#sir andrew lloyd webber

[cottoncandiescupcakes]

Sometimes I just think about that insane Graham Norton episode with John Barrowman, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Janice Dickinson

It's unbelievable

[badwolf-gallagher88]

Yes, having a crush on a fictional character is bad. But have you ever had a crush on a fictionalised version of a vaguely problematic historical figure??

[areinca]

something i wrote ages ago that feels like a tumblr post so i edited and posted it

LOVE NEVER DIES (tpoto sequel) SPOILERS AHEAD:

the most unrealistic part of Beneath a Moonless Sky is that it was able to happen at all. you know that i know that we know if Christine came back after Final Lair, after all the events that happened like "ok im back lets fuck", with Erik (the phantom of the opera, yes, that is his name let’s call him that he is not a ghost he is just a guy he says so himself, explicitly in the book) in the mental and emotional state he was in in Phantom and in that song in general, he would need at LEAST 9-10 business days to recover and process it i mean come on you really think he would be like "ok slay lets do it" after all the emotional turmoil of final lair even if he did agree because you also know that theres no way that he would agree to that, he literally told them to go now and leave him (paraphrased quote from final lair) but let's say for some reason he did, he would either pass out or shut down (erik.exe is not working fr) or completely fall apart because come on ALW did you watch phantom? did you watch final lair? you WROTE those songs. he would not be touching her and feeling her and hearing those ravishing refrains of the singing in her veins (paraphrased literal lyrics from beneath a moonless sky) he would be screaming crying eating furniture and you know it ALW come on ALW you can't tell me you DONT know it you WROTE PHANTOM

[lewisarchive]

Sir Lewis Hamilton backstage at Cats with Nicole Scherzinger, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Trevor Nunn (2014)

[speakyskelly-1999]

boo

meant to post more last night but had a gaming session instead

so errrrr

fuck was i

...

........

thats a bat

he do a lil dance

cat

so erm anyway back to intermitently schedulaed programing

[elliespectacular]

Do you still have that Jellicle name generator saved anywhere? Some friends and I used it for our OCs and it was an absolute blast!

The name I got was Callio the convivial cat, which is short for Calliope, who I played in Xanadu. She has a whole costume and everything now!

Even if you don't have it anymore, tysm for making it ;-;

Xanadu mention! Also I do still have it saved! This one is revised a little and I might make more changes later, but here it is in text form:

Jellicle Name Generator

This will give you a name that is relatively in-line with the naming conventions seen in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot and later adapted into the musical Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber - and unlike those shitty "last name and your birth month" name generators, this one won't doxx you in the process.

Before we begin, a bit of terminology we'll be using: - Portmanteau: Turning multiple words into one word linked by a sound or letter. Compelling Television = Compellevision. Punk Squid = Squnk - Smoosh: Combine words by simply removing the space and (optionally) changing the word positions. Country Jester = countryjester - Prefix: Goes before the name, like Mr. or Captain - Suffix: Goes after the name, like Jr. or The Great - Cat-like term: Something associated with cats. Meow, Whisker, Bell, Claw, Scratch, etc.

FIRST: Roll a D20 to determine your base name

An uncommon person’s first name

First syllable of a common last name + a unit of measurement. Portmanteau 'em.

Short, dangerous noun + a non-dangerous profession. Smoosh 'em.

Two Latin words. Portmanteau 'em.

A simple present-tense verb + sophisticated person's first name. Smoosh 'em.

Cat-like term + sophisticated person's first name. Smoosh 'em.

Combine two short nouns, then add "-er" "-ie" or "-est" to the end.

Think of an actor you like. Shorten their first name to its shortest nickname.

A medical term spelled incorrectly.

A food you liked as a kid + a pretentious word. Smoosh 'em.

A figure of legend/myth. Remove one syllable and any spaces.

An older person's first name that isn't common today.

Last name of a historical figure + a silly word. Portmanteau 'em.

A kids' name with 2 or more syllables + that name again without the first syllable + an onomatopoeia. Portmanteau 'em if you can.

A silly word + the first name of a former coworker. Portmanteau 'em.

