The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film) The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film) The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 American silent horror film adaptation of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel "Le Fantôme de l'Opéra", directed by Rupert Julian and starring Lon Chaney 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 film remains most famous for Chaney's ghastly, self-devised make-up, which was kept a studio secret until the film's premiere. The film was released on November 25, 1925. The picture also features Mary Philbin,
The Phantom of the Opera (1989 film) called "The Phantom of the Opera 2: Terror in Manhattan", in which the Phantom lives in the sewers of present-day Manhattan. Television writer Duke Sandefur was hired to add bookend segments set in present-day Manhattan to O'Hara's script, so that the film would tie into its proposed sequel. Ultimately, the sequel was not made, but the bookend segments remain in the film. The original music, written for the film by Misha Segal (also known for the soundtrack to "The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking"), won a 1989 Brit for best soundtrack. Of particular interest to fans of the original novel