EDITOR’S NOTE: Phantom of the Opera was on the CBS Late Movie on October 18, 1985.
Long before Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical cemented the story as a sweeping romantic melodrama, television producer Robert Halmi produced this unique adaptation. Translocating the classic Gaston Leroux narrative from turn-of-the-century Paris to Budapest, this 1983 television movie stands as one of the most heavily altered and variant screen versions of the tale. Rather than starting with the mysterious happenings at the opera house, the film establishes a prolonged, tragic origin story for the Phantom himself.
Orchestra conductor Sándor Korvin (Maximilian Schell) is coaching his loving wife, young soprano Elena Korvin (Jane Seymour), for her debut as Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust. However, the predatory opera house owner, Baron Hunyadi (Jeremy Kemp), attempts to coerce Elena into a relationship. When she staunchly refuses, Hunyadi vows to ruin her career. During her debut, Hunyadi pays audience members to boo and hires corrupt critic Oskar Kraus to write a scathing review. Completely heartbroken, Elena jumps into the Danube River and drowns.
Consumed by grief and rage, Sándor murders the man who led the hecklers and confronts Kraus. During the ensuing struggle, an office fire breaks out, and a jar of sulphuric acid spills across Sándor’s face, leaving him hideously disfigured. Presumed dead in the flames, he is rescued by the rat-catcher Lajos and retreats into the catacombs beneath the opera house, donning a mask stolen from the costume department to become the Opera Ghost.
Four years later, Faust is being staged once more, starring the temperamental diva Brigida Bianchi (Diana Quick) under English director Michael Hartnell (Michael York). When Bianchi alienates the cast and walks out, the company holds open auditions for her understudy. Enter Maria Gianelli (also played by Jane Seymour), a young American-Italian soprano whose audition stuns the company. More importantly, Maria bears an exact physical resemblance to Sándor’s late wife, Elena. Watching from the shadows, the Phantom resolves to mentor Maria, vowing that her theatrical triumph will be his ultimate revenge against the corrupt management.
As Maria begins secret singing lessons with the Phantom in a lavish underground estate—completely unaware of his identity—she and director Michael Hartnell fall in love. Enraged by this budding romance, Sándor threatens Michael’s life and terrorizes the opera house until Brigida flees, leaving Maria as the undisputed leading lady. Tensions peak at a lavish Masked Ball, where Baron Hunyadi attempts to force his affections on Maria, only to be abducted alongside her by the Phantom and Lajos. While Hunyadi briefly recognizes Sándor, his attempt to bargain for his life ends brutally when he is set upon by a flock of crows and killed.
Held captive in the lair, Maria discovers a horrifying truth: Sándor has preserved Elena’s dead body for years. When Maria manages to trick the Phantom and tear away his mask—revealing his terrifying, burned visage—Sándor flies into a rage. He declares that she will never leave, plotting to fake her death by substituting Elena’s corpse. Fortunately, Michael Hartnell tracks Maria down by following the sound of her voice, subdues Lajos, and helps her escape.
Seeking an end to the terror, the police inspector and Michael plan a trap during a live performance of Faust, using Maria as bait in the audience. Sándor climbs to the catwalks above and drops the heavy chandelier onto the inspector. Spotting Maria below just as he cuts the chain, Sándor frantically attempts to stop the falling ironwork to save her. He fails; the chain snaps, sending both the massive chandelier and the Phantom crashing down. Sándor dies among the wreckage, his mask falling away to reveal his true face to the world at last.
This makes me miss big event TV movies. I guess we’ll never have those again.
You can watch this on YouTube.
