The Phantom of the Opera - The Ultimate Edition (1925)

Nothing Like an Original

First if you are not a fan of the silent move era, or don't think you can sit through a silent movie, don't get this version. However if you can appreciate a classic this is definitely worth adding to your collection. The Phantom of the Opera is one of my favorite stories and I have four of the major film versions of the story. This one is one of my favorites. There is a lot to be said for a movie that can convey the same emotions as a movie that has more effects and dialogue that is acted out by well rehearsed actors. May 21, 2008

The classic! No speech but just pure music! great for a black and white movie night.

This is what I expected! back to the classics of old theather. The whole movie is in black and white, with no sound but just background music. The dialog is done by stills frames of words written on the screen. A true classic. April 2, 2008

Congratulations, a treasure material !

Congratulations for this material !
One can appreciate the differences between one and other version of this remarkable film. It was a good idea to save delete scenes from the original and ancient film. It is a great treasure ! January 21, 2008

Definitive edition of an influential classic

The Phantom of the Opera - The Ultimate Edition (1925 Original Version and 1929 Restored Version)

When buying silent movies, it really is true: you shouldn't be fooled by cheap imitations. It's easy for fly-by-night companies to release cheap copies of copyright-free films, but what do you get? You get terrible visual quality, no score (or worse, a dreadful score composed of random copyright-free music), and missing or disordered footage.

Image's Ultimate Edition of "The Phantom of the Opera," on the other hand, contains two versions of the film (the original and the more commonly seen 1929 re-release), appropriate soundtrack options, commentaries, high visual quality (on the restored 1929 version), and beautiful restoration of the famous color sequences. Carl Davis, composer of so many great silent film scores, has done marvelous work for this film as well. All of these qualities come together in this edition to make watching "The Phantom of the Opera" an engrossing, thrilling experience once more, just as it must have been for original audiences. December 24, 2007

The most comprehensive Chaney Phantom set

Lon Chaney's realization of the deformed Eric is one of the great icons of horror cinema. This DVD set offers the most complete offering of all known versions of the film. The image quality of the 1929 restored version is quite good, but sadly that version is inferior to the 1925 version in almost every other way. For instance the images are from a different camera angle than the original and always less effective. Also, The story line is jumbled up.
The DVD offers still image recreations of the two premiere versions of the film through which a dedicated fan can track the creative development of the picture.
My chief misgiving is that no one has attempted to restore the original 1925 version of the film. The DVD uses a version from the only surviving 16mm print, but the quality of that print is appallingly poor. It is full of countless scratches and other blemishes. Imagine if the only copy of Citizen Kane looked like someone scrubbed every frame with steel wool. Why hasn't a film historian restored the 1925 phantom, the only true version? This disc should have done that rather than giving us a pristine B version and a decrepit A version. August 19, 2007

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