The Phantom of the Opera: 100th Anniversary

MSMB ^ | November 18, 2025 | Rob W. Case

[Making_Sense [Rob W. Case]]

Very few movies from the silent film continue to have notoriety in this day and age, however this film is one of those rare exceptions. Released 100 years ago, this movie underwent multiple transformations, was depicted from a very popular book, contained within it frighteningly disfiguring looks and designs of the main character that were top secret (so as to maximize the “horror” effect of the story), until the official premiere of the film. This film would also be the one film that actor Lon Chaney would be ultimately remembered for, for the rest of his life and career.

The Story:

The story begins in 1881, at the Palais Garnier Opera House in Paris, a massive structure that was designed by Napoleon. Underneath the elegance and beauty of this Paris opera house are a maze of water cisterns, a large sewer system, and also possesses, “an intricate maze of cellars, used once as dungeons and torture chambers—the grim relics of an age of cruelty, intolerance, and oppression.” Within the bowels of this opera house, resides a man named Erik, a musical genius who will stop at nothing to advance the career of a woman he has his eye on, a woman named Christine Daiee (Mary Philbin). It is in the mysterious actions of this uncapturable genius that he earns a reputation as “the phantom of the opera”.

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Music/Entertainment; TV/Movies; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: blogpimp; film; lonchaney; movies; silentmovies

[Making_Sense [Rob W. Case]]

Very rarely do silent films stand the test of time, but in this case, another classic turned 100 years old. Lon Chaney stars in the original film adaptation of “The Phantom of the Opera”.

[telescope115]

A classic indeed! And an inspiration for so many movies and a magnificent musical.

[Hyman Roth]

Great song by Iron Maiden

[real saxophonist]

Back at GA Southern, one of our professors did an in-house arrangement of Phantom of the Opera for the marching band. It was really good.

We taped little photos of Lon Chaney as the Phantom on our tubas, just for fun.

[telescope115]

I haven’t heard it-I’ll check it out.

[Inyo-Mono]

I well remember seeing this film several times on TV in the late 1950s. Back then, broadcast stations would often show silent films from the 1920s, after all many of those films were only 30 years old back then.