[Susan Foreman]

"The Phantom of the Opera (1925) BFI Dual-Format in December

Lon Chaney, the man of a thousand faces, stars in this, the original adaptation of the celebrated 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux. Now newly restored, Rupert Julian’s lavish production is brilliantly scored by Carl Davis and complemented by many special features.

Presented in a 3-disc Dual Format Edition and released on 2 December 2013, it is the last of nine home cinema titles released by the BFI as part of GOTHIC: The Dark Heart of Film.

When Erik, the Phantom (Lon Chaney) falls in love with the voice of Christine, a young opera singer (Mary Philbin) he drags her to the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera House and forces her to sing only for him…

-Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
-Original 1925 version (b&w, 103 mins) with newly commissioned piano accompaniment by Ed Bussey
-Original 1925 trailer and 1929 sound reissue trailer
-Reel 5 from lost 1929 sound reissue: the only surviving element, discovered in the Library of Congress archives
-The ‘man with the lantern’ sequence: mysterious footage thought to have been shot for non-English speaking territories
-Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces(2000, Kevin Brownlow, 86 mins, DVD only): the definitive documentary on the legendary actor and make-up artist
-Channel 4 Silents restoration souvenir programme (PDF)
-Illustrated booklet featuring new essays, an original review and film credits"

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