A-Z Challenge: E is for...Erik, The Phantom

E is for...Erik, The Phantom!
A figure of Lon Chaney Sr. as Erik, in the 1925 silent film
'The Phantom of the Opera'

E is for Erik, the disfigured antagonist of the 1910 Gaston Leroux novel, 'Le Fantôme de l'Opéra' ('The Phantom of the Opera'). I've chosen to concentrate this entry on the first portrayal of Erik on film, Lon Chaney in the 1925 silent movie version. For those of you wondering why the above photo shows Erik sitting at a modern keyboard instead of an organ, I should explain that it's a photo of a figure of Lon Chaney as Erik, sitting at my keyboard. That taken care of, on with the post...

Erik (Lon Chaney) and Christine (Mary Philbin)
Image Source: A Muchness of Me

In the novel, Leroux often describes Erik / The Phantom as an ominous and frightening character who sleeps in a coffin and has an unmasked visage resembling a rotting corpse or a skull. Chaney's portrayal of Erik is more faithful to this than many later versions, but this is largely due to the 1925 film's focus on horror rather than the more romantic elements, as is the case in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical adaptation.  Obviously, Erik is still in love with Christine, but he's never viewed in a romantic light. Indeed, when the 1925 version was originally released, some cinemas were told to keep smelling salts nearby to wake terrified women that had fainted in shock during the unmasking scene!

Erik and Christine
Image Source: Classic Movie Monsters

However, many of the details about Erik's life before he lived under the opera house in Paris are glossed over or simply omitted completely. Unfortunately, it's those details, together with the complexity of his personality, that make Erik a much more sympathetic and mysterious man than the film allows for. Still, given that Erik is positioned as a figure of fright through much of the film, Chaney's method acting and special effects make-up expertise help him to portray the The Phantom excellently, without even speaking a word.

This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge.

A-Z Challenge: C is for...Caligari!

C is for...The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
Image Source: Light Keeps Me Company

I'll be honest, this entry has been backdated because I missed 3 days of the challenge due to my poor planning (heh...), but better a little late than never I guess? So today, C is for...Caligari! Or more specifically, German director Robert Weine's stylish silent, 'Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari' ('The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari', 1920). I could write a whole essay on this movie, as it's one of my favourites, but I'll spare you all the boredom this time and keep it fairly short!

 Dr. Caligari and Cesare the Somnambulist

Cast:

Dr. Caligari - Werner Krauss

Cesare - Conrad Veidt

Francis - Friedrich Feher

Jane Olsen - Lil Dagover

Alan - Hans Heinrich von Twardowski

Dr. Olsen - Rudolf Lettinger

Genres:
Silent
Classic horror
Psychological horror

German Expressionist

Plot:
A young man, Francis, recounts a story to a man seated next to him about his fiancee, Jane, and the strange events that they both experienced. The film then continues in an extended flashback, beginning with Francis and his friend, Alan, visiting a fair in their home town. Dr. Caligari is there with Cesare, a somnambulist. Caligari claims that Cesare has been asleep for 25 years and, waking under Caligari's hypnotic control, is now able to see into the future. Alan asks Cesare how long his life will be, to which Cesare replies: "The time is short. You die at dawn!". This prediction comes true, as Alan is murdered that night and Francis is convinced that Cesare was responsible. This leads Francis to begin following Cesare and Dr. Caligari.

Cesare fleeing, carrying Jane

The next night, Cesare goes into Jane's bedroom, intending to kill her, but cannot bring himself to murder such a beautiful woman and kidnaps her instead. The townspeople go after him, and after running from them for some time, Cesare passes out and dies of exhaustion. At the same time the police discover that Dr. Caligari has fled and Francis follows him to an insane asylum, where he attempts to find out the truth about the doctor.

Is it any good?:

In a word: yes! But just to elaborate a little...

If you don't like black & white, silent horrors or aesthetically unrealistic films, and aren't at all interested in film history, then you probably won't like 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' much. However, as one of the first films of the horror genre and with the concept of a twist ending - still used today - to boot, this is an excellent example of early cinema, with a bit of depth. What's more, the film manages to create eerie abduction and murder scenes without a drop of blood anywhere. Through a clever use of lighting, the killing is depicted predominantly in shadow and silhouette. Of course, by today's standards, the acting may be seen as ridiculously exaggerated, but then again, all the battling, slow-motion epics and screaming, gory slasher movies of late are pretty damn exaggerated too, don't you think?

Scary?: 

I wouldn't say it's "scary" as such, but there's definitely a creepy feel throughout. It's unmistakably a horror. 

This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge.

Film: Georges Melies "Le Manior du Diable"

Honoring the french "cinemagician" Georges Melies, creator of numerous classic black and white silent films. Here is a clip of one of his most malevolent films, "Le Manior du Diable" (The House of the Devil); a short but fantastic clip made in 1896 filled with classic horror and spooky effects!

(Keep an eye on the skeleton!!!)