The Phantom of the Opera (1983)

Michael York

Jeremy Kemp

Gellért Raksányi

**The Phantom of the Opera** is a TV film adaptation of Gaston Leroux's *Le Fantôme de l'Opéra* released in 1983 and directed by Robert Markowitz.

## Plot

In Budapest a young operatic soprano Elena Korvin is struggling to rehearse the part of Marguerite in the Opera Gounod's *Faust*
 despite the assistance from her loving husband Sandor Korvin, the
orchestra's conductor. The Opera House's owner Baron Hunyadi attempts to
 win Elena's heart to draw her away from her husband but Elena refuses.
She leaves with a fearful threat from Hunyadi that her career will end.
Elena loses hope of succeeding in the role believing she is not good
enough. But Korvin insists that she is and proves so by convincing her
to be calm and confident.
In revenge for Elena refusal the baron bribes a man (who had already
made a deal with Korvin to help encourage Elena during the show) to make
 the audience boo and despise Elena during her debut. He also bribes the
 critic to write a bad review about her. Completely heartbroken Elena
jumps into the river, drowning herself. A vengeful Korvin murders the
man who drove the audience against his wife, then he goes to confront
the critic Kraus. During a struggle the office catches fire. Korvin murders Kraus but a bottle of sulphuric acid falls over on a shelf and
splashes on to Korvin's face badly burning him. He is saved from the
fire by the rat catcher Lajos who hides him in the cellars beneath the
Opera house. Lajos steals a mask from the costume department to hide
Korvin's deformity caused by the acid. From then on Sandor Korvin
becomes the "Opera Ghost" AKA The Phantom of the Opera.

Four years later, Faust is being performed again. The selfish
leading soprano Madame Brigida Bianchi refuses to follow the direction
from the show's English director Michael Hartnell. The spoiled diva
accuses everyone in the show being the reason for her problems and walks
 away. Hartnell offers Baron Hunyadi to take over the show. But Hunyadi
refuses due to his "personal relationship" with Madame Bianchi. So
Hartnell holds an understudy audition for the role of Marguerite. A
young Italian/American soprano Maria Gianelli, performs a perfect
audition which amazes everyone and she is granted the role. The Phantom
who also witnessed the audition is interested in Maria, not just because
 of her voice, but because she bears a remarkable resemblance to Elena.
He vows to help her and that her triumph will be his revenge.

Hartnell and Maria begin to develop romantic feelings for each other
during the first few days of rehearsals. The Phantom slips an insulting
note to Madame Bianchi. The diva accuses Maria believing she sent the
note. Despite Maria's denial, Madame Bianchi declares that she never wants
 to see Maria in the theatre again. At home Maria sits sadly. When her
lights unexpectedly turn off she is approached by The Phantom. At first
she is afraid of his masked face but he assures her the mask is to
protect her. He says he wants to help make her a great singer and offers
her the key to a place to meet him and where she can learn. Maria
accepts his offer taking the key.

The next day Maria finds the key is to a huge and beautiful house. In
one room she finds a wardrobe of dresses and a framed photo of Elena on a
 vanity. Maria is confused by the resemblance between her and the blonde
 woman. When The Phantom arrives he tells Maria that he'd like her to
wear the dresses while they are rehearsing, that she will tell no one of
 him and devote her days to the lessons. As the days go by Maria's voice
 improves strongly with her lessons. Due to constant pranks from The
Phantom, Madame Bianchi leaves which makes Maria the new leading lady.
Hartnell and Maria fall in love each other. But Hartnell is choked at
the Turkish spa by The Phantom, threatening Hartnell to stay away from
Maria. Hartnell decides to postpone Maria's debut, believing she is not
ready. Maria sends a note to The Phantom to meet her at the Masked Ball.

At the masked ball, Hunyadi attempts to win Maria’s affections but
just like Elena, Maria turns down the Baron’s advances. She is then met
by The Phantom who wears a mask resembling his original face and the two
 of them dance. The Phantom tells her not to see Hartnell again and they
 will be together forever. She flees from the ball but is kidnapped
along with Hunyadi by Lajos and taken to the Phantom’s lair. Maria is
knocked out when she attempts to escape again. Hunyadi realizes The
Phantom’s true identity is Sandor Korvin, he promises that if he is
freed he will make Maria the star Elena should have been. Korvin frees
the baron but when Hunyadi enters his car he is pecked to death by birds. His body is then discovered hanging from a backdrop above the
stage.

When Maria awakens the Phantom says that she will remain
underground with him so she won’t suffer as his wife did. Maria says
that if he lets her go she would return. But the Phantom assures her
that in his heart he is good and he wants her to love him. While
caressing him she rips away his mask revealing his burned deformed face.
 Angered, Korvin declares that Maria will never leave the underground. He
 reveals a dead girl’s body dressed in Maria’s ball dress, he declares
that when her body is discovered the police will believe the corpse is
Maria’s. Korvin leaves to dump the body while Lajos watches over Maria.
Hartnell who has been tracking Korvin discovers the lair by hearing
Maria’s singing. Lajos gets knocked out and Hartnell helps Maria escape.
 Korvin murders Lajos for failing to guard Maria and disappears from the
 underground. The police inspector and Hartnell plan to capture Korvin
in the theatre during a performance with Maria as bait sitting in the
audience.

On the night, Korvin plans to drop the chandelier on the inspector who
is sat directly beneath it. Maria swaps seats with the inspector because
 she feels unsafe in the opera box she was originally seated. Korvin who
 is on the chandelier sawing through its chain spots Maria sitting down
beneath the chandelier. Fearfully he tries to get back up to prevent the
 chandelier falling on her, but the chain breaks and both fall down.
Maria sees it falling and gets away just in time with the other audience
 members. Korvin dies from the fall and lies with his mask fallen from
his deformed face.

## Cast

* Maximilian Schell as Sandor Korvin
* Jane Seymour as Maria Gianelli/Elena Korvin
* Michael York as Michael Hartnell
* Jeremy Kemp as Baron Hunyadi
* Diana Quick as Brigida Bianchi
* Gellért Raksányi as Lajos
* Philip Stone as Kraus