The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923/I)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Wallace Worsley

Writers:

Victor Hugo (novel)
Perley Poore Sheehan (adaptation)

Release Date:

6 September 1923 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

In fifteenth century Paris, the brother of the archdeacon plots with the gypsy king to foment a peasant revolt. Meanwhile, a freakish hunchback falls in love with the gypsy queen.

Plot Keywords:

Gypsy | Hunchback | King | Gypsy King | Soldier

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Lon Chaney	...	Quasimodo
Patsy Ruth Miller	...	Esmeralda
Norman Kerry	...	Phoebus de Chateaupers
Kate Lester	...	Madame de Condelaurier
Winifred Bryson	...	Fleur de Lys
Nigel De Brulier	...	Don Claudio (as Nigel de Brulier)
Brandon Hurst	...	Jehan
Ernest Torrence	...	Clopin
Tully Marshall	...	El Rey Luis XI
Harry von Meter	...	Mons. Neufchatel (as Harry Van Meter)
Raymond Hatton	...	Gringoire
Nick De Ruiz	...	Mons. Le Torteru (as Nick de Ruiz)
Eulalie Jensen	...	Marie
Roy Laidlaw	...	Charmolu
Ray Myers	...	Charmolu's Assistant (as W. Ray Meyers)

Runtime:

Canada:95 min (Ontario) | USA:98 min (TCM Print) | USA:117 min (2006 alternate version) | 133 min (24 fps)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White | Color (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:Unrated | Canada:G (Ontario) | Spain:T | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

European Village set, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

In order to prepare himself for the role of Quasimodo, Lon Chaney held interviews with people who suffered from various physical deformities. His makeup was so masterful for its time that many film patrons believed that the actor playing the title character truly appeared in real life as he did on film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After Esmeralda gives Quasimodo water (he's still chained down), the nose putty on Quasimodo's left cheek is coming loose - there's a noticeable gap between Lon Chaney's face and the nose putty used to make the fake cheek.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Cyndi Lauper: 12 Deadly Cyns... and Then Some (1994) (V)

starring a true horror legend

Ah, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". The classic starring horror-legend, and famed "man-of-a-thousand-faces", Lon Chaney. After watching this film now, almost eighty years after its premiere, I wonder why there are no active, present-day horror icons like Lon Chaney has become. Maybe the answer lies in the fact that horror films of this type just are not made anymore. Quick, name a horror character in modern-day film that transcends film itself and is now part of the culture. Aside from the decade old, and increasingly light-weight and irrlevent, Freddy Kreuger, and perhaps Hannibal Lecter (though one can argue his character should not be compared to more conventional horror types like the ones Chaney played), there are none. Or the answer may lie in the fact that never again will there be a performer of the likes of Chaney. His ability to convey emotion through painstakingly applied pounds of make-up set the precedent for Boris Karloff's performances as Frankenstein's monster, and his son, Lon Chaney Jr., both legends in their own rights. And what a make-up it is. Basically operating with only a right eye, a crooked mouth, and flailing arms, his character, Quasimodo, is still an endearing yet tragic hero. His grotesque appearance is made even more appalling due to Chaney's mannerisms, such as his disjointed stride and flickering tongue. Yet, at the same time, the reason the viewer has pathos for the character is because of Chaney's body movements and contortions. Whether it be his rightfully-so mocking of the Parisian townspeople in the beginning of the movie or his reactions to his failing attempts at halting the charge on the cathedral at the end, Chaney is masterful at maximizing the neccessary theatrics that would be obscured under the make-up by any other actor. One of the most touching moments in the film occurs midway, when Quasimodo is whipped as punishment for his master's actions. "I thirst" the intercut caption reads. And just the way Quasimodo appears in that situation, helpless and pathetic, the viewer can almost hear Chaney cry out those words and wants to care for him. Then, he is no longer a "freak of nature" but a misfortunate human who is the only one pure of heart. Like so many "horror" films after it would again emphasize, he is not the "monster", the "normal" people are. This message is timeless. As such, the story, movie, and character are still relevant today - just a few years ago, Disney remade it into one of their feature length animation spectacles. Eighty years from now, heck, even thirty years from now, will the same be true for 90's horror? Will Anthony Hopkins become a deity among horror-movie buffs like Chaney has? This example alone justifies "Hunchback"'s classic status. Final Grade: A