Urbano Barberini as the Phantom

The reader will note that nowhere in the film do they out and out suggest that this is a Phantom film. It is only in subtle things, such as the bloody mask, the fixation with a young opera singer, the rose he gives to the young singer, and the brutal way he has her watch as a bizarre form of courtship, that makes me place this film firmly in the Phantom ranks. True, other movies have this as well, but the either stray from the opera house, or don’t have a strong enough character to take Erik’s role on comfortably.

Urbano Barberini as the Phantom is wickedly disjointed and violent. He is more savage than most Phantoms and has an unstable split personality that seems to fuse as the movie goes along. He can also, at the same time, be a very dapper and unobtrusive Police Inspector, almost as if it is the mask that gives him his powers in the opera house. He also follows the film tradition of not being deformed until later in the movie, but as the creepy organ music kicks in and he dons a bloody mask, you can forgive him for that.

Christina Marsillach performs soundly in the role of Becky, the young opera singer who has attracted the attention of the killer from his box. She frequently outthinks the crazed inspector, and although frightened, she won’t avoid a fair fight with him when she can get one. There is never any suggestion of love on her part for him, as the rather graphic way he dismembers her other suitors leaves her only with a hatred for the masked killer. Funny, the film is like an opera itself, for only one character has amazing blue eyes, yet since he wears a mask nobody recognizes him.

Overall, this is a very good example of a richly artistic interpretation of the Phantom story, and it is a treat to watch. If you want the full experience go for the unedited version. There is a sort of musical quality to the killer’s work that shouldn’t be missed. Indeed, his charming way of presenting his work to Betty will leave most viewers breathless.

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