Rating: 
Summary: A Beautiful Film
Review: I saw the 1943 version of "The Phantom of the Opera" before I read the book and (last) saw the 1925 version. I have to admit that it was not like the book at all, but the Lon Chaney version was a little. Claude Rains was very convincing as the tormented and lovesick Phantom, and was always more interesting than Lon Chaney. But Claude Rains was not given very much screen time, except near the beginning and end of the film. The sets were fabulous. Nelson Eddy and Edgar Barrier were almost constantly trying to win over Christine, and even though these scenes were funny, I've noticed that they can very easily become distractions that seem designed only to de-emphasize Claude Rains, which only hurts the film. Susanna Foster and Nelson Eddy sang a lot, and while these numbers were very nice and a joy to listen to, they were the only time Nelson Eddy really got a chance to shine, which is unfortunate. However, Susanna Foster fared well throughout the entire film. I would not recommend this film to anyone who doesn't like opera, or to anyone who wants to see a lot of the Phantom.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much opera, not enough Phantom - BUT STILL GREAT!
Review: Lavish, colorful, extravagant 1943 remake of the 1925 Lon Chaney classic is a visual treat. Released in bright technicolor, and featuring a splendid all-star cast, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is a wonderful addition to any old Horror Fan's collection. As I already mentioned, the film is sporadically hindered by an overabudance of Opera Sequences, and don't get me wrong. The music is soaring and awe-inspiring, if a little silly at times. But, that's how it's supposed to be. Enter the excellent performance as always of Claude Rains portraying composer Erique Claudin, who lives in poverty and is disabled by arthritis pains, who falls for a young soprano Christine DuBois (Susanna Foster, in a magnificent performance), who would later find herself within the charms of baritone Nelson Eddy and Police Inspector Edgar Barrier. When Claudin goes to publish his music, a tragic misunderstanding occurs, and Claudin is splashed by acid. He prowls the sewers and haunts the Paris Opera House to enhance the singing career of young Foster. Therein is the tale. PHANTOM OF THE OPERA may have its' weaknesses, but more strengths. It has music, great acting, great cast, comedy, moments of suspense, and is absolutely unforgettable. DVD includes a fascinating documentary "Opera Ghost: The Phantom Unmasked" by Scott MacQueen, who also narrates the feature commentary. So buy the DVD, reserve your Box Five seats and enjoy PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - but watch out for the chandelier!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: Not my favorite interpretation of Phantom, but still good. Susanna Foster kind of bugs me, but that's okay. And they really changed the story. It's not at all like the origional novel, but it's about Phantom, and that's a good enough excuse for me! Anyways, it was pretty nice. The Raoul character was most realistic. I just don't like Susanna. :)
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful in every way.This movie is the best!
Review: This movie is the best phantom movie on the market,and from these very important features;Starting from the very begining of the movie,with it's wonderful and breath holding and colourful opera house.Also,Claude Rains is wonderful and conquering actor,with it's elegant voice and his sudden perfomances during the movie.He is defently the best phantom actor,although Lon chaney is more classic and thrilling,but a little bit borring and muchless intresting as Rains does in this movie.The opera parts were just amazing and exciting,even not to the opera lovers,like me.As a grest phantom fan,I likes this movie the best because it is much more thrilling and spontanian then 1925' LON CHANEY version.It gives,However,Much more exciting end then chaney's classic version.Though the film wasn't so close to the book,it's score and story are great and perfect in every way,and contains a bit of horror movie(indeed-don't disagree!),romance,thriller and exciting melodrama.This version made me never forget it ever.Buy it on VHS or DVD-including also the documantry of "The opera ghost-a phantom unmsked"(search for the DVD version information here in amazon).Phantom fans-What are you waiting for?!