A kind of public event + a cat-like term. Smoosh 'em.

Something from ancient history. Shorten what you came up with into a single word.

Something you do when you're nervous. Take that verb and add "-er" to the end to make it a noun.

Silly word + hostile-sounding verb. Portmanteau 'em.

Two silly words with 2+ syllables each. Smoosh 'em.

SECOND: Roll another D20 for flavor

Before you roll, consider how your name sounds without any additional flavor. If it's fine on its own, feel free to leave it as-is. Otherwise, roll on!

Suffix - An upsettingly average last name

Suffix - Think of a hobby. Your suffix is "The _____ Cat"

Prefix - A short adjective

Suffix - Think of an adjective. Your suffix is "The _____ Cat"

Prefix - Choose Mr. Mrs. Ms. Mx. or something similar

Suffix - Think of a color. Your suffix is "The _____ Cat"

Prefix - Any one-syllable word. Repeat the word a second time, adding or replacing the first consonant with that of your base name.

Suffix - Think of any non-proper noun. Your suffix is "The _____ Cat"

Suffix - it's the word Cat

Suffix - it's the word Kitty

Suffix - it's the word Kitten

Prefix - Choose "Sir" "Madam" "Captain" or something similar

Prefix - Choose "Lord" "Lady" "Noble" or something similar

Prefix - His/Her/Their Majesty (or any pronoun you prefer)

Prefix - His/Her/Their Grace (or any pronoun you prefer)

Prefix - Mc

Prefix - Van

Prefix - Von

Prefix - De

Suffix - Any cat-like term

And you're done!*

*This is as much a creative exercise as it is a "generator" so feel free to mess with the formula and/or let your result inspire something more original. Add multiple layers of flavor if you want. The rules are not rigid. I recommend generating a few names and picking your favorite!

[biggsodorcitystories]

Thank you, Britt Allcroft...

The TTTE fandom is in mourning today.

Britt Allcroft produced a little show about an island of talking trains, based on a beloved, but decidedly old, series of books by a definitely old retired reverend.

It wasn't promising - there had been previous attempts to adapt the stories for television - by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the actual British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), no less - which had failed. But Britt knew this and decided to do it anyway.

On 27th December 2024, more than four decades after having this crazy idea, Britt left us...

...and the reason we know this is because Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends is one of the most timeless and beloved children's shows in the world.

I was born two years after the show first aired, and I lived and breathed the little show about talking trains. Though I took breaks away from the show as I grew up, the love has never really gone away and probably never will.

Britt set a standard for children's entertainment that is very rarely attained, let alone beaten, by the shows that followed. People have talked about how the show was created so parents, grandparents, and guardians could enjoy it, too. But in doing so, Britt created a show that never treated its target audience like they were stupid, and said target audience loved the show for that.

And despite her reluctance to use them in the show, Britt deserves praise for making sure that a love of real steam engines will be kindled in the hearts and minds of children for many generations to come.

Today, we mourn the loss of our first teacher and the friend whom we never saw or heard in person. We grieve a true visionary who, like the engines she introduced us to, saw the difficulty ahead of her and kept going until she overcame them. We remember the childhoods she helped to shape and give thanks for her.

Tomorrow, we wipe our tears away, and we celebrate our lost friend. We will continue to love the little trains she introduced us to, in our own little ways, and keep the memories of Britt, David Mitton, Michael Angelis, and all our other friends, alive.

Sir Terry Pratchett, a favourite author of mine, once said:

"A person who has died is never truly gone while people still speak their name."

We should therefore take comfort in certain knowledge that Britt Allcroft's legacy will keep her in our hearts and minds forever.

Rest In Peace, Britt Allcroft, and thank you for everything

[formulaonedirection]

My girlfriend just did hers, her top artist is Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber so.

