Calgary Cinematheque & NMC Present 100th Anniversary Screening: The Phantom of the Opera (1925) with Live Score

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the classic 1925 film The Phantom of the Opera, brought to life with a live score performed by Chris Maric on the National Music Centre's Allen Theatre Organ.

Few films still have the power to entertain and enthrall audiences after a century like The Phantom of the Opera, the classic horror melodrama starring Lon Chaney and a cast of thousands.

Based on the mystery thriller novel by Gaston Leroux, this original silent production of The Phantom of the Opera remains the truest in adaptation to the original book, giving audiences the original story of Christine Daaé, Raoul de Chagny, Erik the Opera Ghost, and the Paris Opera House that has inspired so many other countless versions, including the world famous musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Produced by Carl Laemmle's Universal Studios as a follow-up to their smash hit adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the film was produced on a massive scale involving the creation of huge intricate sets replicating the famous Palais Garnier in Paris, from its grand staircase to its auditorium chandelier and down to its underground lake and the Phantom's lair. New and experimental filmmaking techniques such as 2-strip Technicolor were employed as no expense was spared in creating a cinematic spectacle. And yet nothing remains as impressive and memorable as the make-up created by star Lon Chaney, the Man of a Thousand Faces, to physically transform himself into Leroux's Phantom: a skull-like visage created by Chaney using padding, wires, and paints in an era before latex and foam.

As a film, The Phantom of the Opera went through numerous versions, revisions, and re-edits under the hands of four different directors and innumerable editors, including a re-edit and re-release in 1929 that is the most commonly seen version today. For ths 100th anniversary screening, Calgary Cinematheque is pleased to present a new reconstruction of the original 1925 General Release version, using the best available elements.

We are delighted to invite you to enjoy this 105-minute enduring picture with a new musical score from Chris Maric performing on the National Music Centre's Allen theatre organ! This live performance on a digital representation of a historic theatre organ, the most advanced ever built, will help to transport you back one hundred years to the glory days of silent cinema!

This is a special opportunity to step back in time to the early twentieth century, a golden age of cinema, when silent films captivated audiences with their visual storytelling. Before the invention of "talkies" — films with synchronized dialogue, sound effects, and scores — the theatre organ reigned supreme, providing the rich, dynamic soundscapes that brought these films to life.

For more information about the film, please visit calgarycinema.org/phantom.

About Calgary Cinematheque:

Founded in 2007 by local arts professionals, filmmakers, critics, and educators, the Calgary Cinematheque Society is a non-profit film society dedicated to presenting significant works of cinema year-round. Inspired by Cinematheques around the world, we curate films within their thematic and historical contexts, from classics and rediscoveries to contemporary world cinema.

We believe cinema is a vital form of artistic, social, and political expression, best experienced together in a theatre. Through purposeful curation and community engagement, we strive to cultivate a thriving critical cinema culture in Calgary, bringing people together to experience film as art. For more information, please visit calgarycinema.org.

About Chris Maric:

Chris Maric is a multi-instrumentalist known for his truly unique and innovative musical style. He has honed a technique which persistently flirts with genius, yet seemingly is always on the verge of recklessly stumbling into depths of unbridled passion. As a performer, composer and educator, he has demonstrated his talents to a wide variety of audiences, crossing paths with practically any musical genre and style. He has also worked with a vast array of artists and organizations, continually surprising audiences with fresh performances.

For this special presentation on the Allen Theatre Organ, Maric will act as a one-man orchestra, accompanying the classic silent film — The Phantom of the Opera. Maric will adapt his own original compositions, including his classical tour de force – To the Amusement of Shadows – while also drawing influence from time-honoured classics through the centuries. The end result will be a one-of-a-kind emotive and haunting experience. This is a rare opportunity to catch this wild and awe-inspiring show.