u/MrKyle98

Hello everyone, it's been a while i'm not writing in here, but i didn't stopped searching for this holy movie, no in fact, the search has been going on, i do search almost everyday, but today is different, today it's time i uncover the true history of this movie that for over a century has been eluding the radars of many fans and historians, are you ready to travel to the Phantom's Lair once again? So, let's go and remember to keep your hand up to face level!

As per usual i will write this as "chapters", this is just for making for everyone easier to read and follow.

Original poster from 1916

I- Die Schwarze Maske oder Das Phantom der Oper

For start, it's better to clear this enigmatic misleads once and for all, the title Das Phantom der Oper is the official title of the movie(it appear at the first ever premiere at the Marmorhaus), there is no "Das Gespenst im Opernhaus(in years i never ever come across this title so, if it exist it's a late edition title or a ghost-title).

The fact is while Das Phantom der Oper is the official title, the movie travelled with a lot of different ones as well, among these we found:

• Die Schwarze Maske(The Black Mask)
• Der Mann mit der schwarzen Maske(The Man with the Black Mask)
• Fantom der Oper
• Fantom
• Das Phantom der Grossen Opera

And many more titles in different countries such as:

• FANTASMA!(Italy)
• Svarta Maska(Possibly, Sweden)
• Het Spook in de Opera/Het Spook van de Opera(Holland)
• UPIÓR PODZIEMI(Poland/in some places)

And there's sure many others that i still haven't found out(yet).

II- The Leroux dilemma

First officiale premiere at the Marmorhaus(Berlin)

There is a constant rumor that this movie was just like Nosferatu with Stoker—an unofficial bootleg—and that Leroux himself sued Greenbaum. However, this is likely false. According to the original Marmorhaus advertisement that I found (image above), Gaston Leroux was clearly credited as the author of the original novel. It makes absolutely no sense for a company that stole an idea to print the original author's name in black and white for everyone to see.

So, the only logical conclusion is that, no, this movie was 100% legit and officially recognized as an adaptation of the novel. Most likely, Leroux himself knew about it as well.

III- Who is the Man under the Black Mask

For over a century, everyone(and my fault, in the past i did the same!), from the simple blog to official movies books kept listing Nils Olaf Chrisander as the Phantom, but the only real truth is that, no Nils Chrisander never ever had that black mask(and the death's head/Totengesicht make up), but was instead Dr. Prasch, an actor sadly mostly forgotten today.

\"The Phantom was played by Dr.Prasch\" (from a Berlin journal)

So, the correct cast is this:

Aud Egede-Nissen: Cristina Daaè

Dr. Rolf Prasch: Eric the Phantom

Nils Olaf Chrisander: Raoul de Chagny

Ernst Matray: The Persian Daroga.

Original ad from Berlin with the correct cast

There is also a "ghost-actor" listed on some famous encyclopedia and books, an actor named "Araschu" which simply never existed, i don't really known where they did found that name, but no, not a single ad from the time ever mention an actor with such name or surname, so don't fall for the "Punjab lasso of the lost media"!

IV- Does the movie still exist today or other photos actually exist?

The answer is not easy to give, but with logic we can find the most probably answer among these two eternal questions:

First thing first:

-Does the movie could still be somewhere waiting to be found again?

Actually while i can't be sure at 100%, the answer is most likely a yes! It could be very well hidden in an archive under a different name!

Let's be clear here, while there is no "Das Phantom der Oper" in any archives, no one ever looked for the other "official" titles that the movie went by, this mean that it might be still very well fully visible today, hidden in some archives under one of the different titles(in Germany or in one of the other countries the movie was release).

-Do other images of the movie still exist?

This is the easiest question to answer, and it's a good one! Yes, of course other stills surely exist. I found the first official (and for now, only) still of the movie. The fact that this specific one was published means that Greenbaum absolutely distributed other stills to newspapers and journals of the era, most likely including the one featuring the Totengesicht (the skull-like face).

-FINIS?-

For now this is all i had to share, but the search keep going on!

Alright, i know this must shock some "hardcore" Phantom fans, as much as did shocked me, but i want to note that it's not confirmed yet, just a. what we could say, a theory on some sources i manage to track down, so, try to not be too shocked like Cristina when she first unmask Eric.

-The Story so far-

For more than 100 years everyone listed and knew Nils O. Chrisander(true name Waldemar Chrisander) as the first ever Phantom on screen(and even myself i always listed him in this role as well) years before Lon Chaney, but what if this is all a huge mistake that keep going on?

If you think about it, Nils Chrisander was one we could say "beautiful hero" of that time, he always mostly starred as the beautiful hero in fact in his films, while we all known that while Eric the Phantom is a hero on his own, nobody would call him "beautiful"(sadly for him).

Anyway, according to some ad from that time, it wasn't Nils Chrisander in the role of the Phantom, but someone called "Ernst Prasch", Chrisander is list as "Graf de Chagny"(Raoul).

