The Phantom Of The Opera
It'd been a long time since I saw The Phantom of the Opera, and my memory had mainly focused on the best parts of the film, and forgotten a lot of the weaknesses. It turns out there's a lot more of those weak spots than I remembered, and at times, Phantom tends to drag a bit. Some of the supporting cast is hammy, even by the somewhat exaggerated standards of silent film acting, and it takes the movie a bit to get to its strongest feature. That feature? Lon Chaney as the Phantom, who conveys more with his body language and his eyes in an instant than some of the cast can do over the course of the whole film. Chaney makes his Phantom horrifying but understandable, conveying the sense of self-assurance and belief that turns what could have been a cartoonish villain into something truly memorable. Of course, there's also Chaney's famous makeup job, which works phenomenally, but the tin mask he wears is every bit as creepy as his revealed face, if not even more so - its dead skin and eerie stillness only add to the chilling feeling that the Phantom is a walking dead man. Phantom has a few more brilliant moments - most notably a color sequence that's both shocking for being there at all and magnificently staged - but in general, this is Chaney's movie all the way, and every moment he's on screen is a reminder of what a remarkable presence he could be. (Special note: I saw this screening accompanied by live music performed by the Alloy Orchestra, and it was a fantastic experience. The three musicians of the Orchestra are all brilliantly gifted, and the score that they've written to accompany the film is a wonder, integrating sound effects, moody pieces, and diegetic music to fill the orchestra pieces. Having them there made the movie even better, and made me wish that I could watch every silent film I've seen with their accompaniment and presence.) - Josh Mauthe
