The Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack (1962)

Synopsis

During the London opening of Saint Joan, a new opera by Lord Ambrose D'Arcy (Michael Gough), the body of a murdered stagehand swings out of the wings on a rope into full view of the terrified audience.

The prima donna quits the production after the ghastly occurrence, forcing D'Arcy and producer Harry Hunter (Edward de Souza) to audition for a replacement.

They discover Christine Charles (Heather Sears), a talented but unknown singer, but D'Arcy refuses to use her after she rejects his romantic advances.

Shortly thereafter, Christine is abducted by a dwarf (Ian Wilson) and carried to a grotto under the opera house, where she is confronted by a masked figure (Herbert Lom) who offers to give her vocal training.

Meanwhile, Harry has discovered that Saint Joan was actually written by an unknown composer who supposedly drowned in the Thames after suffering severe burns.

Following the victim's trail, Harry finds himself in an underground sewer tunnel, which leads to Christine and her captor.

It is here that the masked figure introduces himself as the former Professor Petrie, a former composer who tells Harry and Christine the story to how he become the way he was...

In a long flashback sequence, Petrie was a former college professor who wanted to become a composer. He wrote an opera titled 'Saint Joan' and introduced it to D'Arcy. But apparently D'Arcy claimed the opera piece as his own and tried to have Petrie arrested.

In an attempt to stop the printing of the music with D'Arcy's name on it, Petrie broke into the printing office to destroy the prints, but accidentally started a fire, which left him severely burned.

Petrie, now going as the mythical legend of the 'Phantom of the Opera' has been residing for the past few years under the London opera house to seek revenge against D'Arcy and all of those responsible for his condition.

Touched by the Phantom's tale of D'Arcy's thievery, Harry agrees not to interfere with Christine's lessons in which Petrie/The Phantom will release Christine when her lessons are complete.

A few weeks later, Christine is released by the Phantom to perform at the opera's re-opening to a bravura performance in Saint Joan.

As she takes her bow, however, the dwarf is spotted watching the performance, and in his attempt to flee from security guards, he accidentally breaks loose a heavy chandelier directly above Christine.

Aware of her danger, the Phantom rips off his mask (revealing his hideously deformed face for the first time), leaps to the stage, and throws Christine to safety before the chandelier falls on and kills him.

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