Rating: 
Summary: Chaney Sr. the Master of Silent Horror!
Review: I have longed to see this film for years, and I finally watched it Christmas Day! Spectacular!The movie was easy to follow with the subtitles and the closeups of the notes the Phantom was writing. A powerful performance by Lon Chaney, and the catacombs below the Paris Opera House were indeed spooky and helped to make the later half of the movie that much more suspenseful. I now have seen all movie versions of this. All of them were good, but not having seen many silent movies, this Phantom of the Opera truly captivated me. It is a shame that Chaney died before his time. I have read he only made one sound picture before his death in 1930. It would have been great had he made this role with sound. Truly haunting! I would like to see Universal do another remake of Phantom of the Opera using the same style makeup Chaney had and follow the story line closely without adding all the blood and gore of today's flicks. For the horror movie buff such as myself, the 1925 Phantom of the Opera is a wonderful addition to my collection! Thanks Amazon, for making it available!
Rating: 
Summary: Get the BFI version for the best.
Review: By far the best version of the first Phantom is the '98 British Film Institute's. Probably possessing the best orchestral score and certainly having the most striking retouching job to the print, this one far outshines any and all of the others, which are in some cases, complete hatchet jobs. As for the movie itself, well, how can you classify a film that's so much superior to subsequent versions that it shines? Of course, in the Twenties, Universal had access to huge amounts of cash - hence the construction of that opera house (yes; they actually built it as a set and didn't use something that was already there) as well as a gem in Chaney. The fact that it's a silent picture is no barrier to fear in this. Chaney is creepier before his unmasking scene than during or after it. Philbin and Kerry are excellent foils for him. Interestingly enough, Leroux's unhorrific flavour is drowned out, completely leaving the viewer with an absence of sympathy for the skull-faced ghoul as he gets his head mashed and is thrown in the Seine at the end. The BFI version is on PAL format, unfortunately, but, having seen half a dozen different companies try to get it right with rereleasing this on video, I have to declare that none of them can touch this one, available from Amazon.co.uk.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic to be Enjoyed in its Original Glory
Review: Although this film has be remade countless times in many different formats, this film remains the classic. The digital remastering has given back much of the mysterious aura lacking in other reissue versions. The accompanying score, although not found in the original, further enhances the viewing experience. The acting is superb, no doubt some of the very best ever seen in horror films. Lon Chaney is a film legend in his own right, however, this film must have certainly added to his fame. The make-up and special effects is also excellent. Overall, one of the best films ever made. Eerie, mysterious and haunting, this memorable movie will enchant viewers with its grace and beauty.
Rating: 
Summary: A Dullened Masterpiece
Review: I did enjoy the film very much, the old effects and color tinting were fabulous, but I was diappointed to find out that the muscial score was redone in a "nineties" fashion. I would not call such a release a superb feat in film restoration. True preservation and restoration is trying to present the film as close to the original as possible. It's great that the print was restored, but the original score should've been revived along with the print. It would be even worse if the score no longer existed, and sometimes that is the horrible fate, just as bad as an eighty year-old nitrate film turning to dust. A great film, but the editing and dubbing ruined the experience. If you are a "perfectionist," I suugest seeking out an original version of the film--if such a thing even exists.
Rating:
Summary: Silent is golden
Review: Silent horror movies are probobly some of the scariest movies of all time. This movie is really cool, its got the master of horror Lon Chaney in his finest role. This film is very eerie, its filmed in stark black and white, and features some very scary scenes. The only problem that I have is that every copy of the movie that I got has absolutly no music at all, the phantom would be alot more menecing with a chilling music score. Its very hard to watch a totally silent movie. So, if you decide to get this movie... or any silent movie at that, be shure it has some kind of music.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT DVD
Review: The first time I viewed this Lon Chaney classic, it was on telly in 1976; I was 16 and my uncles and myself watched it with awe in my Grandmother's parlour in Edinburgh. I just watched the new DVD and it's spectacular considering the movie is 75 years old! Mary Philbin is lovely as the frightened protogee of Erik the Phantom, but it's Lon Chaney's picture all the way and that famous close-up after the unveiling of his mask his horrendously wonderful in it's eerie green tint! The musical score is eerily realised via the brilliant organ playing on the sountrack.