Rating:
Summary: The Incomparable Claude ... REIGNS
Review: Lavish retelling of Gaston Leroux's classic tale about a mysterious character terrorizing the Paris Opera House, filmed in eye-popping three-strip "candybox" Technicolor by cinematographers Hal Mohr and W. Howard Greene (who received highly-deserved Oscars for their work). The lush production values help to distract the viewer's attention away from the disappointing fact that the screenplay emphasizes music, comedy, and romance over the more horrific and suspenseful aspects of the tale - there's a reason why singers Nelson Eddy and Susanna Foster receive star billing over Claude Rains who portrays the title character! Still, despite the unfortunate focus on opera as opposed to the phantom, the film must be considered a success. It's highly entertaining in addition to being remarkably pleasing to the eye (the film won a second Academy Award for its Art Direction), and Rains is such a consummate actor that he manages to dominate the film despite the brevity of his role. Besides, who can quarrel with a film in which Nelson Eddy gets not the girl at the end, but the second romantic male lead (Edgar Barrier) instead?!The DVD offers an excellent film and sound transfer. The color print is just the slightest bit unbalanced in a couple of scenes, but most casual viewers probably won't even notice, the flaw is so minor. The bonus documentary "The Opera Ghost", which includes scenes from the 1925 Lon Chaney silent version as well as the 1962 Herbert Lom remake, is noteworthy for recently filmed interview clips with leading lady Susanna Foster and Claude Rains's daughter. The biggest disappointment with the DVD edition is the omission of the film's Original Theatrical Trailer; although short clips from the trailer are included in the documentary, it would have been nice to see the whole thing as it was released to theatres. Universal Home Video, you know better!
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Film
Review: I saw the 1943 version of "The Phantom of the Opera" before I read the book and (last) saw the 1925 version. I have to admit that it was not like the book at all, but the Lon Chaney version was a little. Claude Rains was very convincing as the tormented and lovesick Phantom, and was always more interesting than Lon Chaney. But Claude Rains was not given very much screen time, except near the beginning and end of the film. The sets were fabulous. Nelson Eddy and Edgar Barrier were almost constantly trying to win over Christine, and even though these scenes were funny, I've noticed that they can very easily become distractions that seem designed only to de-emphasize Claude Rains, which only hurts the film. Susanna Foster and Nelson Eddy sang a lot, and while these numbers were very nice and a joy to listen to, they were the only time Nelson Eddy really got a chance to shine, which is unfortunate. However, Susanna Foster fared well throughout the entire film. I would not recommend this film to anyone who doesn't like opera, or to anyone who wants to see a lot of the Phantom.
Rating:
Summary: The Phantom Goes Musical
Review: Gaston Leroux's penny-dreadful novel was hardly the stuff of great literature, but it did manage to tap into the public consciousness with its gas-light-gothic tale of a beautiful singer menaced by a horrific yet seductive serial killer lurking in the forgotten basement labyrinths of the Paris Opera. Lon Chaney's silent classic kept the basic elements of the novel intact'-and proved one of the great box office hits of its day, a fact that prompted Universal Studios to contemplate a remake throughout most of the 1930s. Although several proposals were considered (including one intended to feature Deanna Durbin, who despised the idea and derailed the project with a flat refusal), it wasn't until 1943 that a remake reached the screen. And when it did, it was an eye-popping Technicolor extravaganza, all talking, all singing, and dancing. The Phantom had gone musical. In many respects this version of PHANTOM anticipates the popular Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical, for whereas the Chaney version presented the Phantom as a truly sinister entity, this adaptation presents the character as one more sinned against than sinning'an idea that would color almost every later adaptation, and Webber's most particularly so. But it also shifts the focus of the story away from the title character, who is here really more of a supporting character than anything else. The focus is on Paris Opera star Christine Dae, here played by Susanna Foster. In this version Christine is not only adored by the Phantom; she is also romantically pursued by two suitors who put aside their differences to protect her. Directed by Universal workhorse Arthur Lubin, this version is truly eye-popping in the way that only a 1940s Technicolor spectacular could be: the color is intensely brilliant, and Lubin makes the most of it by focusing most of his camera-time on the stage of the Paris Opera itself and splashing one operatic performance