‘The Phantom of the Opera’ on Film

A series of three presentations aimed at showing the extraordinary geographical and stylistic range of opera’s most famous off-shoot.

Each session will feature numerous clips, questions from the audience, and live performances by students and alumni of Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

1.30-2.10pm – Act I: Phantom spaces

John Snelson, Head of Interpretation at the Royal Opera House, discusses the ideas of territory and space that are so important to the Phantom of the Opera phenomenon, ranging from Gaston Leroux’s original novel in 1909-10 to the very many Chinese adaptations on film and television.

2.30-3.10pm – Act II: Phantom genres

Charlotte Gleghorn of the University of Edinburgh demonstrates the fascinating range of genres covered by the Phantom adaptations (from opera to cabaret, and from horror films to telenovelas) with particular reference to comic versions from South America.

3.30-4.10pm Act III: Phantom ownership

Annette Davison of the University of Edinburgh explores the theme of ownership in Hollywood re-tellings of the Phantom’s story, and more generally the place of music in the various cultures and societies represented in the films.

This event is a collaboration between the V&A as part of the ‘Opera: Power, Passion and Politics‘ exhibition and ‘Screen adaptations of Le Fantôme de l’Opéra: Routes of cultural transfer’, a research project led by Dr Cormac Newark of Guildhall School of Music & Drama and generously supported by an International Networks grant from the Leverhulme Trust.