Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Lon Chaney & The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film) was based on the novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux. Leroux was an unsuccessful playwright and reviewer or drama critic, but made his mark with over 60 novels, of which The Phantom of the Opera is his best known work.

Born in Paris in 1868, Leroux inherited a vast fortune from his father, squandered it in gambling, and became a low-paid theater critic. His first novel, The Mystery of the Yellow Room, was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the writer who is responsible for giving us the character Sherlock Holmes). It was published in 1907.

He published The Phantom of the Opera in 1911. His novels did not make him rich, but he lived to see the now-famous Universal Studios film in 1925, but died two years later in 1927 of uraemia. He was 59 years old.

One of the many reasons the film struck a popular chord with viewing audiences was that it starred "The Man of a Thousand Faces, Lon Chaney" as the character Erik. Other cast and crew can be found  here at IMDB.COM. 

Chaney was born to deaf-mute parents and made his film debut in 1912 after being an actor and part owner in a theatre company. Some of his other films include:
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
He Who Gets Slapped (1923)
Mr. Wu (1927)
London After Midnight (1928)
Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928)
among many others. Here are a few pictures of some of his character roles. He is best known for his ability to change his "face" to create unique characters on the screen and stage.




  

HOMEWORK: Post a comment below and name the actor/actress you think is able to portray so many different characters in films of today. 

10 comments:

izzi said...

lucy hale

Unknown said...

Jared Leto

Unknown said...

Gary Oldman

Unknown said...

Brad Pitt

Unknown said...

I think in modern day cinema one of the most versatile actresses would have to be Angelina Jolie. She can play any sort of part and she's been in movies that range from drama to comedy.

Unknown said...

Meryl Streep

Unknown said...

Ed Norton can play any role.

xavier lopez said...

I think Jim Carrey is a very versatile actor. I believe that it is fair enough to give great props to an actor who has been in a series of dramatic films, comedies, fantasies, and realistic films.

Unknown said...

Bradley Cooper

jaymee said...

I think Johnny Depp is a very versatile actor. He frequently stars in many movies that require extensive costuming and makeup and he naturally has an eccentric personality which often makes him a perfect fit for strange characters like Edward Scissorhands, Jack Sparrow, Sweeny Todd, Willy Wonka, the Mad Hatter and many others.

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