yOUR OPINION ON ME /out/ No, more seriously, your opinion on the Phantom of the Opera movie from 1925 aaaand on Polanski's work ?
ok so… 1925 Phantom. This is always hard for me because the version we know of the film is not the version that was seen by audiences in 1925. It’s a film that was so toyed around with through the years, with many reshoots and additions and recuts, etc, that it really feels like the shadow of what could’ve been really (if that makes sense). I do enjoy it a lot though, there are many great moments and Lon Chaney is still probably the best screen Phantom we’ve had so far, but nevertheless, I do think it’s a bit bland from a visual standpoint (great scenery but the camera doesn’t seem to do the best with them), especially when you take in consideration the other great horror films that were being at around the same time (think of Murnau’s “Faust” from the following year, for instance)
On to Polanski, it’s probably pretty clear from my blog that I’m a huge admirer of his films. I think what’s interesting about him is that on one hand he is a very narrative and character driven director (his attention to acting is insane, all performances in his films are terrific), he’s a really great storyteller really - fantastic ability to draw you into this situation and never let you go for a second-, but on the other hand he’s also great at creating abstract, dream universes. In fact, I think my favorite of his films are those that tend towards the fantastic, that go between dream and reality, etc, particularly the world of nightmares… he manages to create truly a unsettling, mindbending mode that lingers long after the film is over. I think that’s what he does best really, or at least what interests me in the most in his films… he really is absolutely brilliant with creating a living, horrifying nightmare, in stuff like “The Tenant” and “Repulsion”, and of course, “The Fearless Vampire Killers” (”comedy” it may be, it’s also very freaky as hell if you ask me). I’m also very intrigued by the recurring themes in his films… because they all feel so distinct from one another, so unique in their own way, and yet he always seems to be telling the same story - just in different scenarios, different genres.