My Featured Film （例）

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

I. About the Film

The Phantom of the Opera is a very well known gothic horror story, and was first released as a film in 1925. It was produced by Universal Pictures, produced by Carl Laemmle and directed by Rupert Julian. It was based on the novel by Gaston Leroux. The movie starred actor Lon Chaney in the role of the phantom, Erik. When the movie was first released, reviews were mixed. Some people liked it and some people didn't. After re-editing the film with a new director, Edward Sedgwick, the film was released again, and it became a hit. It is still very popular today, 90 years later. 

The most famous scene in the movie is 'the unmasking scene,' in which the young opera star Christine Daae, played by Mary Philbin, suddenly takes off the mask of the phantom, revealing his face for the first time in the film. The face of the phantom is horrifying, and this scene caused many movie goers to faint when they saw the movie in 1925. Actor Lon Chaney created his own make-up for his role as the phantom, and his make-up is still famous today. 

The 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera has been re-released a number of times over the decades since it was first released, and in recent decades it has broadcast on TV numerous times, is available on DVD and can also be viewed on the Internet at sites such as YouTube.

While this movie is 90 years old, it still has the power to frighten and amaze viewers today. 

Works Cited （参考文献）

Hunt, Larry. "On September 6th, 1925 Universal Pictures Released the Feature Film The Phantom of the Opera Based on the Novel Le Fantme De L'opra by Gaston Leroux." The Phantom of the Opera 1925. The Complete Resource for The Phantom of the Opera 1925 Movie. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2016. <http://www.thephantomoftheopera-1925.com/>.

II. Versions of the Film

According to the International Movie Database (IMDb), there are seven film versions of the story that were released to theatres and three TV movie versions. These are listed below with links (to the extent available).

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
The Phantom of the Opera (1943)
The Phantom of the Opera (1962)
The Phantom of the Opera (1983) (TV movie)
The Phantom of the Opera (1989)
The Phantom of the Opera (1990) (TV Movie)
The Phantom of the Opera (1991) (TV movie)
The Phantom of the Opera aka "Dance Macabre" (1992)
The Phantom of the Opera (1998)
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

The 2004 production is a film version of the 1989 musical Phantom of the Opera written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Immediately below is a scene from the Lloyd Webber musical. It features the song The Music of the Night.

Works Cited （参考文献）

"The Phantom of the Opera." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 14 June 2016. <http://www.imdb.com/find?ref_=nv_sr_fn&q=phantom%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bopera&s=all>.

III. About the Lead Actor - Lon Chaney

Lon Chaney was born to deaf parents in 1883. Chaney said that he became a skilled actor because he had to communicate with his parents by acting out events that happened to him. As a teenager, he took a job handling props in a local opera house, and there he decided he wanted to become an actor. He started his acting career in 1902. After his first marriage ended in 1913, Chaney decided to stop acting on the stage and try acting in movies. He played minor roles in many silent movies, but due to his role in the 1919 film The Miracle Man, he became popular and famous. One reason he became well known is that he would use extreme make-up to change his appearance in grotesque ways. In The Penalty (1920) Chaney used a special harness to bind his legs so that he would look like a double amputee. "In 1923, Chaney starred as the title character in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. To transform himself into Quasimodo, Chaney wore a prosthetic hump that weighed more than 50 pounds. The film was wildly successful and became one of the top movies of the year" (Lon Chaney). After that role, came his role as The Phantom of the Opera and other roles, which made him even more popular with the movie audience.

The 1925 film version of The Phantom of the Opera remains popular today because of the fantastic performance of actor Lon Chaney (1883-1930) as Erik, the Phantom. Lon Chaney was famous not only for being a great actor, but also because he could create unique make-up that would completely change his appearance. Because of this great talent, he became known as the 'Man of a Thousand Faces.'

Lon Chaney died in 1930 as a result of a throat hemorrhage. He was only 47 years old at the time of his death, and many people the world over mourned his passing as the loss of a great star. After Chaney's death, his son, Lon Chaney Jr. became an actor and made many well known, well regarded movies, but he was never regarded as being as brilliant as his father.

Works Cited （参考文献）

"Lon Chaney." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 14 June 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/lon-chaney-9244177>.

IV. My Reaction

A. Reaction Point - Characters

• 定義 - Characters are persons, or animals or natural forces represented as persons, in a work of film or literature.
• 例 - In The Phantom of the Opera, the main characters are Erik, the Phantom, Christine, the young opera singer whom Erik loves, and Erik's rival, Raoul, who also wants to become Christine's lover.
• 略 - The relationship between characters of Erik and Christine is complicated. Erik loves Christine and wants her to love him. Christine, however, doesn't love Erik, and in fact is afraid of him. She respects him because he secretly teaches her to sing, and because of his teaching, she becomes a famous opera singer. Raoul, a young member of the royal class wins Christine's heart, and she decides to escape from the control of Erik. This betrayal sets up the final conflict of the story. Through the course of the story, Erik first seems to be a monster, but slowly we begin to see him as pitiful and lonely, someone who only wants to be loved. This makes the character of Erik complex and interesting.

B. Reaction Point - Set Design

• 定義 - Set design is how the scenery looks and how it is built.
• 例 - The best example of set design in The Phantom of the Opera is the Paris Opera House. This set was a reproduction of the real Paris Opera House.
• 略 - It was huge and very expensive to create, but it is one of the best examples of Hollywood set design ever created. It's still regarded as an amazing by set designers today.

C. Reaction Point - Acting

• 定義 - Acting is playing a character in a play or movie.
• 例 - The most important example of acting in The Phantom of the Opera is the acting of Lon Chaney in the title role.
• 略 - His performance is both frightening and tragic. While watching this character, the viewer is sometimes horrified at his actions and sees him as a monster. At other times, the acting of Chaney can show a lonely, tragic side of the character, making the viewer almost pity Erik, almost feel sorry for him. The skillful acting of Lon Chaney makes the character of Erik deep, complex and interesting.

D. My General Opinion
The Phantom of the Opera has to be one of the best horror films ever made. Even after 90 years, it still has the power to scare the wits out of the audience, and Lon Chaney's performance is brilliant. The scenes are beautifully staged and filmed, and the film has many great scenes that will keep the viewer on the edge of her or his seat. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who likes to watch classic horror movies.