When looking for a Halloween episode this year, another Lux Radio Theater presentation caught my eye with “The Phantom of the Opera.” It felt like kismet because Jeremy and I had received free tickets to the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical here in LA at the Pantages theater. And it is Jeremy’s absolute favorite musical of all time. So, okay let’s do it!
That said, I wasn’t familiar with the 1943 film. Jeremy had seen the 1925 Lon Chaney, but even he had not seen this film adaptation of the book (which he admits he tried to read but it’s so dated he couldn’t get through it!) So first things first, let’s watch the movie. And I’ll give you my quick review. Honestly, it’s fun. I’m not attached to ALW, so I was okay with this version featuring a lovesick middle aged violinist who gets splashed with acid as the Phantom. The main themes are there and the film did win Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography, so it is visually entertaining. The down sides for me were: the acting then was more presentational, and, like a lot of “period” films especially in Hollywood’s Golden Age, hair and make up was 100% modern to the film, not to the era they were representing. But then there was the opera…
It was interesting for me to see the result of how the excessive censorship of horror in the early 1940s actually played out. The silent film of “The Phantom of the Opera” with Lon Chaney, is still to this day revered as a horror classic. Even if you’ve never seen it, you’ve seen Chaney in his distinctive Phantom makeup/mask. And here were a much of people clutching their pearls and refusing to allow Universal to make “The Phantom of the Opera” as a horror film. So to balance it, they leaned into the music. Their leads in Nelson Eddy and Susanna Foster were well known singers of the time. And they certainly don’t disappoint. But if you’re watching this movie expecting action and excitement, you will be slowed to a crawl with the very lengthy opera scenes. It is 1940’s opera, so not actually 1880s, but where a modern film (or ALW) would touch on the opera since, hey, this is set in the Paris Opera, this movie indulges those musical numbers. So my warning to you is to hang in there. They go on longer than modern audiences may want to tolerate.
But my absolute thumbs up to this version of “The Phantom of the Opera” is Christine. Jeremy is so enamored by the ALW (and maybe you are, too) that he is along for the ride with Christine as the love interest torn between her young lover, Raoul, and The Phantom. I’m gonna give you my hot take, scoff at me if you love the ALW, but OMG! Christine is not a strong character at all! She absolutely cannot exist without a man to “protect and guide her.” Gag! Two men want to possess her and the whole musical is finding out who will win. In this 1943 version, two men are fighting over her (Raoul and Anatole) and a third is obsessed with her… and she walks away from all of them for her career. She isn’t going to be possessed by anyone. The dialogue about, “someday you’ll have to choose between your career and what’s called a ‘normal life,'” is straight from the movie. And she chooses career. Good for you, Christine!! No one says you have to be with a man to be happy! LOVE that!!! Big kudos to 1943!
Overall, maybe this isn’t the most Halloween-y Halloween episode we’ve done, but it was a ton of fun to make and I’m so glad I’ve been introduced to this film version. And Jeremy got to play the Phantom… something still on his bucket list for stage but at least he got a taste of it!
-Chrisi (aka Madison)
