The Phantom of the Opera 1962

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The Phantom of the Opera ★★½ 1962

Hammer version of the Gaston Leroux novel transfers the action from Paris to London but keeps the basic story of a young singer (Sears) and her masked benefactor (Lom), who lives in the sewers beneath the opera house. There's also the wimpy fiance (De Souza) to come between them. Good gothic melodrama. Sears' singing was dubbed by opera performer Pat Clark; producer Hinds used the pseudonym John Elder for his screenplay. 85m/C VHS, DVD . Herbert Lom, Heather Sears, Edward De Souza, Thorley Walters, Michael Gough, Martin Miller, Ian Wilson; D: Terence Fisher; W: John (Anthony Hinds) Elder; C: Arthur Grant; M: Edwin Astley.