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The Phantom of the Opera
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Lon Chaney as the Phantom, in a dark cape and dramatic pose, stands beside Mary Philbin, who sits on stone steps looking frightened, in a scene from The Phantom of the Opera (1925). The Phantom of the Opera Lon Chaney as the Phantom, with a ghastly, deformed face and dark cloak, stands in dramatic pose next to a statue in The Phantom of the Opera, 1925.
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Lon Chaney as the Phantom, in a dark cape and dramatic pose, stands beside Mary Philbin, who sits on stone steps looking frightened, in a scene from The Phantom of the Opera (1925).
The Phantom of the Opera Lon Chaney and Mary Philbin in The Phantom of the Opera (1925), directed by Rupert Julian.

The Phantom of the Opera

film by Julian [1925]
Written by
Lee Pfeiffer
Author/co-author of numerous books about the cinema and is regarded as one of the foremost James Bond scholars. His book The Essential Bond: An Authorized Guide to the World of 007 (written with...
Lee Pfeiffer
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

The Phantom of the Opera, American silent horror film, released in 1925, that starred Lon Chaney in his most famous role. (Read Lon Chaney’s 1929 Britannica essay on makeup.) The macabre story is based on French author Gaston Leroux’s novel Le FantĂŽme de l’opĂ©ra (1910). A disfigured eccentric genius (played by Chaney) secretly coaches an aspiring opera singer (Mary Philbin) and forces her to learn to sing majestically. The relationship turns tragic when he falls...

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