Directed by Rupert Julian / Screenplay by Elliott J. Clawson and others

Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel of diabolical deeds at the Paris Opera has been the subject of countless stage and screen adaptations. The most enduring and influential remains the silent version released by Universal Pictures in 1925, due in large part to an unforgettable lead performance by Lon Chaney. Already one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Chaney was responsible for creating his own make-up, and his ability to transform himself into a succession of grotesque characters (Blind Pew, Fagin and Quasimodo among them) had earned him the nickname ‘The Man of a Thousand Faces’. His skeletal appearance in The Phantom of the Opera is one of defining images of the silent cinema. So successful was the picture that with the advent of sound, it was re-released in 1929 with some newly inserted dialogue sequences. Although this version proved unpopular with critics (and with Lon Chaney himself, who was not consulted), box office business was brisk, prompting Universal’s head of production Carl Laemmle to investigate other properties in the horror genre, setting in motion the cycle of films that would seal the studio’s reputation as Hollywood’s new home of horror. In 1943 Universal mounted a colour remake of The Phantom of the Opera, this time starring Claude Rains, which was shot on the very same opera house set as the original. Designed to support hundreds of extras, the set was so solidly and lavishly constructed that it remained standing at Universal Studios for 90 years, and appeared in numerous other films (including The Sting, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain) before finally being dismantled as recently as 2014.

Framed Dimensions: 330mm x 410mm

Acrylic on 300gsm Arches oil paper
Glazed, mounted and framed

Supplied with signed letter of authenticity from Barnaby.