The show finally reaches episode #150 with a discussion of
the 1943 version of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!
Join Troy and I as we swing on the giant opera house chandelier!
Say what you will, but it gives us a good view of the film’s successes and
failures. This often-derided film is one of Universal’s Oscar winners and on Blu-Ray
it is a gorgeous thing to behold. We never thought we’d use words like opulent
or big budgeted or colorful to describe a ‘horror’ film from the 1940’s but
here we are! Of course, comparisons to the 1925 version can’t be avoided and we
also briefly touch on a few of the more well-known adaptations over the past
eighty years.
We spend a lot of time digging into the question of
Christine’s relationship with the Phantom and wondering why having him be her
father was excised from the story. At least one review from the time indicates
that there might have been something left in early prints that made this very
clear. We talk about the cast and the director with attention paid to some poor
staging that undercuts important moments. Complaints about the comedy elements
of the film are voiced as are questions about the difficulty of assembling a
music room in the Paris sewers. A good time is had by all with music leading
the way!
Near the end of the show, we respond to a couple of emails sent to thebloodypit@gmail.com and I have a mini-rant about the sad tendency in film fans to hate all new things. It’s a brief spasm and the phrase Doppler Effect is tossed out but I recover quickly and get things back on track. Hell! I almost forgot about the emails. Thanks Troy. And thank you for listening. We’ll be back soon!
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