By Lee Pfeiffer
You can keep the overblown, over-rated stage production of
Phantom of the Opera. Personally speaking, the best sound-era version of the story is the vastly under-rated Hammer production from 1962 starring Herbert Lom in a magnificent and mesmerizing performance in the title role. The film's disappointing box-office take doesn't negate its many merits...and one brief scene at the climax is particularly memorable: the Phantom, hiding behind a curtain, observes his protege (Heather Sears) magnificently performing in front of an appreciative audience. Director Terence Fisher uses a closeup of a single tear escaping from the Phantom's mask. Pure poetry.Â