Phantom of the Opera

Released Aug 27, 1943

1h 32m

Horror

List

77%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

77%

Audience Score

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.

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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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Boston Globe

Rated: 4/4

Oct 29, 2005

Full Review

Detroit Free Press

Rated: 3/4

Dec 27, 2004

Full Review

Christy Lemire

Journal News (Westchester, NY)

Rated: A

Dec 27, 2004

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

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.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 28, 2023

Full Review

Alan French

1428 Elm

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

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 12, 2018

Full Review

Dan Jardine

All Movie Guide

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

Nov 13, 2015

Full Review

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Valerii Ege D

Worldwide's third, second English adaptation. Captive Wild Woman was the boring movie in Universal Horror, but I am changing my mind; this movie, is hard to finish. Even worse, the process of the story changed.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/19/23

Full Review

Liam D

The most forgotten member of the universal monsters has one of the best movies all down to the beautiful Oscar winning Cinematography, great writing and symphonic performance by Claude Reins (The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Lost World)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The novel's 1943 adaptation holds zero thrills or surprises and simply plays like a romantic drama with overstretched musical numbers, out-of-place comic reliefs and very little interplay between Erique and Christine. The creation of an origin story for the Phantom wasn't a bad idea, so it's a shame that the result is uninspired and unconvincing. As for the second half, it has no menace or suspense and leads to an anemic climax. In short, all the mystique is gone and everything is watered down.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

david l

1943's Phantom of the Opera is an inferior adaptation to the classic 1925 Lon Chaney version. Its sets and costumes are terrific and Claude Rains is excellent in the main role, but all the other actors aren't as memorable, the movie's slow in pace and the decision to focus so heavily on the musical elements and jettison the horror roots of the story really backfired.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

i personally loved this movie the acid effects were awesome and the story line was perfect

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

kevin c

Classic story of the man obsessed with Christine, the young chanteuse, who after a dispute about his life's work goes in a rage and kills a man in the process having acid thrown in his face. With the police looking for him he lives in the theatre he was ousted from and becomes a deadly masked nuisance to the opera company. Claude Rains takes the role of the Phantom and plays it quite well. Susanna Foster plays Christine, who's attention is sought by many suitors.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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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

Biancarolli

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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
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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