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Phantom of the Opera DVD
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Rating: - A sad, menacing, sympathetic performance by Claude Raines, plus nice screaming by Susanna Foster
The 1943 version of Phantom of the Opera has always had, for me, an endearing quality of good-hearted wholesomeness, even with face-destroying acid, deranged obsession, and love so strong it corrupts. On the other hand, the obvious wholesomeness -- Nelson Eddy's game attempt at light romantic comedy and Susanna Foster's peaches-and-cream singing and acting -- are quickly cloying. However, for the sheer comforting pleasure of this great old story of a murderous, misunderstood madman at the Paris Opera, I prefer this version, as weak as it sometimes is, to the grand guignol of Lon Chaney's silent movie or the florid pomposity of Lloyd-Webber's turgid musical. Why? Because it is satisfying fun without uber-drama or much meaning. Does anyone not know the story? Probably not, so we'll pass that by.

What other pleasures does this movie hold besides a great romantic and melodramatic story and the most threatening chandelier in Paris? There's that lush Technicolor look that shows off with rich color the sets, the costumes and the complexions of the actors. Claude Raines as Enrique Claudin gives a touchingly mad performance as a humble violinist who wrote a great concerto and who fell hopelessly in love with Christine Dubois (Susanna Foster), a beautiful young soprano for whom he beggared himself secretly paying for her vocal lessons. Eddy, as Anatole Garron, the star baritone at the Opera, and Edgar Barrier as Raoul D'Aubert, a senior officer with the Surete, are amusing as the Mutt and Jeff competitors for Susanna Foster's favors. The ornate and gilded stage set of the interior of the Opera gives movie "quality" a new meaning. And the dark, dank, damp catacombs beneath the Opera, reached by slimy stone steps and lit only by guttering candles in hand-held lanterns, are just part of the shivers in store for those foolish enough to follow the Phantom to his lair. There is also the deep, black lake of despair and the music, drifting down from another world. Or, as Claudin describes it to Christine, "You'll love it here when you get used to the dark. And you'll love the dark, too. It's friendly and peaceful. It brings rest and relief from pain. It's right under the Opera. The music comes down and the darkness distills it, cleanses it of the suffering that made it. Then it's all beauty. And life here is like a resurrection." Raines was such a fine actor he could make Claudin a tragically sympathetic character. I'm sure Christine would have been persuaded if she'd only stopped screaming.

The DVD transfer is first-rate, lush and full of color. There are several extras including a commentary track.