One previous reviewer has missed the point of this second version of "The Phantom of the Opera." Yes, I expect there to be Opera scenes along the way. No, I wasn't expecting the phantom character to be relegated to the background. As a result, the scriptwriters might just as well have removed the word "Phantom" from the film's title. Claude Rains is good but not physically imposing enough. The comic elements were slightly better than I thought and at least they weren't cringeworthy! Some of the shots that show the phantom's shadows are very creepy and these should have been expanded. The colour looks good and the budget resembles that of a respectable "B" picture. Certainly in comparison with "Universal's" usual standards, the above film had about double the usual money spent on it. Alas, this can't prevent the 1943 "Phantom of the Opera" from being an inferior remake of the 1925 masterpiece. The make-up devised by Jack Pierce wasn't very good either - I was disappointed. Not a bad film by any means but no classic.
Review of Phantom of the Opera
