Overview:
This is an HD copy of the 1929 version of the silent ‘Phantom of the Opera’ running at 24fps, synced to a number of scores which are either not available synced to an HD picture or which have some deficiencies in their official release. The first four scores are performed by accomplished organists, the fifth is by a progressive rock band, “the Laze.”

Gaylord Carter     Korla Pandit       Lee Erwin          The Laze's Album

Gaylord Carter Organ Score: This score (recorded for Blackhawk Films) was featured in mono on an Image laserdisc and then remastered in stereo for the Image and Kino blurays. Unfortunately it’s wildly out of sync on both blurays, leaving the laserdisc as the only good presentation. I have included a re-synced stereo score as well as the original mono release. It’s a nice organ track by a prolific silent accompanist.

Alternative Gaylord Carter Organ Score: This is a different recording, also by Gaylord Carter, performed for the Paul Killiam Film Classic Edition that aired on television in the 1980s (this copy of the score is sourced from a youtube copy of a television airing). It’s lower fidelity than the other Gaylord Carter score, but is a nice performance, with many different creative decisions that set it apart from the Blackhawk Films version.

Korla Pandit Organ Score: This is a live recording of a Korla Pandit score, only ever released on laserdisc by Lumivision. Korla Pandit was an an African-American organist who publicly wore a bejeweled turban and adopted the persona of a French-Indian musician from New Delhi. He originated the television act later helmed by Liberace. The score is performed on a vintage Wurlizer theater organ and is lively and engaging. Somewhat strangely, the sound engineers for the 1990 laserdisc choose to dub in sound effects over the recording, mostly assembling a limited audience reaction track and some select sound effects. The audience reactions are clearly stock effects and, in my opinion, somewhat mar this otherwise fine track.

Lee Erwin Organ Score: This is a score performed by Lee Erwin for the Essex Films/Griggs-Moviedrome release. It contains narration for the ‘man with the lantern’ opening voiced by John Griggs, a Broadway and radio actor who collected and sold vintage films. It’s sourced from the reelclassic dvd release, which is a capture of a 16mm print and thus is fairly low fidelity. Still, it’s a solid score for the film, performed by another prolific silent accompanist, now synced to a high quality picture.

The Laze Score: The Laze is a rock group founded in Liverpool. Their score to Phantom is varied and well-produced. From the press release: “Influenced by a history of horror soundtracks, from Bernard Hermann and Angelo Badalamenti to Goblin and John Carpenter, The Laze implemented elements of Progressive Rock, Classical, Jazz, Heavy Metal & Electronica in their score. The band premiered their live soundtrack at Liverpool’s Picturehouse cinema, in the arts hub of FACT, on Halloween 2010. The sold-out, one-night-only performance led to further performances in UK cinemas, which concluded with a sold-out tour of selected Picturehouse Cinemas for Halloween 2011. Now they are bringing the Phantom into your home!”
This release replicates the version of the score available for free on their Vimeo page. You can purchase the album version of the soundtrack on the Laze’s Bandcamp.

Extras:

Gaylord Carter - Image Laserdisc Intro
The intro from the Blackhawk Films version of the film, which has an extended audio introduction over several title cards which introduce the picture.
Korla Pandit - Lumivision Laserdisc Intro
This introduction shows Korla warming up on the organ before his live performance.
The Phantom Of The Opera - 07:17
An excerpt from yet another recording of Gaylord Carter’s score to Phantom on a Møller organ originally commissioned for Reginald Foort which was then installed in a Pizza parlor in San Diego. From the album, ‘The Mighty Wurlitzer - Music For Movie-Palace Organs’ (1977).

Specs:
16:9 1080p 24fps 21gb MKV - Black and White with technicolor sequence and tinted sequence – 01:17:13
Aspect ratio: 1.2:1
Audio: PCM stereo/mono
Screencaps: https://imgur.com/a/PGZ21e5

Now available on myspleen or pm me (click my user name and then select “create a private topic”) for a link.