The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Directed by	Wallace Worsley
Produced by	Carl Laemmle Irving Thalberg
Written by	Novel: Victor Hugo Screenplay: Edward T. Lowe, Jr. Perley Poore Sheehan
Starring	Lon Chaney, Sr. Patsy Ruth Miller Norman Kerry Nigel de Brulier Brandon Hurst
Music by	Cecil Copping Carl Edouarde Hugo Riesenfeld Heinz Eric Roemheld
Cinematography	Robert Newhard Tony Kornman Virgil Miller Stephen S. Norton Charles J. Stumar
Editing by	Edward Curtiss Maurice Pivar Sydney Singerman
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	September 2, 1923
Running time	100 min
Country	United States
Language	Silent film English intertitles
Budget	$1,250,000 (estimated)

The 1923 film version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, starring Lon Chaney as Quasimodo and Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda, and directed by Wallace Worsley, is the most famous adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, aside from the 1996 Disney Adaptation. The film was Universal's "Super Jewel" of 1923 and was their most successful silent film, grossing over three-million dollars.

The film is most notable for the grand sets that recall 15th century Paris as well as Lon Chaney's performance and spectacular make-up as the tortured bell-ringer of Notre Dame. The film elevated Chaney, already a well-known character actor, to full star status in Hollywood. It also helped set a standard for many later horror films, including Chaney's The Phantom of the Opera in 1925. Today, the film is in the public domain.

A script is currently being drawn up for a proposed remake funded by Dimension Films for a 2013 release.

Synopsis

A promotional lobby card for The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The story is set in Paris ten years before Columbus discovered America.

Quasimodo is a deformed bell-ringer of the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Jehan, the evil brother of Dom Claude, the good and saintly archdeacon of Notre Dame, prevails upon him to kidnap the fair Esmeralda, the daughter of Clopin, the ward of the king of the underworld. The dashing Phoebus rescues her and takes her under his wing. Quasimodo is sentenced to be lashed in the public square. As he suffers under the sting of the whip, Esmeralda comes and brings him water. From that time he is her devoted slave. Jehan and Clopin both learn that Phoebus plans to wed Esmeralda, and do all in their power to break up the affair, but fail. Jehan then stabs and wounds Phoebus and lays the blame on Esmeralda. She is sentenced to death, but is rescued by Quasimodo and takes refuge in the Cathedral. Clopin tries to storm the Cathedral, while crafty Jehan attempts to loot the treasure vaults. Quasimodo routs the invaders with torrents of molten lead, and kills Jehan by throwing him off the ramparts of Notre Dame. Just before he does, however, Jehan fatally stabs Quasimodo in the back with his knife. Phoebus comes to the rescue and encounters Esmeralda. As she and Phoebus clasp each other to their hearts, Quasimodo rings his own death toll. After ringing the bell, Quasimodo dies. Esmeralda and Phoebus leave without even noticing that Quasimodo is mortally wounded, but Dom Claude enters just in time to see him die.

Preservation

Original prints of the film were on cellulose nitrate film stock and were either worn out, decomposed or were destroyed by the studio (mostly the latter). Original prints were on tinted film stock in various colors, including sunshine, amber, rose, lavender and blue.

The only surviving prints of the film are 16 mm "show-at-home" prints distributed by Universal in the 1920s and 1930s for home-movie purposes, and no original 35mm negatives or prints survive. Most video editions (including public domain releases) of the film are derived from 16 mm duplicate prints that were distributed by Blackhawk Films in the 1960s and 1970s. A DVD release of a newly restored print of the film was released by Image Entertainment on October 9, 2007.

Cast

• Lon Chaney as Quasimodo
• Brandon Hurst as Jehan Frollo
• Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda
• Norman Kerry as Phoebus de Chateaupers
• Kate Lester as Madame de Gondelaurier
• Winifred Bryson as Fleur de Lys de Gondelaurier
• Nigel De Brulier as Dom Claude
• Ernest Torrence as Clopin Trouillefou
• Tully Marshall as King Louis XI
• Harry von Meter as Monsieur Neufchatel
• Raymond Hatton as Pierre Gringoire
• Nick De Ruiz as Monsieur le Torterue
• Eulalie Jensen as Marie
• Roy Laidlaw as Jacques Charmolue
• Ray Myers as Charmolue's assistant
• William Parke as Josephus
• Gladys Brockwell as Paquette
• John Cossar as Judge of the Court
• Edwin Wallock as King's Chamberlain

See also

• List of films in the public domain

External links

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Internet Movie Database
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Allmovie
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the TCM Movie Database
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Google Video (Adobe Flash video)

v • d • e The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo Characters Esmeralda • Claude Frollo • Quasimodo • Captain Phoebus • Clopin Trouillefou • Pierre Gringore • Madellaine Films Esmeralda (1905) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1911) • The Darling of Paris (1917) • Esmeralda (1922 film) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) • Notre Dame de Paris (1956) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1966) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1977) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1986) • Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) • The Hunchback (1997) • Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) Other Adaptations La Esmeralda (1844 ballet) • Notre-Dame de Paris (1998 musical) • Der Glöckner von Notre Dame (1999 musical)