Long before Andrew Lloyd Weber turned the Phantom of the Opera into an iconic singing sensation, the 'ghost' of the Paris opera house was terrifying early movie audiences in a ground-breaking silent film.

The 1925 version, starring Lon Chaney in the title role, gave a ghastly face to the disfigured phantom created by Gaston Leroux in his 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra. Chaney’s self-devised make-up was kept a studio secret and caused quite a stir when the film was premiered, with audiences reportedly screaming or fainting in the scene when Christine pulls his mask off. It is generally accepted that Chaney’s depiction of the phantom was the most faithful to Leroux’s book, where he is described as having a skull-like face with a few wisps of black hair on top of his head. 

Directed by no fewer than four people, including Chaney himself, albeit uncredited, and re-shot three times, the film was ultimately a box office success that inspired a string of classic horror films. Fast forward 90 years and the film is enjoying something of a revival thanks to a new, dynamic soundtrack composed and performed live by the music ensemble Minima.

And this 21st century interpretation of the images of the 1925 silent film is now coming to Malta in an extraordinary screening at Fort St Elmo in Valletta on 5th July. 

“The Phantom of the Opera is a fabulous film, a real classic from the 1920s,” explains Alex Hogg from Minima. “It's fast-moving, wonderfully acted and filmed and we partly chose it because it appeals to all age groups. We tend to go for the darker side of film - the thrillers, mysteries, surrealist films and horror films, as our music lends itself to this and we are drawn to darker atmospheres. This film is probably the most popular of all our scores. We have played it many times in the UK, in all sorts of venues.”

The film was extraordinary not only in its depiction of gothic horror but also in the fact that it originally contained 17 minutes of colour footage, although only the “Bal Masqué” scene survives in colour. In the scene on the opera house’s rooftop, the phantom’s cape was coloured red. Far from grainy black and white images, this film is colour-tinted all the way through. 

This will be Minima’s first ever performance in Malta, and they confess they are “very excited to be playing such a beautiful-looking venue.” Established 12 years ago, Minima plays exclusively to silent films composing original scores for each film which evolve with each performance. Their repertoire includes Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger and German horror films Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. 

The Bristol-based four-piece group produce an “uncompromising and unique sound” and use no backing tracks or pre-recorded material in performance. Instrumentation includes cello, double bass, baritone guitar, acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, autoharp, dulcimer, synthesizer, glockenspiel and drum kit.

So what came first, I ask Alex, film or music? “We’re all into film, isn’t everyone?” he quips. “The interesting thing for me is that music carries more meaning than visual images, even though your eyes think they are telling you the story.”

The project started off after Alex’s stint working at the British Film Institute in London, where he saw a lot of silent films with live music accompaniment. However, Minima took this a step further.

“Many people might imagine perhaps a piano player providing a score. We find audiences are very surprised at the ‘immersive’ experience of our score. We have an uncompromising sound - very modern but all completely live, no backing tracks, no sequenced sounds. This is very much a multi-media experience and we think, in the spirit of the original intention in the 1920s, will create a memorable theatrical performance.” 

The Phantom of the Opera silent film by Minima is on 5th July at 9pm at Fort St Elmo, Valletta. The event is part of the Malta Arts Festival. Click here for tickets.