This spectacular retelling of Gaston Leroux’s immortal horror tale stars Claude Rains as the masked phantom of the Paris opera house – a crazed composer who schemes to make a beautiful young soprano (Susanna Foster) the star of the opera company and wreak revenge on those who stole his music. Nelson Eddy, the heroic baritone, tries to win the affections of Foster as he tracks down the disfigured “monster” who has begun murdering those who resist his mad demands. This lavish production remains a masterpiece not only of the genre, but for all time.
Starring Nelson Eddy, Claude Rains, Susanna Foster, Edgar Barrier.
Not rated.
Note: Other adaptations include The Phantom of the Opera (1925), a silent film starring Lon Chaney, The Phantom of the Opera (1962), a British film starring Herbert Lom, The Phantom of the Opera (1983), a TV film starring Maximilian Schell, The Phantom of the Opera (1989), a film starring Robert Englund, The Phantom of the Opera (miniseries), a 1990 two-part American TV miniseries starring Charles Dance, The Phantom of the Opera (1998), an Italian film directed by Dario Argento, the 2004 version listed below, and The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall, a 2011 British filmed production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.