started to play Enrique’s Concerto on a piano. When Enrique hears his music playing, and he wildly accuses the publisher of thievery. As the rude publisher yells back at Enrique, he snaps and grasps the publisher’s (who is a old man) throat, and throttles him. The publisher’s assistant grabs a dish of acid and throws it in Enrique’s face, who then runs off screaming.

Another of Christine’s suitors’ Raoul (Edgar Barrier), is a police inspector who is on the case of the murdered music publisher. Enrique, meanwhile, has escaped the police by fleeing into the tunnels underneath the Paris Opera House. His steals the master key from one of the owners, and is free to wreak terror on anyone getting in the way of Christine’s rise to stardom. First he poisons Lady Biancarolli and she faints during the opera, thus giving her understudy, Christine, a crack at the lead role. All of Enrique’s lessons have paid off, and Christine rises to the occasion, performing even better than Lady Biancarolli. When the leaders of the Paris Opera decide to keep Christine over Lady Biancarolli, the bitter veteran legally threatens the Opera House for her poisoning. Her scheme doesn’t hold water for long though, because the Phantom pays her a deadly visit. With her death, the authorities (led by Raoul) now know the threat of the Phantom is real. But they are powerless to do anything because they don’t know who they are dealing with.

First the police cancel all remaining opera shows for the safety of the performers and audience. But then Raoul gets an idea to set a trap for the Phantom. If they stage a reopening of the opera production with Christine in the title role, it is sure to draw the Phantom out of hiding where the police can nab him. They are unaware the Phantom wears a prop mask, and he could be any one of the numerous production extras who wear the same masks. Sure enough, the Phantom stages a huge distraction, and abducts Christine, taking her down to his underground lair. Now, the rivals for Christine’s affections, Anatole and Raoul, must put aside their egos if they are to locate and rescue Christine from the hands of the musical madman!

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is not really a horror film. It’s more of a musical thriller, if anything. But it really is a tragic love story (in more ways than one). The Phantom loves Christine, but it’s an unconditional love born out of respect and admiration for her, and not lust like Raoul and Anatole. He feels for her like a father feels for a daughter—we all know how protective and intense fathers can get concerning their daughters’ welfare. On the other hand, Raoul and Anatole both have feelings for Christine based on her looks and songbird talents. They develop a rivalry throughout the film until the conclusion when they must join forces. But it is never clear who actually wins Christine’s affections, except that both men must take a backseat to her career.

Universal’s 1943 version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is also a love story with Opera and the music that accompanies it. The filmmakers do not hide their attempt to appeal to the Opera enthusiasts, with the constant barrage of musical production numbers. Hence, the one huge downfall to the film. The horror elements are severely downplayed in favor of baritones and vibrato female singers. Even the trademark scenes, such as the removal of the Phantom’s mask and the cutting of the chandelier are lacking suspense, and don’t have the impact of the same scenes from the 1925 silent classic or the gothic 1962 Hammer production. It’s hard to believe this film comes from Universal, the same company who bought us FRANKENSTEIN, DRACULA, THE WOLFMAN, and THE MUMMY. These production numbers are very professionally staged (as evidenced by the Academy Award nominations), but they really hurt the momentum of the narrative.

Claude Rains does an admirable job as the Phantom, and manages to imbue the character with enough tragedy to make the audience take pity on him. Up until the scene where the Phantom saws off the chandelier, he only kills troublemakers (like the music publisher and Lady Biancarolli). We feel Rains love and admiration for Christine, and the despair and misery he suffers from his acid-scarred face. Unfortunately, Rains must share screen time not only with the lush production numbers, but with Anatole, Christine, and Raoul (played by Eddy, Foster, and Barrier, respectively). These three characters are the actual protagonists. If you want to marvel at Claude Rains’s many talents, see the superior THE INVISIBLE MAN instead.

-  Phil Chandler