Phantom Take 2

 

 (the movie database)

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA-1943-Technicolor remake of the Lon Chaney silent classic from Universal studios (who also made the first one).

Claudin (Claude Rains), violinist with the Paris Opera, is fired by his conductor because he can't play like he used to. His boss and his bitchy landlady, think he has a lot of money but in reality, he's spent all his dough secretly providing lessons for opera singer Christine Dubois (Suzanna Foster) from Signor Ferrati (Leo Carrillo). When he hears Franz Liszt (Fritz Leiber) playing his concerto he thinks a guy named Pleyel (Miles Mander) has stolen his music. He kills Pleyel but his floozy student throws acid in the composer's face. He escapes into the sewers. 

Meanwhile, Christine is pursued by singer Anotole Garron (Nelson Eddy) and Inspector Raoul Daubert (Edgar Barrier). Claudin sneaks around the opera house in a mask and cloak and listens to Christine sing after he drugs lead diva Biancarolli (Jane Farrar) so Christine can take her place. When she recovers, Claudin kills her. However, to set a trap for the phantom, the inspector has another singer replace Christine and plans to have Liszt play one of Claudin's compositions. The phantom doesn't like it and has the huge chandelier fall on the crowd. In the panic, Claudin snatches Christine. The poor misunderstood phantom dies when the sewer walls collapse but not before Christine unmasks him. Also with J. Edward Bromberg, Fritz Feld, Steven Geray and Hume Cronyn.

There is too much music and not enough phantom in this pretty lavish production directed by Arthur Lubin who directed the first five Abbott & Costello movies before this. It got mixed reviews but was a box office hit. A sequel was planned but it was never made due to the unavailability of Rains. The script was later re-worked to become THE CLIMAX starring Foster and Boris Karloff (who was actually the first choice to play The Phantom).  

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