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Information about The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1923 Film)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

A promotional lobby card for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
Directed byWallace Worsley
Produced byCarl Laemmle
Irving Thalberg
Written byVictor Hugo
Edward T. Lowe Jr.
Perley Poore Sheehan
StarringLon Chaney
Patsy Ruth Miller
Norman Kerry
Nigel de Brulier
Brandon Hurst
Music byCecil Copping
Carl Edouarde
Hugo Riesenfeld
CinematographyRobert Newhard
Tony Kornman
Virgil Miller
Stephen S. Norton
Charles J. Stumar
Editing byEdward Curtiss
Maurice Pivar
Sydney Singerman
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date(s)2 September 1923
Running time133 min
Country United States
LanguageSilent 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 performance and spectacular makeup 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.

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. Shortly after ringing the bell, Quasimodo dies from a stab wound in the back, given to him shortly by Jehan before he threw him of the cathedral.

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.

The new Image 'Ultimate Edition' DVD of The Hunchback was produced by David Shepard and was remastered in high-definition from an original color-tinted 16mm print and features a new orchestral musical score by Donald Hunsberger and composed by Robert Isreal with an audio commentary by Chaney historian Michael F.Blake and rare bonus features such as rare behind the scenes footage on the making of the film and much more.

Cast

External links

 •  • [ e]
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
Characters
Quasimodo • Esmeralda • Esmeralda (Disney) • Claude Frollo • Claude Frollo (Disney adaptation) • Captain Phoebus • Clopin Trouillefou
Adaptations
1923 • 1939 • 1956 • 1982 • 1996 • The Hunchback of Notre Dame II • Notre Dame de Paris (musical) • Hunchback of Notre Dame (musical)
Wallace A. Worsley Sr. (b. 8 December 1878 in Wappingers Falls, New York, USA - 26 March 1944 in Hollywood, California, USA) was an American director of silent films and actor, who directed in his lifetime 29 films during years 1918-1928 and acted in 7 films.
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Carl Laemmle (17 January 1867 – 24 September 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. Laemmle produced or was otherwise involved in over four hundred films.
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Irving Thalberg

Birth name Irving Grant Thalberg
Born May 30 1899(1899--)
Brooklyn, New York
Died September 14 1936 (aged 37)
Santa Monica, California


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Victor-Marie Hugo

Born: 26 February 1802

Died: 22 May 1885

Literary movement: Romanticism
Debut works: Nouvelles Odes et Poésies Diverses (New Odes and Various Poems) (1824)
Influences: Walter Scott
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Edward T. Lowe Jr., also known as E.T. Lowe Jr., E.C. Lowe, Edmund T. Lowe, Edward T. Lowe and Edward Lowe (b. 29 June 1880 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA - d.
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Perley Poore Sheehan (b. 7 June 1875 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA - d. 30 September 1943 in Sierra Madre, California, USA) was an American film writer, novelist and film director. He was once married in his lifetime with Virginia Point (1902-?).
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Lon Chaney may refer to:
  • Lon Chaney, Sr. (1883-1930)
  • Lon Chaney, Jr. (1906-1973)

See also

  • Chaney

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Patsy Ruth Miller (January 17, 1904 - July 16, 1995) was an American movie actress from St. Louis, Missouri.

Career

After being discovered by famed actress Alla Nazimova at a Hollywood party, Patsy Ruth Miller got her first break with a small role in
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Norman Kerry

Norman Kerry in a circa 1929 publicity photograph.
Birth name Arnold Kaiser
Born May 16 1894(1894--)
Rochester, New York, U.S.
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Nigel De Brulier

Born July 8 1877(1877--)
Bristol,  United Kingdom
Died January 30 1948
Los Angeles, California  United States

Other name(s)
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Brandon Hurst

Brandon Hurst as the diabolical Jehan Frollo in the silent film The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Born July 30 1866(1866--)
London, England  United Kingdom

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Cecil Copping (b. 6 July 1888 in Lisbon, New Hampshire, USA - d. 4 January 1966 in Los Angeles, California, USA) was an American composer of film music and a miscellaneous crew.
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Carl Edouarde (b. 1876 - d. 8 December 1932) was an American composer of film music. He composed the background music to The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923 film) and The Private Life of Helen Troy (1927).
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Hugo Riesenfeld (January 26 1879(1879--) - September 10 1939 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA) was an Austrian-American film score composer who had awarded with Oscar as well as a violinist and conductor.
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Robert Newhard (b. 28 April 1884 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. - k. 20 May 1945 in Los Angeles, California, U.S.) also known as Robert S. Newhard, Robert Newhardt and Robert Newhart was a American cinematographer.
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Anthony "Tony" Kornman (b. 10 September 1884 in Louisiana, USA - d. 21 December 1942) was a American cinematographer, who worked in three films: Cameron of the Royal Monted (1921), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Ridin' Streak (1929).
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Stephen Seymour Norton (September 13 1877(1877--) in Palmyra, New York, USA - March 14 1951 in Los Angeles, California, USA) was an American cinematographer.
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Charles J. Stumar or Charles J. Stumer (b. 1891 - 29 June 1935 in California, USA) was a Hungarian-American cinematographer and brother of cinematographer John Stumar, who shot 110 English and German language films from 1917 until his death in a plane accident.
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Maurice Pivar (b. 11 August 1894 in Manchester, United Kingdom - 14 June 1982 in Los Angeles, California, USA) was an English-American film editor, producer and writer. He edited 21 films, oversaw editing of 59 films, produced 4 films and wrote the dialogue discript to the film
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Sydney Singerman (b. 24 April 1896 in Manchester - d. 8 May 1996) was an editor, whose only edit work was in the silent movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame from 1923 based on the novel by Victor Hugo.
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Universal Studios

Subsidiary
Founded June 8, 1912
Headquarters Universal City, California, United States

Key people Carl Laemmle, Founder
Ron Meyer, President/COO
Industry Motion pictures
Parent NBC Universal
Owner General Electric
Vivendi
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September 2 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events


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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1890s  1900s  1910s  - 1920s -  1930s  1940s  1950s
1920 1921 1922 - 1923 - 1924 1925 1926

Year 1923 (MCMXXIII
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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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English}}} 
Writing system: Latin (English variant) 
Official status
Official language of: 53 countries
Regulated by: no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1: en
ISO 639-2: eng
ISO 639-3: eng  
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-1923- 1924 1925 1926  1927 .  1928 .  1929 .  1930  . 1931  . 1932  . 1933 

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Lon Chaney

Lon Chaney during the production of The Miracle Man, 1919
Birth name Leonidas Frank Chaney
Born March 1 1883(1883--)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
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Quasimodo is a main character from the 1831 novel, Notre Dame de Paris, by French author Victor Hugo. Many English editions have changed the title to "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
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Patsy Ruth Miller (January 17, 1904 - July 16, 1995) was an American movie actress from St. Louis, Missouri.

Career

After being discovered by famed actress Alla Nazimova at a Hollywood party, Patsy Ruth Miller got her first break with a small role in
..... Click the link for more information.
La Esméralda is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She is a gypsy girl from Andalusia. She constantly attracts men with her seductive dances, and is rarely seen without her clever goat Djali (pronounced Dahl-ya).
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