Buy used:

$27.50

$4.49 delivery: Sep 13 - 15

Used: Very Good | Details

Sold by big_river_books

Share

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

The Phantom of the Opera (Hollywood Archives Series) Paperback – October 13, 1996

by Philip J. Riley (Author)

14 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Paperback, October 13, 1996

"Please retry"

$27.50

$39.95

$27.50

Paperback
$27.50

6 Used from $27.50 1 New from $39.95

Most people think that they are watching the original Phantom of the Opera on home video or in revival houses. The existing print of the film is actually a silent version of a 1929 dubbed sound reissue, which is missing at least 35 minutes of development scenes, opera scenes, titles and some of the best atmospheric photography and set designs in motion picture history. The present unmasking scene is pale compared to the original. In this comprehensive history of this landmark horror film, author Phil Riley presents the complete, complex production of this amazing film. The 320 page book includes: the complete shooting script, the complete press book, rare behind the scenes photos, and recreations of lost scenes. Contributions by Mary Philbin ("Christine"), cinematographer Charles van Enger, Ray Bradbury, Ron Chaney and more!

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Magicimage Filmbooks
Publication date

October 13, 1996
Dimensions

10.84 x 8.5 x 0.85 inches
ISBN-10

1882127331
ISBN-13

978-1882127337
See all details

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Philip J. Riley
8
Paperback
$24.95
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Sep 15
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Philip J. Riley
8
Paperback
$24.95
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Sep 15
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Lon Chaney
703
Blu-ray
$26.49
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Sep 14
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Gaston Leroux
3,419
Paperback
$11.99
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Sep 15
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Only 13 left in stock (more on the way).

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

What actual events inspired the story? What inspired Chaney's makeup? What was in the hour of footage cut from the film's release that was considered too horrible for audiences in 1925? The answers can be found inside!

"Each page is filled with documented information that will change a few history books. You almost get the feeling that you are part of the 'Golden' years of Hollywood." - Ray Bradbury Endorsed by Chaney Enterprises

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Sixty-nine years ago, Lon Chaney walked out of his dressing room near the newly constructed Stage #28, on the Universal lot. But when he arrived on the screen, he had vanished to be replaced by Erik, the Opera Ghost. Most films in the silent days were made in about six to eight weeks. I imagine that I heard my parents talking about the film. I recognized the name Lon Chaney for he had changed my life forever when I saw him in The Hunchback of Notre Dame that same year.

To a child of three or four, time has a completely different meaning. There are three times; Breakfast time, Lunchtime and Dinner time. So I did not notice that it was a full year before the finished picture came to town around Christmas of 1925. The Opera Ghost had crept into town, shocked the ornaments off all our Christmas trees, and then disappeared. No one ever saw him again for years and years. While he was away, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, King Kong and an assortment of screen monsters were caught in the silvery spider web of projected light, reflected from a screen and imbedded in the dusty trunk marked "Imagination" somewhere in our brains.

Then suddenly the Phantom returned! Revival houses flashed the title in flickering bulbs. Electronic pulses were shot onto a tube at 30 times a second and little tiny digital numbers on rainbow reflective disks brought him back to haunt us. But wait! The same organ? The same cape? Same lovely Mary Philbin? But! The rat infested catacombs had no rats? The mirrored torture chamber had no lions? The beautiful ballet girls and the Soldiers entrance and the Faust Opera - the evil Satan, Faust and Marguerite were in two -tone Technicolor. Now they are black and white?

But wait here's something familiar. Norman Kerry and Mary Philbin are going to the rooftop of the Opera House to hide during the masked ball. This is a great scene. Now watch. . .hold on a minute. Something horrible must have happened to the two lovers as they ran up the steps. Norman had gained a few pounds and grew some grey hair. Mary must have stopped at the beauty parlor - her hair is shorter and styled differently. Does anyone know what is going on here?

After you finish this book, you will know exactly what had happened.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Magicimage Filmbooks (October 13, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1882127331
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1882127337
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.96 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.84 x 8.5 x 0.85 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,467,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,088 in Genre Films
- #10,575 in Movie History & Criticism
- #55,934 in Performing Arts (Books)

Customer Reviews:
14 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		77%
4 star		23%
3 star 0% (0%)		0%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

T. Dissinger

Excellent!