[neroushalvaus]

wouldn't it be funny if catpeople had a tumblr.. imagine the discourse

🐀 poorlittlemeowmeow Follow

I hate online dating. "I'm 💖birman💖" okay so you have blue eyes and won't take your white gloves off, hard pass

🗣 cfaroyalty-deactivated30112027

Cat breed girlies are worse than horoscope girlies istg, they will fuck up your house and be like "I can't help it, I'm a norwegian forest cat :3"

🧸 dollybutch Follow

I think y'all are being mean. I find it helpful to disclose that I'm a ragdoll before the first date so my date won't find it odd when I go limp in her arms :(

🐀 poorlittlemeowmeow Follow

Girl what the fuck

5881 notes

🙀 wongmau Follow

pour one out for us top catgirls, it's rough

🪆 daddywarfucks Follow

Not as rough as bottoming for you

🙀 wongmau Follow

Uncalled for

67,8 t. notes

🗣 cfaroyalty-deactivated30112027

I hate these new tumblr words for nonbinary catpeople. "Catjoy", "catswirl" fuck you, those words are so childish and cringe

😼 booper5000 Follow

Yeah, they are childish but some of us are literally kittens, leave us alone??

🗣 cfaroyalty-deactivated30112027

Could someone drag this baby away by the neck. I'm a tax paying, litter box using adult catperson and I don't have to think about your kitten feelings.

🫗 catjoyswag Follow

So if those words are cringe what do you suggest we call ourselves? Catcitizens??

😼 booper5000 Follow

Omb i love catcitizen. Like it's the French revolution.

🗣 cfaroyalty-deactivated30112027

You are a bunch of weirdos.

🫗 catjoyswag Follow

Weep about it, catizen cfaroyalty

🫗 catjoyswag Follow

We did it catnetizens

562 notes

😾 shitlitter Follow

diagnosis: calico catboys are valid!!

🏳️‍⚧️ catnipple Follow

Thank you, Dr. Shitlitter.

10 t. notes

🐾 sewercat Follow

OMB I WILL BE FUCIGNK ToniGHT

🐾 sewercat Follow

Beetyful women fuck me please

🐾 sewercat Follow

COCK IN EVERY HOLE

🐾 sewercat Follow

TITS IN MY MOUTh

🐾 sewercat Follow

pLeas

🐾 sewercat Follow

MEOOOOORRWWRRR MEOWWWWRR

🐾 sewercat Follow

Give m3 a strap prwtty babygirl an I make your dreams come true kitten pLE ass plese plea

🐾 sewercat Follow

PSPSPS HEEERE PUSSYPUSSYPUSSY

🐾 sewercat Follow

sorry guys i got the heats i'm normal again

101,8. t. notes

🪄 equallycunningwithdice Follow

Andrew Lloyd Webber wants to be one of us so bad. You will never be a catboy, Sir Andy.

🪄 equallycunningwithdice Follow

He has started wearing a hat like he's hiding something underneath... c'mon bro we all know you don't have cat ears there, be fucking serious

7701 notes

😹 fifeme Follow

character i can't shut up about... blorbo from my meows

87 t. notes

🍃 lostinthesauce Follow

I love partying with non-catpeople.

"Let's be careful with the weed, it's illegal", they whisper.

Meanwhile me, with my bong full of catnip,

8491 notes

[merelymatt]

Love 2 hear my favourite chaos podcasters on legendlark ripping into sir andrew lloyd webber in anticipation of bad cinderella opening on broadway. Knowing the show already bombed and closed in the time between them recording that cold open and releasing it to patreons? That's the cherry on the cake, luvvies.

[thexnormalxstuff]

James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021)

The man who gave life to the “car crash song” . Helped mold the man who would give us the passion of “Bat Out Of Hell”. Produced the woman who reminded us that even or hearts can be eclipsed. Got Celine Dion to have it all come back to her and worked with the master of the phantom to create new works of art on Broadway.

Meatloaf, Bonnie Tyler, Celion Dion, Air Supply, The Sister’s Of Mercy, Barry Manilow, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and countless more.

I’ve always appreciated Steinmans work and preached it passionately. Bat out of Hell his masterpiece with his dear friend Meatloaf is 14xs Platinum. Ranked number three in the UK only behind Pink Floyd’s Darkside of the moon and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours....

