The Phantom of the Opera (Universal, 1925). Very Fine on Linen. Three Sheet (40.5" X 79").. ...

Description

The Phantom of the Opera (Universal, 1925). Very Fine on Linen. Three Sheet (40.5" X 79").
This legendary horror drama was one of Universal's earliest super-productions, preceded only by The Hunchback of Notre Dame two years earlier, and was a stark departure for the studio, which had primarily dabbled in B-movie territory since its humble beginnings in the first decade of the 20th century. Universal mogul Carl Laemmle, a notoriously shrewd man, embraced the opportunity to adapt Gaston Leroux's operatic tragedy in grand fashion, joining the ranks of DeMille and Fritz Lang in orchestrating one of the great epics of the silent screen and solidifying the studio's distinct contributions to the horror genre that would continue into the early years of the sound era and beyond. The immense nature of the film, which cast thousands of extras for certain sequences, was paralleled by the scale of Universal's promotion for it; not only were no fewer than eight distinct one sheets designed for The Phantom of the Opera, as well as a teaser-style 24 sheet, but the film was heavily merchandised, as well. Tie-ins for the film ranged from anything like creating a new color shade ("Phantom Red," as recognized by the Textile Color Card Association of America) to a giant pictorial cake with Chaney's Phantom recreated with grated vegetables. While one sheets and window cards for the film were printed and distributed in great volume, larger posters were made only in limited numbers and surely almost all were used and never recovered, so much of the bigger paper for the film likely did not survive past the original promotional campaign. Nearly a century after the film's impressive debut, Heritage proudly offers only the second three sheet ever seen at auction for The Phantom of the Opera. The poster features the torch-bearing angry mob storming through the tunnels of the Palais Garnier hunting down the eponymous figure. The poster is filled with striking detail, and on this poster and on almost all the other promotional material for the film, Chaney's character was intentionally excluded to maintain the surprise and terror for the audience when they would first see the Phantom's unmasking onscreen! The poster displays with powerful color and outstanding image quality for its size and age, and professional restoration addressing some slight chipping and tears in the borders with light airbrushing and moderate fold wear and fold separation primarily in the top and bottom panels with expertly-applied touch-up, including color touch-up in the bottom panel, assists in its pristine presentation.


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