Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
Special Features
Region 2
Dolby Digital Stereo
15 Minute Essay Commentary By R Dixon Smith
Dolby Digital Stereo
15 Minute Essay Commentary By R Dixon Smith
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Along with Nosferatu this is the best horror film of the silent era. The film on this DVD has been produced by David Sheppard and has really good picture quality and quite a nice score. At the moment this is the best edition of the film availble in the UK. There is also a trailer of the films 1929 rerelease and an interesting 12 minute audio essay.
So why not five stars?.
Firstly I have deducted a star because there is an even better restoration of this film which could have been put on the DVD (By Photoplay Productions with a score by Carl Davis).
I am deducting another star because this is the 1929 re-issue with about twenty minutes of footage missing. The reason for this is that the re-issue version is the only one existing with superior picture quality. However on the American Milestone editon of this film both versions appear in the same set, so you are able to compare them. (You can choose between poor picture quality or scenes cut from the film).
This is still a worthwhile DVD to add to your collection, at least until some else releases a better region 2 edition.
So why not five stars?.
Firstly I have deducted a star because there is an even better restoration of this film which could have been put on the DVD (By Photoplay Productions with a score by Carl Davis).
I am deducting another star because this is the 1929 re-issue with about twenty minutes of footage missing. The reason for this is that the re-issue version is the only one existing with superior picture quality. However on the American Milestone editon of this film both versions appear in the same set, so you are able to compare them. (You can choose between poor picture quality or scenes cut from the film).
This is still a worthwhile DVD to add to your collection, at least until some else releases a better region 2 edition.
78 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This DVD is issued closely following in the wake of the Lloyd Weber release - the cover graphics are derivative at first glance.The copy of the movie transferred to this DVD is lacking 25% of the original image. Being thus clipped means the titles and intertitles (this is a silent movie) are either partially missing or half seen in an annoying and increasingly irritating manner. Goodness knows the history of this copy but it is not a good print at all. The music added to the movie is a hodge podge of orchestral and instrumental snippets that neither complement nor serve to enhance the impetus of the story. Not worth buying and this is one for all movie buffs to avoid. If I am not mistaken there was also a brief sequence in early colour in this movie. Perhaps I am wrong. What a disappointment all round.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The music in the Cleopatra edition is pop music that is inappropriate and has very little to do with the film itself. I watched the whole thing in mute because I found the music was preventing me from enjoying film.
The Special Collector's edition has a very good soundtrack by Gabriel Thibaudeau; it also includes some of the music of the opera Faust (for the scenes where Christine is performing). I just watched that version and enjoyed the film much more.
Update on my review above:
Another reviewer (M. D. Hart) made the same complaint about the music. He's also referring to the Cleopatra Edition.
I wish Amazon would allow users to give reviews for different prints/releases of the same film. I tried to write another review specifically for the Special Collector's Edition in order to give it 5 stars, but I wasn't allowed to because I'd already written this review. So I'll just say it here: Special Collector's Edition 5 Stars.
The Special Collector's edition has a very good soundtrack by Gabriel Thibaudeau; it also includes some of the music of the opera Faust (for the scenes where Christine is performing). I just watched that version and enjoyed the film much more.
Update on my review above:
Another reviewer (M. D. Hart) made the same complaint about the music. He's also referring to the Cleopatra Edition.
I wish Amazon would allow users to give reviews for different prints/releases of the same film. I tried to write another review specifically for the Special Collector's Edition in order to give it 5 stars, but I wasn't allowed to because I'd already written this review. So I'll just say it here: Special Collector's Edition 5 Stars.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
phantom of the opera
not bad its a silent film but ok for the very first film would recommend for those people who like
old films
old films
Published 5 months ago by topcat
My first silent film
I have loved the book for years and have wanted to watch this film. I took a gamble (i thought i might get bored by a silent film), afterall i am only fourteen. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Kurn
phantom of the opera 1925
Ordered this for my son. He was very pleased with the DVD and the speed with which it was sent.
Published 23 months ago by R. Findlay
Truly remarkable
This is easily one of the most a visually impressive silent films I have ever watched. From the lavish sets and extraordinary costumes to the magnificent score and eerie lighting. Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2010 by NELMES316
Ummm...
It didn't work for me, the music wasn't terrible for the imagery, but it was edited and chopped up, so you didn't get a song played all the way through. Read more
Published on 10 Feb 2009 by Ellen B. Smith
The Cleopatra DVD with the Switchblade Symphony is disappointing
This DVD contains pop music that doesn't match the action on the screen. It has the effect of reducing the drama and dulling the suspense.
Published on 2 Oct 2008 by M. Bryan
an amazing classic
this is truly an amazing classic that really has inspired directors of this day. for 1925 it is amazing. Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2008 by Marion Bedford
a true horror classic.
this is the film that really started the trend for horror films at universal; before "dracula," before "frankenstein," there was the original silent "phantom of the opera. Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2007 by Mr. A. E. Ward Davies
Movies to see before you die!
Lon Chaney is delightfully grotesque as he haunts the "tombs of tortured men."
Published on 3 Dec 2006 by Spinetinglers Committee
Switchblade Symphony: Not Worth Considering
My reviews tend to be sites of lengthy explanation but for this DVD I will keep it short and to the point. Read more
Published on 14 April 2006 by M. D. Hart
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