[grandmaster-anne]

Coronation Music at Westminster Abbey

The Royal Family | Published 18 February 2023

Twelve newly commissioned pieces of music will be performed at The Coronation of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May 2023, showcasing musical talent from across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

A range of musical styles and performers blend tradition, heritage and ceremony with new musical voices of today, reflecting The King’s life-long love and support of music and the arts.

His Majesty The King has personally commissioned the new music and shaped and selected the musical programme for the Service.

Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers, Westminster Abbey, will be overseeing all musical arrangements and directing the music during the Service.

Sir Antonio Pappano, Music Director for the Royal Opera House, will be conducting the Coronation Orchestra which comprises a bespoke collection of musicians drawn from orchestras of The former Prince of Wales’ Patronages including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Six orchestral commissions, five choral commissions and one organ commission, have been specially composed for the occasion by world-renowned British composers whose work includes Classical, Sacred, Film, Television and Musical Theatre. Commissioned works include a new Coronation Anthem by Andrew Lloyd Webber, a Coronation March by Patrick Doyle, a new commission for solo organ embracing musical themes from countries across the Commonwealth by Iain Farrington plus new works by Sarah Class, Nigel Hess, Paul Mealor, Tarik O'Regan, Roxanna Panufnik, Shirley J. Thompson, Judith Weir, Roderick Williams, and Debbie Wiseman.

Soloists will include bass-baritone, Sir Bryn Terfel; soprano, Pretty Yende and baritone, Roderick Williams. The organ will be played by Sub-Organist, Westminster Abbey, Peter Holder, and Assistant Organist, Westminster Abbey, Matthew Jorysz.

The official Royal Harpist Alis Huws will perform as part of the Coronation Orchestra in recognition of The King’s long-standing and deeply held relationship and affiliation with Wales. One of the liturgical sections of the ceremony will also be performed in Welsh.

At the request of His Majesty, in tribute to his late father His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Greek Orthodox music will also feature in the Service performed by the Byzantine Chant Ensemble.

The Service will be sung by The Choir of Westminster Abbey and The Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, together with girl choristers from the Chapel Choir of Methodist College, Belfast and from Truro Cathedral Choir. The Ascension Choir, a handpicked gospel choir will also perform as part of the Service and The King’s Scholars of Westminster School will proclaim the traditional ‘Vivat’ acclamations.

Fanfares will be played by The State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry and The Fanfare Trumpeters of the Royal Air Force.

Sir John Eliot Gardiner will conduct The Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque soloists in a pre-Service programme of choral music. A small group of singers from The Monteverdi Choir will also join the main choral forces for the Service.

Music by the likes of William Byrd (1543–1623), George Frideric Handel (1685–1759), Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1934), Sir Henry Walford Davies (1869–1941), Sir William Walton (1902–1983), Sir Hubert Parry (1848–1918) and Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) has historically featured in the Service over the past four centuries and will be included in the programme along with the music of one of Britain’s most loved and celebrated living composers, Sir Karl Jenkins.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

The Order Of The Garter Service At Windsor Castle

King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, Prince William, Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth, The Lady Usher of the Black Rod, Sarah Clarke OBE, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, and Catherine Ashton attend the Order Of The Garter Service at Windsor Castle on 17 June 2024 in Windsor, England.

The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain.

Knights of the Garter are chosen personally by the Sovereign to honour those who have held public office, contributed in a particular way to national life, or who have served the Sovereign personally.

📸: Samir Hussein/ WireImage / Kirsty Wigglesworth - WPA Pool / Getty Images / Chris Jackson - WPA Pool /Getty Images

[clawheld]

im gonna say something that’ll out me as very uncool

its extremely funny that andrew lloyd webber made a sequel to phantom of the opera and the plot is legitimately like … like okay, if you were there to see fanfiction dot net PotO fans doing their thing. “her stupid cringe normie husband becomes a WIFEBEATER and a DRUNK” is extremely fanficcy. sir ALW was lurking

[unimportant-ramblings]

It's not going to happen, and I know that, but it would be Very Funny if, now that she brought out Ed Sheeran and people are like "Lana next? Bon Iver? Florence? Harry Styles??" Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber takes to the stage,

