Phantom of the Opera

Before Broadway, and several films (including a wild adaptation by Brian dePalma in 1975), there was the original 1925 silent masterpiece of Gaston LeRoux’s 1910 novel: Carl Laemmle’s The Phantom of the Opera starring “The Man of a Thousand Faces”, Lon Chaney in his greatest and most terrifying horror makeup.

Laemmle’s version is the most faithful to LaRoux’s novel about an aspiring orphaned young opera singer, Christine Daaé, who discovers that she has a mysterious admirer (aka Angel of Music) intent on helping her become a lead performer. This enigmatic and romantic, (for the moment, at least) masked presence is Erik, also known as the Phantom, a horribly disfigured recluse who lives underneath the Paris Opera House who – between Christine’s voice lessons – wreaks mayhem, murder and revenge without discovery.

The Phantom takes Christine prisoner and demands her devotion and affection. His chances disappear after Christine finds out what lurks under his mask, killing her girlish, romantic ideals. Her suitor, Vicomte Raoul de Chagny, sets out to rescue her, with a thrilling chase through the streets of Paris culminating with an ending only Chaney could pull off.

Before the main film, will be the 1924 French silent film Au Secours! (Help!) a horror-comedy directed by Abel Gance and starring comedian Max Linder. Max bets drinking buddy Count Maulette 1,000 francs that he can stay from 11:00 p.m. to midnight in a Haunted Castle. The inhabitants of the castle are determined that “the house always wins”.

Live Piano Accompaniment by Marta Waterman