Rating:
Summary: big screen objection
Review: Warning to all purist. The DVD of the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is not the triumph of preservation its advertised as being. First and most important to home theatre owners, the transfer is simply not in focus! Unlike in the movie theatre you cant ask the projetionist to refocus the image.. you are stuck with it. Secondly: if the "preservationists" found the best pre-print material in the 1929 synchronized re-edit as described on the liner notes, why in heavens name don't they present it as originally shown? Pretending that it is the silent version by replacing the soundtrack may be the loophole by which the film could be categorized as public domain but it is inherently dishonest to present it as an example of "film preservation". The original silent cut, the synch sound release and the present (refocused) remaster would be much more apreciated service to posterity. Look to other silent film transfers for guidence in image quality limits.If the box indicates that the contents are a "SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION" and advertises "PRIME..35mm QUALITY" one wishes it lived up to its promise. (DVD version)
Rating:
Summary: LON CHANEY SHALL NOT DIE!
Review: I must admit, having seen various incarnations of this classic on video, that I expected very little, vis-a-vis the DVD version. Boy, was I surprised! This is yet another triumph by Blackhawk Films. The image quality is superb, with color tintings that greatly enhance this seminal silent film. Lon Chaney is, of course, magnificent as the demented and malformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House. His most well-known role (deservedly so, how DID he create that extra-ordinary make-up?) is a timeless one, as a man longing for love, but who can never obtain it. This version features a beautiful symphonic score by Gabriel Thibaudoux, and as far as silent films go, a very impressive one. A newly mastered version at the correct running speed of 20 frames per second, from the original 35 mm print. Trivial? Not if one wants to view this classic as it was meant to be seen. This version also features an essay by Michael Blake, Chaney expert, on the inside of the case. An altogether superior version, highly recommended by a Chaney fan of over 30 years.
Rating:
Summary: Good Work, with one big Ouch
Review: This movie about my beloved Erik is one of the most loyal to the original Leroux story. There is a lot to love about this silent movie classic. The Man of a Thousand Faces helped to bring to the world a story that would have otherwise disappeared into obscurity. For that, I will always be grateful. I am glad they captured the spirit of the Trap Door Lover, the Ventriloquist, the Master of Legerdemain, and Gifted Musician. It is also the only version I've seen so far that remembers his little trick he learned from the Tonkin Pirates. I love both Lon Chaney and Erik, so I love this film. The famous unmasking scene, however, does crack me up. I'm sorry, but it does. I love Lon Chaney and I'm so glad he attempted to create the visage as described by Leroux. Although he was ahead of his time and the makeup does scare a lot of people, it does not remind me of a skull head very much, just a hybrid between Howdy Doody and that 1960's portrayal of Batman's foe The Riddler. When Erik cries after seeing he has lost Christine due to his visage, however, I do stop laughing and feel for Erik. I unfortunately do have some bones to pick. They wrote out Erik's role as architect of the Paris Opera House and re-wrote him as an escapee from an institution for the criminally insane. Also, in Leroux's take, Christine kisses Erik on the forehead. Like Quasimodo, Erik is extremely moved by this smallest act of affection. Universal wrote that part out. Upon reading about Universal's reasons for re-writing the end of Leroux's story, I was offended. Their claim was that the readership was predominantly female and that such a thing would be too unbelievable. SAY WHAT? I could forgive this oversight had this same company, starring the same actor, had not rewritten Captain Phoebus in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" as some cuddly romantic hero. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out this little inconsistency..... Ouch. Other than that, I enjoyed it. Too bad it had to be a silent movie.
Rating:
Summary: SIMPLY SUPERB!
Review: I am not only a horror fan but also a Lon Chaney enthusiast. I am fortunate enough to own several of his works, none more spell binding than the Phantom. This film is simply superb, horror at its best. As Chaney does his own make-up for this portrayal, anyone watching will be as dumb-founded as Mary Philbin herself is at the unmasking of the Phantom. As you watch you can feel the tension as the Phantom lures Christine into his confidence, as he is sought in the Paris sewers, and you can feel the dampness of the sewers themselves. Totally engrossing. No horror collection is complete without this film. There is simply none better.
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