[dweemeister]

Movie Odyssey Retrospective

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

By the time French journalist-turned-novelist Gaston Leroux published Le Fantôme de l'Opéra as a serial in 1909, he was best known for his detective fiction, deeply influenced by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe. The Phantom of the Opera plays out like a Poe work – teeming with the macabre, painted with one character’s fanatic, violent lust. In serial form and, later, as a novel, Leroux’s work won praise across the West. One of the book’s many fans was Universal Pictures president Carl Laemmle who, on a 1922 trip to Paris, met with Leroux. While on the trip, he read Phantom (a copy gifted to him by Leroux) in a single night, and bought the film rights with a certain actor already in mind.

Laemmle’s first and only choice for the role of the Phantom was about to play Quasimodo in Universal’s 1923 adaptation of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. That actor, Lon Chaney, had subsisted on bit roles and background parts since entering into a contract with Universal in 1912. Chaney, who was about to sign a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), became an instant sensation the moment The Hunchback of Notre Dame hit theaters. Audiences and critics in the early 1920s were simultaneously horrified at the sight of his Quasimodo yet, crucially, felt a profound empathy towards the character.

In his prior films, as well as Hunchback, Chaney separated himself from his fellow bit actors with a skill that almost no other actor in Hollywood possessed: he was also a makeup artist. At this time, actors applied their own makeup – often simple cosmetics or unconvincing facial hair. None of the major Hollywood studios had makeup departments in the early 1920s, and it would not be until the 1940s that each studio had such a department. Chaney, the son of two deaf and mute adults, was also a master of physical acting, and could expertly use his hands and arms to empower a scene. Though already bound for MGM, Chaney could not possibly pass up the role of Erik, the Phantom. Despite frequent clashes with director Rupert Julian (1923’s Merry-Go-Round and 1930’s The Cat Creeps; despite being Universal’s most acclaimed director at this time, Julian was either sacked or walked away mid-production), Chaney’s performance alone earned him his place in cinematic history and, for this film, an iconic work of horror cinema and silent film.

As the film begins, we find ourselves at the Palais Garnier, home of the Paris Opera. The Opera’s management has resigned, turning over the Palais Garnier to new ownership. As the ink dries on the contract and as the previous owners depart, they warn about a Phantom of the Opera, who likes sitting in one of the box seats. Soon after, prima donna Carlotta (Virginia Pearson) receives a threatening letter from the Phantom. She must step aside and allow a chorus girl, Christine Daaé (Mary Philbin), sing the lead role in Charles Gounod’s Faust. If she refuses to comply, the Phantom promises something horrific. Aware of the letter, Christine the next day confers with her loved one, the Vicomte Raoul de Chagny (Norman Kerry), that she has been receiving musical guidance from a “Spirit of Music”, whom she has heard through the walls of her dressing room. Raoul laughs this off, but a series of murderous incidents at that evening’s production of Faust is no laughing matter. Christine eventually meets the shadowy musical genius of the Phantom, whose name is Erik (Chaney). In his subterranean lair, he professes his love to her – a love that will never die.

Rupert Julian’s The Phantom of the Opera also stars Arthur Edmund Carewe as the Inspector Ledoux (for fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical version, this is the Madame Giry character); Gibson Gowland as Simon Buquet; and John St. Polis as Raoul’s brother, the Comte Philippe de Chagny.

Before extoling this film, one has to single out Mary Philbin and Norman Kerry as the glaring underperformers in this adaptation. Philbin would become a much better actress than she displays here, if The Man Who Laughs (1928) is any indication. Yet, Philbin’s Christine is a blank slate, devoid of much personality and interest. It also does not help that Norman Kerry plays Raoul in a similar fashion. Raoul, in any adaptation of Phantom, tends to be a boring role. But goodness me, for a B-actor who was acclaimed for his tall, dark, and handsome looks and screen persona, he is a charisma vacuum here. During Kerry’s more intimate scenes with Philbin, you may notice that Kerry has a case of “roving hands” when he gets close with Philbin. Philbin, who could not visibly react to these moments on-camera, surreptitiously took Kerry’s hands and held them there to stop the touching.

