Phantom of the Opera 1943
I bought some of the Universal classic monster movies, but the collection did not include Phantom of the Opera which was not made until 1943, but has the advantage of being the only one in color (even Creature of the Black Lagoon, made in 1953, was black and white, albeit 3D). Claude Rains, who had been the Invisible Man in 1933, returns as the Phantom. I wasn't familiar with the rest of the cast. For a horror movie, there are a lot of big production numbers from operas taking place during the events of the film. There was also more romance and comedy than I expected. So this is a light horror movie. Even Claude Rains isn't that scary of a villain. The plot isn't that complex, but it does look good in color with what seems like high production values. The singing also seems good, with one of the two leading men, Nelson Eddy, a classically trained baritone. Real horror fans will probably be disappointed, but general audiences could enjoy this multifaceted horror movie classic.
Written: 17 Oct 2024
Owned on: Digital