The Phantom of the Opera (1998) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Italian horror maestro Dario Argento brings his unique brand of horror to The Phantom of the Opera, a stylishly romanticized and surprisingly ornate take on Gaston Leroux's classic 1910 novel. Only, Argento's vision labors at being seen as a completely different retelling from the hundreds of adaptations before while simultaneously, toiling to remain true to the spirit of Leroux's well-known story. One of the more glaring differences is Argento's usual debauchery of undue violence and excessive gore for its own sake rather than in service of the plot. And it's all bizarrely mishmashed with a heavy-handed layer of gothic romanticism, a classy atmosphere that's sporadically interrupted by weird moments of slapstick comedy. Most notorious and perplexing is the rat catcher Ignace (István Bubik) and his henchman (Sandor Bese) in a grisly accident while riding their rat-killing contraption, which is more cartoonishly silly than shocking. 

However, the most flagrant if not also brazenly ambitious difference from all other screen versions is Julian Sands starring as the titular Phantom sans the gruesome disfiguring deformities described in detail by Leroux and as accurately depicted by Lon Chaney's 1925 performance. Instead of the corpse-like figure with yellow eyes sunken so deep into his face that it almost appears like a skull, Argento introduces audiences to a more aesthetically pleasing and traditionally handsome version of the tragic villain dwelling in the catacombs of the Opéra de Paris. The closest we come to Sands ever seeming like a specter is his long, oily blonde hair and pale skin as he moves through the dark shadows of the opera house. The British actor, perhaps best known for his performance in the Warlock movies, is nary given the opportunity to seem menacing or truly threatening although we're frequently told that everyone fears him.

Co-written with Gérard Brach (long-time Roman Polanski and Jean-Jacques Annaud collaborator), Argento further adds to the legend of The Phantom with scenes in the opening of a baby abandoned without explanation and raised by rats, which never play a significant enough role other than to seemingly mourn at The Phantom's death. Even more bizarre is the character apparently being able to communicate with others through telepathy, particularly with his object of obsession, Christine Daaé (Asia Argento). And Christine's character is arguably where the filmmakers truly blundered this unusual adaptation, having the young opera singer be enchanted by The Phantom's rodent-like magnetism and actually fall in love with him. Then again, that would explain why the filmmakers went with the attractive Sands — better to shag a good-looking sociopathic murderer than a hideous deranged lunatic residing in a watery cave with rats. 

The various changes and adjustments to the original novel are clearly done for prioritizing the visuals and overall stage production, which is ultimately where The Phantom of the Opera achieves some level of success — however small that victory may be. Working with award-winning cinematographer Ronnie Taylor (Gandhi), the gritty photography comes with a strangely colorful, energetic spell that also feels haunting and dreamy, heightening Antonello Geleng's (Dellamorte Dellamore) stage design to impressive beauty. Perhaps most surprising is the legendary film composer Ennio Morricone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Untouchables) creating a remarkably understated yet rather ordinary score, which is not to say it's bad, but surprisingly unremarkable or lacking any distinct characteristic. And with these minor wins, Argento's reimagining of a horror classic is, at least, worth checking out for fans. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome, Dario Argento's The Phantom of the Opera (1998) performs on the 4K Ultra HD opera as a two-disc package. A Region-Free, triple-layered UHD100 disc sits comfortably opposite a Region A locked, BD50 copy containing a healthy selection of special features. Both discs are housed inside the standard black, eco-elite keepcase with reversible cover art. At startup, the disc goes straight to an image of the title card with the usual menu options along the bottom and music playing in the background.

The Italian cult favorite haunts the Ultra HD stage with an outstanding, highly impressive and near-reference HEVC H.265 encode, which is the result of a brand-new remaster of the original 35mm camera negatives. It may not be the type of material to show off one's system, but the picture quality is exemplary for something of this caliber and age, showing that the source is in phenomenal condition. The only major drawback keeping it from scoring higher is the outdated CG optical and composite effects, especially those taking place on the roof of the opera, made more distractingly obvious and ineffective.

Nevertheless, the majority of the native 4K transfer showcases razor-sharp, well-defined lines in the furniture and the ornate architecture of the Parisian opera house and stage, exposing not only the distinct patterns of the wallpaper design and the grain in the wood but also the fine stitching and embroidery of the costumes. Awash in a thin but very prominent layer of natural grain, the Dolby Vision HDR presentation comes with lushly saturated and more vibrant primaries and a full-bodied array of secondary hues. Highly revealing facial complexions appear healthy with lifelike, peachy-rose skin tones in the entire cast. The 1.85:1 image also flaunts inky-rich and varied black levels while maintaining excellent visibility within the darkest shadows and a spot-on, vivid contrast balance with crisp, radiant specular highlights, providing the photography with appreciable depth. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 94/100)

The phantom terrorizes home theaters with a pair of strong but not particularly memorable or noteworthy DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtracks: English and Italian. Although both tracks have been cleaned up for this UHD edition, making them a welcomed step-up from the previous BD release, they remain essentially the same as their DTS-HD HR counterparts. They are just a bit more pristine and lacking the one significant artifact that kept those prior tracks from scoring higher.

The front-heavy presentation comes with a few atmospherics that occasionally employ the surrounds, but the background activity moves nicely and fluidly between the three front channels, creating an appreciably broad and engaging soundstage. However, Ennio Morricone's score and other music do much of the work, bleeding and echoing into the sides and widening the soundfield. Except for the obvious ADR work, dialogue is intelligible and well-prioritized throughout. The mid-range exhibits strong detailing and clean distinction, but it's not particularly extensive or really ever pushes far into the upper ranges, making for a rather uniform and unvarying lossless mix. On top of that, there isn't much going on in the low end, so as satisfying as the track is, it generally lacks a sense of presence or weight even in the action and music. (Audio Rating: 76/100)

For this UHD edition, Vinegar Syndrome has culled together a very attractive selection of bonus material, most of which is new and exclusive to this 4K release. Only the audio commentary is shared between both discs, and the accompanying Blu-ray disc contains all the supplements. 

• Audio Commentary with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
• NEW Of Screams and Arias (HD, 23 min) is an interview with star Nadia Rinaldi
• NEW Like a Thunder (HD, 21 min) is an interview with film editor Anna Napoli
• NEW Opera of Wounds (HD, 20 min) is an interview with special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti
• NEW Behind the Camera (HD, 12 min) is an interview with camera operator Marco Pieroni
• NEW Acts of Fear (HD, 11 min) is an interview with star Gianni Franco
• NEW Alternate English Titles (HD)
• Behind the Red Curtain (HD, 18 min)
• In the Phantom Cave (HD, 18 min)
• Welcome to the Opera (HD, 18 min)

Italian horror maestro Dario Argento tries his hand at Gaston Leroux's classic 1910 novel in The Phantom of the Opera, starring Julian Sands as the titular killer dwelling beneath the Opéra de Paris. Playing opposite the director's daughter Asia, Argento reimagines the horror tale into a stylishly romanticized and surprisingly ornate affair between two unlikely lovers but is often interrupted by sudden bursts of slapstick comedy and the director's unique brand of violence. Courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome, the Italian cult favorite terrorizes the 4K Ultra HD stage with a stunning, near-reference Dolby Vision HDR presentation and a pair of strong DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks. With a healthy and enjoyable set of bonuses, the overall UHD package is Recommended for the curious and hardened Argento fans.

All disc reviews at High-Def Digest are completed using the best consumer HD home theater products currently on the market. More about the gear used for this review.