Based on Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of the most iconic pictures in our cinematic history. The first version was a 26-minute short French film from 1911. The 1923 silent classic starring Lon Chaney as Quasimodo followed and has been remade several times since then with various big-name actors playing Quasimodo (Charles Laughton, Anthony Quinn). An animated musical version by Disney Studios came out in 1996. None of them are quite as good as the 1923 classic!
The story’s focus is on Quasimodo, the world-famous half-blind, hunchbacked deaf bell ringer of the Notre Dame cathedral who gets punished for crimes he never committed and has taken a liking to a gypsy girl, Esmerelda (Patsy Ruth Miller, The Aviator) who is engaged to be married to Fleur de Lys (Winifred Bryson, The Great Night). Captain Phoebus (Norman Kelly, The Bondman) who saves Esmerelda from Quasimodo after she was kidnapped also wants to marry her. Quasimodo’s master, the sinister Jehan (Brandon Hurst, White Zombie) also has plans Esmerelda which leads to an incredible violent climax between himself and Quasimodo.
This version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is best known for Lon Chaney’s immortal role as Quasimodo which put him on the map and led to other roles where he underwent hours upon hours of make-up as other creatures including the phantom in The Phantom of the Opera. The cast of actors also hand in superb performances. The movie is also known for its lavish sets and the magnificent cinematography by Robert Newhard, Tony Kornman, Virgil Miller, Stephen S. Norton and Charles J. Stumar.
Previous released on DVD by various companies, including Alpha Video, and on Blu-ray from Flicker Alley, the Kino Lorber re-release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been given a 4K restoration by Universal Pictures and it is nothing short of remarkable. Now, of course the print damages, speckles and film grain are all present but the 4K scan itself leads to a more polished look to the film. The tinted shots are marvelous with deep rich colors. Black and whites look stunning and robust; the grey scale is balanced with deep black levels. Obviously not every scene is going to look amazing, but overall, this truly is something to behold.
The English DTS-HD 2.0 audio track is perfectly fine with the unique musical score by Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum & Laura Karpman coming in perfectly. This score is not the same as the one used by Flicker Alley.
Extras for this release include an audio commentary by film critic Farran Smith Nehme, a featurette, “Life in Hollywood” newsreel, Lon Chaney Home Movie footage and a booklet essay by film historian Michael F. Blake, which is the same booklet as was included in the Flicker Alley release.
I couldn’t think of a better reason to pick up this release other than the 4K master used for it. The Hunchback of Notre Dame right now looks the best it ever has. Throw in some new and old extras and you have an easily recommended package!
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Director- Wallace Worsley
Cast- Lon Chaney, Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kelly
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date-9/27/21