The Hunchback of Norte Dame - A 1923 Silent Film - Starring Lon Chaney and Patsy Miller- Run Time One Hour 57 minutes

On YouTube 

https://youtu.be/mSUWMX5-K3U

This is part of my Participation in Paris in July 2023 Hosted by Words and Peace

https://wordsandpeace.com/2023/06/30/paris-in-july-2023/

Set in 15th-century Paris, Jehan (Brandon Hurst), the evil brother of the archdeacon, lusts after a Gypsy named Esmeralda (Patsy Ruth Miller) and commands the hunchback Quasimodo (Lon Chaney) to capture her. Military captain Phoebus (Norman Kerry) also loves Esmeralda and rescues her, but the Gypsy is not unsympathetic to Quasimodo's condition, and an unlikely bond forms between them. After vengeful Jehan frames Esmeralda for the attempted murder of Phoebus, Quasimodo's feelings are put to the test.

Quasimodo is initially repulsed by Esmeralda's beauty, but he soon comes to care for her. When Esmeralda is framed for the attempted murder of Phoebus, a captain of the guard, Quasimodo risks his own life to save her. In the end, Quasimodo is rewarded for his kindness and courage, and he finds acceptance and love among the people of Paris.

The 1923 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a classic of silent cinema. Lon Chaney's performance as Quasimodo is one of the most memorable in film history, and the film's sets and costumes are lavish and impressive. The film is a powerful and moving adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel, and it remains a popular and critically acclaimed film today.

The scenes in the streets of Paris among the extreme poor are very striking.  The make up for Lon Chaney took two hours to apply . The film strongly portrays the extreme contrast of the lives of the common people to those at court,  Patsy Ruth Miller's dancing is very sensuous,

The  movie was a big success for Universal Studios. They reconstructed Norte Dame Cathedral on their lot in great detail.  There are explanations of the action to help the audience follow.

In July of 2011 I posted on the novel for Paris in July 2011:

Victor Hugo (1802-1885-France-you can read more about him here) created in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, characters known by millions world wide who have never heard of his novel.   

Quasimodo has rung the bells of Norte-Dame Cathedral millions of times in Saturday morning cartoons and old movies on TV.    The Gypsy girl he loves, Esmeralda, is a stock Disney character now.  His work has influenced countless novelists from Charles Dickens and Fyodor Dostoevsky on down.     He is buried in the Pantheon in Paris in a crypt shared by Emile Zola and Alexander Dumas.    Two million people lined the streets of Paris for his funeral possession.    He is among the towering giants of world literature.

Esmerelda

The Hunch Back of Notre-Dame probably violates many rules taught in creative writing classes around the world today.    Hugo loves to  stop the flow of the narrative and talk about something that he thinks his readers should know about.     He is very much given to the use of the "Dear reader" device to move the plot along.     His characters seem a little one dimensional (with one or two exceptions) and he does more or less force the reader into sentimental emotional attitudes by telling us what to feel.    All that being said, it is a great novel loved by millions, including me now.    

I offer my great thanks to Emma of Words and Peace for hosting Paris in July 2023. I was provided with the motivation to discover 24 films set in Paris.

I guess this will be my final movie post. I plan to do an overall post.

Mel Ulm