The Hunchback of Notre Dame
A promotional lobby card for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
Directed by	Wallace Worsley
Produced by	Carl Laemmle Irving Thalberg
Written by	Victor Hugo Edward T. Lowe Jr. Perley Poore Sheehan
Starring	Lon Chaney Patsy Ruth Miller Norman Kerry Nigel de Brulier Brandon Hurst
Music by	Cecil Copping Carl Edouarde Hugo Riesenfeld
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)	2 September 1923
Running time	133 min
Country	United States
Language	Silent film English intertitles
Budget	$1,250,000 (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

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 one of the more famous adaptations of Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 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 spectacular makeup as the tortured bell-ringer of Notre Dame. Today, the film is in the public domain. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 744 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1210 × 975 pixel, file size: 717 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) // A promotionallobby card for The Hunchback of Notre Dame. ... Wallace A. Worsley Sr. ... Carl Laemmle Carl Laemmle (January 17, 1867 – September 24, 1939) born in Laupheim, Württemberg, Germany, was a pioneer in American film making and a founder of one of the original major Hollywood movie studios. ... Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 - September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. ... Victor-Marie Hugo (pronounced in French) (26 February 1802 — 22 May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights campaigner, and perhaps the most influential exponent of the Romantic movement in France. ... Edward T. Lowe Jr. ... Perley Poore Sheehan (b. ... There were two famous American actors named Lon Chaney, both known for their work in horror movies. ... Patsy Ruth Miller (January 17, 1904 - July 16, 1995) was an American movie actress. ... Norman Kerry Norman Kerry (June 16, 1894 - January 12, 1956) was an American actor whose career spanned over twenty-five years in the motion picture industry beginning in the silent era at the end of World War I. Born Arnold Kaiser in Rochester, New York of German parentage, he changed... Cecil Copping (b. ... Carl Edouarde (b. ... Robert Newhard (b. ... Anthony Tony Kornman (b. ... Charles J. Stumar or Charles J. Stumer (b. ... Maurice Pivar (b. ... Sydney Singerman (b. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... See also: 1922 in film 1923 1924 in film 1920s in film years in film film // Events April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers. ... Lon Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930), nicknamed The Man of a Thousand Faces, was an American actor during the age of silent films. ... For the Rap Artist see Quasimoto. ... Patsy Ruth Miller (January 17, 1904 - July 16, 1995) was an American movie actress. ... Illustration of Esmeralda from Victor Hugo and His Time. 1882. ... Wallace A. Worsley Sr. ... Victor-Marie Hugo (pronounced in French) (26 February 1802 — 22 May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights campaigner, and perhaps the most influential exponent of the Romantic movement in France. ... The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or Notre-Dame of Paris (in French, Notre-Dame de Paris) is a novel first published on January 14, 1831 by the prolific French author Victor Hugo. ... Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios), a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the major American film studios. ... Notre Dame de Paris: Western Façade For other uses, see Notre Dame. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

Synopsis

The locale of the story is in the city of Paris ten years before Columbus discovered America, and is a serious, tragic production throughout.

The story centers on the life of Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. He is prevailed upon by Jehan, the Archdeacon's evil brother, to kidnap the fair Esmeralda, the ward of the King of the underworld, Clopin. Esmeralda is rescued by dashing Phoebus, and taken under his wing. Quasimodo is sentenced to be lashed in the public square. While he is suffering under the sting of the whip, Esmeralda comes and brings him water. From that time on he is her devoted slave. Jehan and Clopin learn that Captain Phoebus plans to wed Esmeralda, and do all in their power to break up the affair, but fail. Jehan then stabs Phoebus and lays the blame on Esmeralda. She is sentenced to die, but is rescued by Quasimodo and escapes to the Cathedral, where she takes refuge. Clopin, egged on by Jehan, tries to storm the Cathedral while the crafty Jehan uses the time to loot the treasure vaults. Quasimodo, single handed, battles off the invaders with streams of molten lead, but gives his life in saving Esmeralda from Jehan. Phoebus, who was only wounded, comes to the rescue and saves the Church and his sweetheart. As they clasp each other to their hearts, Quasimodo rings their happiness and his own dirge. Archdeacon Claude Frollo, holding a baby Quasimodo. ... Clopin Trouillefou is a fictional character of the 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by French author Victor Hugo. ... Captain Phoebus is a fictional character from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. ...

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. Nitrocellulose (Cellulose nitrate, guncotton) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose (e. ... An example of light amber tinting and blue toning. ...

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 of the film are derived from 16 mm duplicate prints that were distributed by Blackhawk Films in the 1960s and 1970s.

External link

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Internet Movie Database
• Universal Monsters Forum