after another throughout the film. But in terms of actual story interest, the film is only so-so. Susanna Foster had a great singing voice, but she did not have a memorable screen presence, and while the supporting cast (which includes Nelson Eddy, Edgar Barrier, Leo Carrillo, and Jane Farrar) is solid enough they lack excitement. And the pace of the film often seems a bit slow, sometimes to the point of clunkiness. The saving grace of the film'-in addition to the aforementioned photography, which won an Oscar-'is Claude Rains. A great artist, Rains did not make the mistake of copying Chaney, and although the script robs the Phantom of his most fearsome aspects, Rains fills the role with subtle menace that is wonderful to behold, completely transcending the film's slow pace, the lackluster script, and "sanitized for your protection" tone so typical of Universal Studios in the 1940s. Like most "Universal Horror" DVD packages, this one is superior. The centerpiece of the bonus material is a very nice documentary, "The Opera Ghost: A Phantom Unmasked," which details the origins of the novel and the numerous film adaptations of it'and which is actually quite a bit more interesting than the 1943 film itself. There is also a nice, if somewhat perfunctory, audio commentary track by historian Scott McQueen, trailers, stills, and the like. But when everything is said and done, it's the film that counts'and unless you're a diehard Phantom fan you're likely to be unimpressed.
Rating:
Summary: A cute but not particularly deep little flick
Review: I wanted to see this because it had Claude Rains mostly, but also because I wanted to see Nelson Eddy as a person after hearing him in the Disney short "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met". Besides, I've been a fan of the book by Gaston LeRoux and the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber for some time, have seen the silent movie version of this story, and wanted to chalk up another credit to my Phantom experience. Overall, this wasn't a bad little movie - I felt that the fact that it was in colour rather detracted from the sombre, ominous mood this kind of tale needs - it should really be sort of Victorian film-noir, shot in black and white. But then, I felt that they really changed the story so much in this film version that it can only be looked on as a story independent of the book which was its inspiration, and so for that reason the colour is okay. I also felt that Claude Rains' character seemed as though it was going to be a main character at the beginning of the film, but then he seemed to disappear from the film for much of the rest of it. Also, the progression of his adoration complex for Christine was sadly overlooked throughout the film, and we are to understand his descent into bitterness toward mankind from the few scattered minutes of screen time that he has? Although the rival banter between Raoul and Anatole was very amusing, it seems a little out of place in a story of such tragic dimensions, and draws one's focus completely away from the relationship between Christine and the Phantom of the film's title, which really is the core of the entire book and should be the same or similar in the movie. As another example of distraction - I like hearing Nelson Eddy sing, but at least two of the operatic numbers could have been shortened to make room for some more character development and depth in Erik and Christine's relationship. I felt that the silent version of the film not only followed the plot of the book more accurately, but that the emotions and experiences of the characters were ones easier to "jump into", even despite the common (for a silent) over-acting of its players - but at the same time, this 1943 version was easier to watch. It's not as long or nervewracking. Still, I would recommend you to do it all - read the book, watch both films, and listen to the original London cast recording of the musical if you can't go and see it. Each one of these things will enhance your appreciation and enjoyment of the story in some way or another.
Rating:
Summary: Awsome Movie! by a 9 year old
Review: I thought this movie was the best one out of all the classic horror movies that I have seen. Suzanna Foster and Nelson Eddy are great in this film! I thought Claude Rains was the perfect Phantom in this movie. No blood or gore, just exciting adventure to keep you entertained. I highly recomend this version!!
Rating:
Summary: Not Enough Phantom
Review: I liked this movie and thought Claude Rains did a spectacular job...with what little screen time he was allotted. He needed more time to really play out the character of Erik as a person. He also seemed too nice to be Erik. There was no fierceness to him at all. But I liked him anyways. Susanna Foster was o.k. as Christine but I didn't like the fact that she seemed pleased that she had two men fighting over her...kind of like she enjoyed flirting. Overall, I loved the movie, I just wish Rains had been given more screen time.
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