The 1925 silent film version of The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Rupert Julian, is a classic adaptation of Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom was starred by Lon Chaney, who earned the nickname of "Man of a Thousand Faces." because of his ability to transform himself by using self-invented make-up techniques. It is said that his stage appearance made audiences scream and faint! This film adopted the newest “Technicolor” and made the whole scene more haunting and shocking. As with many films of the time, black and white footage was tinted various colors to represent mood. These included amber for interiors, blue for night scenes, green for mysterious moods, red for fire and sunshine (yellow) for daylight exteriors.
The film was reissued in 1929 with sound effects, music and some reshot dialogue sequences (but none with Chaney).
The scene in which Erik plays the organ and Christine creeps up behind him to snatch his mask off is often cited by critics and connoisseurs of film art as one of the most memorable moments in the history of film. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_of_the_Opera_%281925_film%29
