The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Paris, the fifteenth century. Quasimodo lives in the bell tower of Notre Dame; deaf, misshapen, and almost never outside the church. The chief justice is fixed on Esmeralda and, unable to have her, has her charged with murder. She is to be executed. Quasimodo carries her off to the church; sanctuary is granted and nobody can touch her there. But outside a crowd is gathering and preparing to storm the building. Wallace Worsley directs. Lon Chaney plays Quasimodo. The source is Victor Hugo's novel. Chaney did his own makeup; the apparatus he wore for the hump was heavy and he used it through long days of shooting. The production was very expensive for its time; the front of Notre Dame and the square around it were built on the studio lot. The film was a large commercial success in America and among the studio's most important productions of those years. The narrative departs markedly from the novel; the ending in particular and the fate of some characters were changed. The crowd scenes were shot with hundreds of extras and show the scale of the period. Chaney's playing is among the most cited performances in silent cinema. Who it is for: anyone curious about silent cinema and classic adaptation. Who it is not for: the acting is exaggerated, it is long, and the narrative does not carry the novel's complexity.