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The Conversation
The Conversation
Kit MacFarlane, Lecturer, Creative Writing and Literature, University of South Australia

Why Hollywood’s first iconic Phantom of the Opera film is still puzzling us, 100 years on

Phantom Lloyd Webber Hollywood Christine the Sydney Opera House
Universal Pictures

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s extravagant 1986 musical version of The Phantom of the Opera will celebrate its 40th anniversary at the Sydney Opera House in 2026. But an even more enduring anniversary takes place in September 2025: 100 years since Hollywood’s first film version of The Phantom of the Opera.

Officially released on September 6 1925 in New York, and directed by New Zealand-born Rupert Julian, the film remains an iconic symbol of silent cinema, with plenty of spectacle and intrigue for modern viewers.

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