The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)

The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 American silent horror film adaptation of Gaston Lerouxs 1910 novel Le Fantme de lOpra, directed by Rupert Julian and starring Lon Chaney, Sr. in the title role of the deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to make the woman he loves a star. The movie remains most famous for Chaneys ghastly, selfdevised makeup, which was kept a studio secret until the films premiere.

The film opens with the debut of the new season at the Paris Opera House, with a production of Gounods Faust. Comte Philippe de Chagny John St. Polis and his brother, the Vicomte Raoul de Chagny Norman Kerry are in attendance. Raoul attends only in the hope of hearing his sweetheart Christine Daa Mary Philbin sing. Christine has made a sudden rise from the chorus to understudy of Mme. Carlotta, the prima donna. Raoul visits her in her dressing room during the performance, and makes his intentions known that he wishes for Christine to resign and marry him. Christine refuses to let their relationship get in the way of her career.At the height of the most prosperous season in the Operas history, the management suddenly resign. As they leave, they tell the new managers of the Opera Ghost, a phantom who asks for opera box 5, among other things. The new managers laugh it off as a joke, but the old management leaves troubled. ........

Source: Wikipedia