1:11:02
"So long as it is a ghost story,
it holds the reader as ghost stories do."
1:11:06
"But when the phantom
ceases to be a phantom
1:11:08
and things begin to be accounted for,
one's interest sensibly weakens."
1:11:14
"Moreover, do we ever forgive a writer
for cheating us into shudders?"
1:11:17
"If we are introduced to a ghost,
let him be a ghost to the end, no less."
1:11:21
"Despite these faults, however,
the book is effective."
1:11:24
"It is a far cry, however, from the author's
thrilling Mystery of the Yellow Room
1:11:28
to this elaborately constructed
melodrama."
1:11:31
Leroux was also a playwright,
writing his first stage production in 1902.
1:11:35
He founded a motion-picture production
company, La Société des Cinéromans,
1:11:39
in 1911, with René Navarre,
1:11:42
the portrayer of Fantomas, for whom
Leroux had already written two scenarios.
1:11:46
Leroux broke the Cinéromans in 1922,
the same year he met Carl Laemmle.
1:11:51
Red-bearded, Leroux was a gourmand
whose waistline increased with his fame,
1:11:56
leading to obesity
and severe health problems.
1:11:58
He lived to see
the Universal Phantom open in 1925,
1:12:01
but underwent surgery in April 1927.
1:12:04
A urinary infection set in
and he died on April 15 at age 59.
1:12:09
When Return of the Phantom
was announced in 1925,
1:12:12
Universal boasted that Leroux
had been so happy with their film
1:12:15
that he'd developed a sequel
before his death.
1:12:18
In truth, Universal paid off the second
Madame Leroux the sum of $3,000.
1:12:23
When art director Alexander Golitzen
began planning his chandelier,
1:12:27
he looked but could find
no trace of the 1925 original.
1:12:32
He built his new chandelier
out of practical materials,
1:12:35
since plastic was not available,
probably due to the war.
1:12:39
The chandelier was a large miniature,
scaled three inches to one foot,
1:12:44
so that it was actually used as a hanging
miniature placed in front of camera,
1:12:48
with the angle and camera movement
making it appear larger on screen.
1:12:55
Phantom of the Opera
is frequently criticised
1:12:57
for its lack of over-the-top thrills.