The Phantom of the Opera (miniseries) Erik dies with his father and Christine at his side. Christine replaces Erik's mask and is led away by the Comte. Arthur Kopit had long been an admirer of Gaston Leroux's story, but felt that the horror premise had left out the possibility of a more compelling relationship between the two main characters. So he came up with a script in which the Phantom is a romantic hero, frightening only to those who would misuse the opera house wherein he dwells - and to those who would stand in the way of Christine's eventual rise to stardom. And he decided
The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film) to loop Chaney's dialogue, but voiceovers by the Phantom were looped over shots of his shadow. (The voiceovers are uncredited, but were probably done by Phillips Smalley.) Because Chaney's talkie debut was eagerly anticipated by filmgoers, advertisements emphasized, "Lon Chaney's portrayal is a silent one!" The sound version of "Phantom" opened on February 16, 1930, and grossed another million dollars. This version of the film is lost, although the soundtrack discs survive. The success of "The Phantom of the Opera" inspired Universal to finance the production of a long string of horror films such as "Dracula", "Frankenstein", "The Wolf Man",