Niels Chrysander as Count Ghagny

From a Berlin newspaper

This text says:

"The Phantom of the Opera is the title of the major film that will be screened starting Friday at the Passage-Theater. The well-known novel by Gaston Leroux has been adapted for the screen and directed by Ernst Matray of the Deutsches Theater in Berlin.The leading roles are performed by the already well-known Nordic artists Egede Nissen and Nils Chrisander. The Phantom is played by Dr. Prasch, while Ernst Matray, with his renowned agility, portrays the Phantom's friend, the Persian Daroga. As the title suggests, the whole production is a fantastic, supernatural, and mysterious representation, with an effect so dreadfully beautiful, gripping, and tense, that only film is capable of conjuring it."

According to these two pieces from that time, Nils Chrisander was in fact in the role of Raoul, but here comes the doubts and the mysteries, in classic Opera House style.

Many more ads and posters clearly list Nils O. Chrisander(or variant like Chrysander) as the Phantom himself.

Here is listed as \"Phantom\", while Matray is listed as \"Raoul\"

You may ask, then who is this "Dr. Prasch/Ernst?", i can't answer that yet, i can't find a single lead on this one, but the surname is the same as the more famous Alois Prasch(who died in 1907 according to most sources) and Rolf Prasch(a credited actor), what does this mean? Here's my theories:

• A mistake of the newspapers of that time(seem possible, but unlikely)
• An alias of an unknown actor(seem possible, but why would someone use an alias?)
• A true actual actor that the story forgot about.

There's also the possible lead that the Dr. Ernst Prasch was a theatrical actor more than a cinema one or that he was known at the time, the title of "Dr" as for "Doktor" could give prestige to him and the movie itself, but then again, why would ever be mentioned in so few posters.

Now, what is the truth? Well, we simply don't known, until someone(me or the many others on the hunt for this legendary masterpiece) going to find out more images or the actual full movie, the first ever Phantom of the Opera going to keep his mask on...

I want to note that this is just a "maybe", the movie is lost, nobody could see it, nobody could see Nils under the black mask with the "death-head" the ads loved to mention, take this as what it is, an unconfirmed rumor, but with an actual true facts under it.

A recap, in order to keeping the track:

• Everyone knew Nils Chrisander as the first ever Phantom on the screen.
• Some ad and posters mention Dr. Prasch as the Phantom, one directly mention Ernst Prasch
• Matray is listed either as Raoul or the Persian(as we know even today, the doubt always existed)
• Chrisander could be very well been in the role of Raoul, he was seen as a "beautiful hero" back then.
• The only one we are 100% sure on the role is Edege Nissen, every sources list her as Cristina.

At least we have an actual image of the movie and this is a huge step in order to unmask all the secrets of this lost adaptation(that might be the greatest ever made).

https://preview.redd.it/9dozmy8aupzg1.png?width=382&format=png&auto=webp&s=a26b9802108039e8f871a65ef1d78a3e50a23b01

I truly hope this is just a mistake on someone of that time, in my heart Nils Chrisander *IS* the first ever Phantom on screen, but i could't ignore this lead just out of affection to the "legendary" status.

Finally, i don't known what to say, guys, so i'll just leave this here for all Phantom fans out here, this is how the first ever Phantom of the Opera on screen was like..

Nils Chrisander(The Phantom) with Aud Nissen(Cristina)

While far from an actual photo of Chrisander without the mask, the Phantom has been definitely unmasked, we finally have a visual proof of the vibes and even Aud Edege Nissen as Cristina, something that was never found in 100+ years, well until now.

Here's the full "article" and yes as you can see it was definitely known as "The Black Mask" or "The Man in the Black Mask" just as i mentioned in a earlier update!

https://preview.redd.it/um0dhh7vsdzg1.png?width=442&format=png&auto=webp&s=ba417c460cf7e410566415fc0ff427c2ef5f6f04

Edit: Found another better view of the same still.

https://preview.redd.it/y57q1nwteizg1.png?width=347&format=png&auto=webp&s=037a9e02e4dbf901cb84ac24a3690ebe17f4d530

And we have it, Eric and Cristina as they appeared in the first ever adaptation of the Leroux novel, after 100+ years, we can finally-at least get to see what the movie was like in it's vibes.

Guys, did you remember the official still it was found? Nobody could see a thing, it was too dark, but i found incredibly the first ever clear image that show us how the Phantom mask was and even Edge-Nissen in the role of Christine!

The movie was mostly known also as "Der Mann mit der schwarzen Maske" and "Die Schwarze Maske" that's why nobody could find much before!

After more than 100 years, the Phantom has been unmasked, we finally known what this adaptation of the Leroux book, the first ever made, was like!

The first ever still from the lost movie(it's the same image as the famous one, but this here, show all the details!