Philbin is much better when sharing the screen opposite Chaney. Chaney and Philbin both could not stand director Rupert Julian – whom both actors, as well almost all of the crew, regarded as an imposing fraud who knew little about making art and more about how to cut costs (Laemmle appointed Julian for this film in part due to Julian’s reputation for delivering work under budget). There are unconfirmed accounts that after Julian’s departure or removal from Phantom, Chaney himself directed the remainder of the shoot aside from the final climactic chase scene (which was the uncredited Edward Sedgwick’s responsibility). In any case, Philbin’s terror when around Chaney was real. The sets of the Phantom’s lair reportedly spooked her – the subterranean waterways, his inner sanctum. Philbin also received no preparation before the filming of what is now one of the signature moments of the silent film era and all of horror cinema. Her reaction to Lon Chaney’s self-applied makeup – meant to appear half-skin, half-skeletal – was the first time that she saw Chaney’s Phantom in all his gruesomeness. Philbin, freed of the innocent, pedestrian dialogue of the film’s opening act, gifts to the camera one hell of a reaction, fully fitting within the bounds of silent film horror.

There are conflicting records on how Chaney achieved the Phantom’s final appearance. The descriptions forthcoming are the elements that freely-available scholarship generally accepts as true. It appears that Chaney utilized a skull cap to raise his forehead’s height, as well as marking deep pencil lines onto that cap to accentuate wrinkles and his brow. He also raised his cheekbones by stuffing cotton into his cheeks, as well as placing a set of stylized, decaying dentures. Inner-nasal wiring altered the angle of his nose, and white highlights across his face contributed to his skeletal look for the cameras. Cinematographer Charles Van Enger (1920's The Last of the Mohicans, uncredited on 1925's The Big Parade) – who, other than Chaney, was one of the most familiar onset with Chaney’s makeup – claimed that the nasal wiring sometimes led to significant bleeding. Taking inspiration from Chaney’s approach to keeping the makeup artistry hidden from Philbin and others, Universal kept the Phantom’s true appearance a secret from the public and press. The studio advised movie theaters to keep smelling salts ready, in case of audience members fainting during the unmasking scene. According to popular reporting at the time, audience members did scream and faint upon the reveal; a nine-year-old Gregory Peck’s first movie memory was being so terrified of Lon Chaney’s Phantom, that he asked to sleep with his grandmother that evening after he came home.

Lon Chaney’s tremendous performance allows The Phantom of the Opera to soar. Arguably, it is his career pinnacle. Masked or unmasked, Chaney’s Phantom dominates the frame at any moment he is onscreen aside from the film’s final chase sequence. Whether glowering over Christine, majestically gesturing in silhouette, strutting down the Opera House steps during the Bal Masqué, or tucked into the corner of the frame, Chaney’s physical presence draws the audience’s eyes to whatever he is doing. The differences in posture from before and after the unmasking scene are striking – from an elegant specter to a broken, hunched figure (appearing to draw some inspiration from his experience playing Quasimodo two years earlier) seething with pent-up carnality, rage, and sorrow. Chaney’s Phantom garners the audience’s sympathy when he gives Christine the grand tour of his chambers. Look at his posture and hands when he mentions, “That is where I sleep,” and, “If I am the Phantom, it is because man’s hatred has made me so.”  That Chaney can ease through these transitions and transformations – as well as a third transformation, as the Red Death during the Bal Masqué – so naturally, without a misstep, is a testament to his acting ability.

Underneath the tortured and twisted visage of a man who has committed horrific acts is a vulnerable and misguided human being. His dreams, dashed and discarded by all others, have turned to despicable means. The role of the Phantom plays brilliantly to Chaney’s genius: to have audiences sympathize with even the most despicable or despondent characters he played. Chaney accomplishes this despite this film characterizing the Phantom with less sympathy than Leroux’s original novel and the popular Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

This is already on top of Charles Van Enger’s camerawork; the sharp editing from a team including Edward Curtiss (1932’s Scarface) Maurice Pivar (1923’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Gilmore Walker (1927’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin), and Lois Weber.

