Skin deep

The Phantom of the Opera

(1925)

And if old-loves-young is doomed, what of ugly-loves-pretty? . . .

Yeah, the unmasking is way creepy, and the restored color sequence at the masque ball is stunning, but what could have been effective as a straightforward riff on the Persephone myth gets muddled by enough red herrings to supply the St. Malachy's Fish Fry. What's the point of the mysterious Ledoux? Who the hell is the Strangler? And does the Phantom insist on calling himself Erik, ignoring the indisputable fact that "the Phantom" is far more fearsome? Clearly, he had never read a Marvel comic book.

I'm guessing much of the clutter is a function of inept adaptation from the novel (free for your Kindle!). There's much to applaud here, but skillful narrative is not on the list.