Phantom of the Opera (1943)

Summary: Erique Claudin is a violinist for the Paris Opera and has a strange obsession with the young soprano Christine. Pain in his hand cost him his position and the ability to pay for Christine's singing lessons (paid without her knowledge), but he believes that the concerto he has written will take care of his financial needs. When a misunderstanding makes Claudin believe his life's work has been stolen, he kills the man in a rage, and the victim's wife throws acid in his face, causing disfigurement. He then lives in hiding among the passageways of the opera house and orchestrates events in his madness meant to assure Christine will become the star of the opera, and be his forever.           Overall: My major problem with the film is the fact I spend the entire time comparing it to both the other films and then play (with Michael Crawford) and it doesn’t match it. It’s different in a few major aspects and frankly, spend almost too much time on the actual opera and not enough on Christine. Sure Claude Rains is supreme but frankly, I just didn’t buy much of the movie...and frankly, they never show us exactly what has Claudin so obsessed anyway. (rumor was, it was cut before released from theatres...it’s her real father) Anyway, a decent film but there are better “Phantom” films out there.           Comparison: A Night at the Opera meets Invisible Man

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