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September 27, 2005 Phantom to Haunt Academy
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Lon Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera (1925) |
Beverly Hills, CA — The 1925 silent film, "The Phantom of the Opera," featuring a disfigured composer, a fatal obsession, the Paris Opera House and silent film stars Lon Chaney and Mary Philbin, will screen on Thursday, October 20 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills.
Shown in a new print with color sequences recreated to match the original release, "Phantom" will be presented at 8 p.m. at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The Alloy Orchestra, a world-renowned three-member musical ensemble that creates original sound compositions with various instruments including a clarinet, synthesizer, accordion, saw, banjo and junk percussion, will accompany the film.
Based on Gaston Leroux's often-filmed 1910 novel "Le fantôme de l'Opéra," the silent horror classic stars Chaney as Erik, the Phantom, a masked man living in the catacombs of the Paris Opera House who falls in love with a young opera star, Christine, portrayed by Philbin.
Chaney first appeared as the Phantom in 1925. However, in 1929 the film was substantially re-shot and re-edited in response to the new demand for sound films. With new titles, a musical score and added talking sequences, it was reissued with accompanying Vitaphone/Western Electric sound disks.
The Academy will screen a silent print of the 1929 sound version with the original Technicolor Bal Masque sequences and numerous color-tinted sequences, made by following the tinting directions used for the 1925 release.
Presented by Carl Laemmle and directed by Rupert Julian, "The Phantom of the Opera" features an extensive cast including Norman Kerry, Snitz Edwards, Gibson Gowland, John Sainpolis and Virginia Pearson.
The Academy's screening of "The Phantom of the Opera" serves as the grand finale of the UCLA Film and Television Archive's "Silent Horror" series (for information and tickets, visit www.cinema.ucla.edu or call 310-206-FILM).
Tickets to the October 20 Academy screening are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members. Doors open at 7 p.m. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Free parking is provided in the garages located at 8920 and 9025 Wilshire Boulevard. For more information, call the Academy's Special Events department at 310-247-3600.
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©A.M.P.A.S.®
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
8949 Wilshire Boulevard Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1972
(310) 247-3000
www.oscars.org
publicity@oscars.org
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