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2009

Verified Purchase

I have been on a "Phantom" kick of late and bought this book as a companion to the many video editions of the 1925/1930 film I have collected over the years. All I can say is that this may be one of the best "Making Of" books since the classic "The Making Of King Kong" and "The Making Of The Wizard Of Oz". It is loaded with photos, art, recollections from surviving cast and crew members, promotional materials and the shooting script as it stood when the cameras started rolling in 1924. It also goes into the various cuts of the film, and how the famous George Eastman House print managed to survive destruction. Phil Reilly's writing style may not warm the heart of anal college English profs, but it prevents the book from becoming stuffy, and well, a text book. Once you start it, it is very hard to put down and you will find yourself constantly going back to it for reference. It is by no means perfect (there is so little documentation in some areas of this subject that the best you CAN do is make an educated guess) but it is loaded with information and a very easy read, which is all you can ask of a book of this nature. A bargain at any price.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Missy H.

THE BEST BOOK EVER to document the story of the making ...

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2017

Verified Purchase

THE BEST BOOK EVER to document the story of the making and legacy of the silent movie classic, with loads of pictures, scripts, interviews, still shots, and more - some never seen betore this book was published! It's also been endorsed by the Lon Chaney estate; it's THAT good. No true Phantom Phan should be without this book - even the "Gerik" Phans need to know how Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, was REALLY meant to look. Skeptics: explore if you dare, but keep your hand at the level of your eyes at all times. :-)

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Timothy S. Rauser

The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Movie!

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 1999

Verified Purchase

I have always been a fan of Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera, and have considered the 1925 movie version the best of all versions. I was highly intriqued and mystified when I heard that the movie actually had been filmed more than once, with the first version filmed forgotten. Then there was this book. Well I must say, Philip Riley has done an EXCELLENT job compiling every bit of information as to all the different versions of this film, and makes it truly an interesting read. With terrific background on Leroux's novel too, this book has instantly become one of my favorites of all time!

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Patricia Seitz

Well written and comprehensive, this is full of interesting ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2015

Verified Purchase

Well written and comprehensive, this is full of interesting during-production tidbits; and the photos are really way beyond what's expected.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Doug

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2015

Verified Purchase

Outstanding book.

Helpful

Well researched look at an important piece of Hollywood history!

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2016

This review originally published in (...) Rated 4.75 of 5

This "Making of" book about "The Phantom of the Opera" is a tremendous resource and clearly a work of love by author Philip J. Riley.

The term 'classic' is much over-used today, which possibly takes away from the importance of the meaning. To say that the 1925 film, The Phantom of the Opera, is a classic is an understatement, even its truest meaning. It is, quite possibly, the classic film defining the early form of the film medium and the wizardry initiative that film began.

In this book, Riley has dug deep to unearth some great information and interviews with those who have a connection to the film. What is unknown to most people is that there is almost as much a mystery surrounding the original film as there is in the story. What most people think of as the original 1925 silent film, starring Lon Chaney, is actually a modified, re-edited version. Riley takes us through all the variations of the film, what is known about the different versions, and what is unknown. I found it fascinating that in this silent film era, some (though not all) of this film was filmed in Technicolor alongside the standard black and white.

This information and research alone is valuable to anyone interested in the film and the changing era of silent to talkies and black and white to Technicolor. But this book offers so much more.

I've been a fan of films and film-making and done a fair amount of research of screenwriting but I've never had the opportunity to read a script as it was written for the silent film era. I personally may have been most excited to read through the original silent film script for Phantom of the Opera than any other aspect of this book.

There are a lot of stills included here, as well as press releases and reviews and articles by other magazines. The book ends with a very long article (or series of articles) from Liberty magazine, detailing Chaney's career. Much of this extra, included material is in the form of reproduction straight from the original source (in the case of newspaper or magazine articles often including period ads). While it is so nice to see these things exactly as they appeared originally, it was sometimes very hard to read these, especially in the digital format that I was using.

I truly can't believe how much valuable information was included in this volume and I think that this should be a required textbook for anyone interested in film.

Looking for a good book? Philip J. Riley's The Phantom of the Opera is a well-researched examination of one of the most critical films in Hollywood's history.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: history of cinema, history of hollywood, movie screenplay, cinema history, classic cinema, vampire history