Weber, who in 1916 was Universal’s highest-paid director, underwent numerous financial difficulties over that decade. One of Hollywood’s first true auteurs and largely ignored in the history of film until recently, Weber formed her own production company with Universal’s assistance in 1917, off the success of Shoes (1916). Through World War I, Weber’s movies were popular until around the turn of the decade, when her “didactic” filmmaking (a result of her devout Christian upbringing) went out of style. Most visibly among Weber’s financial failures of the early 1920s, The Blot (1921) – a movie that scholars and Weber himself considered her best – flopped in theaters. After two hiatuses from filmmaking in the early 1920s, Weber was brought in to conduct the final bits of editing on The Phantom of the Opera before returning to directing under Universal.

Though none of the film’s production designers were yet to hit their peak, The Phantom of the Opera benefitted from having a soon-to-be all-star art department including James Basevi (1944’s The Song of Bernadette), Cedric Gibbons (almost any and all MGM movies from 1925 onward), and Robert Florey (1932’s Murders in the Rue Morgue). Inspired by designs sketched by French art director Ben Carré, the production design trio spared no expense to bring Carré’s illustrations to life and used the entirety of Universal’s Soundstage 28 to construct all necessary interior sets. The set’s five tiers of seating and vast foyer needed to support several hundred extras. So unlike the customary wooden supports commonplace during the silent era for gargantuan sets, The Phantom of the Opera’s set for the Palais Garnier became the first film set ever to use steel supports planted into concrete. Basevi, Gibbons, and Florey’s work is glorious, with no special effects to supplement the visuals. The seventeen-minute Bal Masqué scene – which was shot in gorgeous two-strip Technicolor (the earliest form of Technicolor, which emphasized greens and reds) – is the most striking of all, unfurling its gaudy magnificence to heights rarely seen in cinema.

Universal’s Soundstage 28 was an integral part of the VIP tour at Universal Studios Hollywood for decades. Though the orchestra seats and the stage of the film’s Palais Garnier had long gone, the backside box seats of the auditorium remained. Stage 28 featured in numerous films after The Phantom of the Opera, including Dracula (1931), the Lon Chaney biopic Man of a Thousand Faces (1957), Psycho (1960), Charade (1963), Jurassic Park (1993), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), and The Muppets (2011). The soundstage was also supposedly haunted, with individuals claiming to see a caped figure (Lon Chaney as the Phantom?) running around the catwalks, lights flickering on and off, and doors opening and closing on their own. In 2014, after standing for almost ninety years, Universal decided to demolish Stage 28 so as to expand its theme park. However, the historic set escaped the wrecking ball, as Universal decided to disassemble the set, place it into storage, and perhaps someday reassemble it. It is a fate far kinder than almost all other production design relics from the silent era.

Unlike what was coming out of Weimar Germany in the 1920s in the form of German Expressionism, American horror films had no template to follow when The Phantom of the Opera arrived in theaters. There would be no codification of American horror cinema’s tropes and sense of timing until the next decade. But without 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera, Universal would never become the house of horror it did in the 1930s through the early ‘50s (including the Dracula, Frankenstein, Mummy, Invisible Man, Wolf Man, and Creature from the Black Lagoon series). So, unbound by any unwritten guidelines, 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera – a horror film, but arguably also a melodrama with elements of horror – consumes the viewer with its chilling atmosphere and, from Lon Chaney, one of the best cinematic performances ever, without any qualification. For silent film novices, this is one of the best films to begin with (outside the comedies of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd). Regardless of one’s familiarity with silent film, The Phantom of the Opera is a cinematic milestone.

My rating: 9.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog. Half-points are always rounded down.

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

This is the twenty-third Movie Odyssey Retrospective. Movie Odyssey Retrospectives are reviews on films I had seen in their entirety before this blog’s creation or films I failed to give a full-length write-up to following the blog’s creation. Previous Retrospectives include Dracula (1931 English-language version), Oliver! (1968), and Peter Pan (1953).