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The Phantom of the Opera

Celebrate the centennial of one of the most famous films of all time, Universal’s The Phantom of the Opera (1925). This special screening features the original score performed live by American Musical Productions’ 16-piece orchestra under the direction of conductor Joseph Rubin. Lon Chaney’s performance still captivates a century later and the original score brings the film to life. The Canton Repository raved “Lon Chaney has triumphed again…it is certainly the strangest, most breathless film production the public has ever been offered.”

HISTORY

Universal’s “The Phantom of the Opera” premiered at the Astor Theatre in New York City on September 6, 1925. The original release ran 107 minutes and featured a score compiled by G. Hinrichs and M. Winkler. The score included original cues composed by G. Hinrichs, but mainly consisted of pre-existing published photoplay and classical selections. “The Phantom of the Opera” premiered in Columbus at the Grand Theatre the week of Sunday, October 11, 1925. The Columbus Dispatch raved “That ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ at the Grand this week, is one of the screen’s greatest mystery pictures there can be little doubt. ‘The Phantom’ will keep you practically speechless throughout the show.” The theatre’s orchestra utilized the Hinrichs/Winkler score for the week-long run.

 “The Phantom of the Opera” has a checkered preservation history for such a famous title. Universal did not renew the copyright and it entered the public domain in 1953. The original 1925 release version only exists in poor quality black and white 16mm prints created for the home market. The film was re-released with inserted dialogue sequences and a synchronized sound on disc film score in 1929. This edited film of the sound version is lost, but the soundtrack survives. The highest quality source material for the film is a 35mm printed in 1950 created for the George Eastman House by Universal in 1950 and includes the Technicolor Bal Masque sequence. The exact origin of this print is unknown, but could have been an edit of the 1929 sound version created for the foreign markets as it contains slightly different camera angles than the 1925 version. This 35mm print has been used for the restoration by Film Preservation Associates that is being screened today. As only the piano part exists from the original orchestral score, the three cues composed by Hinrichs were orchestrated for this restoration by Larry Moore. For the first time in 100 years, the original premiere score has been edited to match the 78-minute run time of the restored print for this special anniversary screening.

PAST PERFORMANCES
Sunday, September 14, 2025 - 3:00 PM
Gartner Auditorium - Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
Presented by The Cleveland Silent Film Festival

Friday, October 31, 2025 - 7:30 PM
Gateway Film Center, Columbus, Ohio

Sunday, November 2, 2025 - 3:00 PM
Canton Palace Theatre, Canton, Ohio
Presented by Canton Palace 100 & American Musical Productions