Phantom Of The Opera, The (1930) (1930) Rating: Starring: Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Mary Philbin Director: Rupert Julian, Carl Laemmle, Jr., Edie Sedgwick Category: Drama, Classics, SuspenseDocumentary Studio: Image Ent. Subtitles: Length: 89 mins     The Milestone Collection Restored 1930 Sound version, with the Orchestral Score by Carl Davis. Beneath the splendid riches of the Paris Opera House lie ancient catacombs with a dark and forbidden secret. These vast underground rooms and hidden passages were once used as torture chambers to satisfy the blood lust of a crazed population. Rumors abound that the Opera Ghost lives there still, vowing vengeance on the human race. When film director Rupert Julian was presented with the script for The Phantom of the Opera, he declared simply: "Lon Chaney, or it can't be done!" For this film, "the man of a thousand faces" transformed himself into his most recognizable characters. Using chemicals to dilate his pupils, cotton and celluloid discs to heighten his cheekbones, fanged teeth to create a horrific grin and wires to pull his nose upwards, Chaney became the menacing Phantom who lurks in Box 5 of the Opera - and in the dark cellars below. This spine-tingling, macabre masterpiece can now be viewed in all its Grand Guignol glory. Using the best 35mm print of the 1929 reissue from George Eastman House as well as additional material from UCLA Film and Television Archive, Photoplay Productions created the finest existing version of the film, featuring a magnificent orchestral score by composer Carl Davis (Napoleon). The Photoplay team was also able to restore the stunning Technicolor bal masque sequence and has painstakingly re-created the Handschiegl color process used in the famous "Apollo's Lyre" scene on the roof of the Opera.