''Das Phantom der Oper'' is a 1916
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
. Also known as ''Das Gespenst im Opernhaus'', it is notable for being the first
film adaptation of the 1910 novel ''
The Phantom of the Opera
''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...
'' by
Gaston Leroux
Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (6 May 186815 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction.
In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel '' The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, ...
.
The film is now believed to be a
lost film
A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress.
Conditions
During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy ...
. No copies, photographs or even a poster of the film remain. Text advertisements and a summary exist. All that is known from these advertisements is that it was made in Germany in autumn 1915, directed by Ernst Matray, starring
Nils Olaf Chrisander
Nils Olaf Chrisander (born Waldemar Olaf Chrisander, 14 February 1884 – 5 June 1947) was a Swedish actor and film director in the early part of the twentieth century.
Biography
Chrisander's first screen appearances as an actor were in German a ...
as the Phantom and
Aud Egede-Nissen
Aud Egede-Nissen (30 May 1893 – 15 November 1974) was a Norwegian actress, director and producer. She appeared in many early 20th-century German silent films.
Early life
Born in Bergen, Norway in 1893, Egede-Nissen was a daughter of Norwegi ...
as Christine. Raoul was played by director Ernst Matray.
Production background
The film ''Das Phantom der Oper'' was shot in autumn 1915 in Germany and was released in 1916.
The script was written by
Greta Schröder
Greta Schröder (27 June 1892 – 8 June 1980) was a German actress. She is best known for the role of Thomas Hutter's wife and Count Orlok's victim in ''Nosferatu'' (1922). In the fictionalized 2000 film '' Shadow of the Vampire'', she is por ...
. The director, Ernst Matray, became her husband. The film lasted 76 minutes (16 frames per second, 5 rolls of film, the total length of the film was 1381 meters).
Cast
*
Nils Olaf Chrisander
Nils Olaf Chrisander (born Waldemar Olaf Chrisander, 14 February 1884 – 5 June 1947) was a Swedish actor and film director in the early part of the twentieth century.
Biography
Chrisander's first screen appearances as an actor were in German a ...
as
Erik
*
Aud Egede-Nissen
Aud Egede-Nissen (30 May 1893 – 15 November 1974) was a Norwegian actress, director and producer. She appeared in many early 20th-century German silent films.
Early life
Born in Bergen, Norway in 1893, Egede-Nissen was a daughter of Norwegi ...
as
Christine Daaé
Christine Daaé is a fictional character and the female protagonist of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel ''The Phantom of the Opera'' and of the various adaptations of the work. Erik, the Phantom of the Opera and Viscount Raoul de Chagny both fall in ...
* Ernst Matray as Raoul
See also
*
List of lost films
For this list of lost films, a lost film is defined as one of which no part of a print is known to have survived. For films in which any portion of the footage remains (including trailers), see List of incomplete or partially lost films.
R ...
References
External links
*
Further information on the film from thephantomonfilm.com.
1916 films
1916 horror films
German silent feature films
Films of the German Empire
Films based on The Phantom of the Opera
Lost horror films
Lost German films
German black-and-white films
German horror films
1916 lost films
Films shot in Germany
Silent horror films
1910s German films
{{1910s-horror-film-stub