The Hunchback of Notre Dame — The Hunchback of Notre Dame( Blu Ray)

One of the most iconic movies of the silent age finally makes its way to Blu-ray through Eureka and boy was it worth the wait. The 1923 edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, directed by Wallace Worsley (Ace of Hearts, A Blind Bargain and The Penalty) and starring the legendary Lon Chaney Snr (The Phantom of the Opera, The Monster and He Who Gets Slapped) as Quasimodo, the disfigured bell ringer who is mocked and abused by all and sundry for his appearance. Chaney’s makeup is quite stunning for the time, and this coupled with his performance are two reasons that people keep returning to this film, however, they are not the only reasons. The film looks gorgeous, every scene is beautifully framed and it is so skilfully lit to create the perfect atmosphere in every scene. Worsley’s direction is outstanding, especially in those scenes where the large cast are pictured in the square and those darker interior sequences where Quasimodo and Esmerelda (Patsy Ruth Miller,  Hell-bent for Heaven, Fools in the Dark and So Long, Letty!) are alone together.

I’m sure that most of you will know the story, having seen at least one or two of the many interpretations of Victor Hugo’s classic novel, so I will only give a very brief synopsis. Quasimodo, the disfigured bell ringer and manservant of Jehan (Brandon Hurst, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Man Who Laughs and Love) is employed to undertake his master's dirty work, which includes capturing the beautiful Esmerelda for his master who desires her for his own. After this goes wrong she is saved by Phoebus, the Captain of the guards (Norman Kerry, The Phantom of the Opera, The Unknown and The Irresistible Lover) and the hunchback is punished with a public flogging for attempting to kidnap her. After this Esmerelda is the only person to take pity on the hunchback and this leads to him falling in love with her. Later, when she is accused of the murder of Phoebus, Quasimodo takes her under his wing and protects her from those looking to execute her. 

Our two main characters steal the show here, Chaney is superb as Quasimodo, it must have been a real test of his stamina to perform some of the stunts with such heavy makeup and wearing a hump, but he never fails to impress. There are two sides to the character that come across, there is the simple, shy character we are destined to empathise with, however, there is a darker side to Quasimodo, that comes to the fore at various points in the film. On top of this, Patsy Ruth Miller is superb as the beautiful but ultimately naïve, Esmerelda, who in seeking her happy ending ends up forsaking her beloved Phoebus in order to protect him from the self-appointed, king of the Beggars, Clopin (Ernest Torrence, Steamboat Bill Jr, Peter Pan and Mantrap).

Obviously, there are still sequences missing from this release, the original running time is listed on IMDB at 2hr 13 mins, however, this Blu-ray edition runs at 1 hour and 40 minutes. I’m not convinced that it has been trimmed down by around 30 minutes in length, but there are still a number of jump cuts that suggest missing material. Despite this, the narrative of the story still makes sense and the whole thing is enjoyable as it is. The story is compellingly well told, and we develop a fondness for the main protagonists, Esmerelda and Quasimodo. 

Eureka, have presented the film in full 1080p with the transfer drawn from Universal’s own 4k restoration. It looks as good as it is ever going to look, the print is crisp and clear for the most part, but some print damage and grain remain in order not to ruin the look of the film. Certain reels look better than others, which is to be expected of a film of this age, however as I have already alluded to, Universal has gone an excellent job of restoring it. This new disc from Eureka comes complete with an excellent and informative audio commentary from Kim Newman and Stephen Jones, a further interview with Newman, highlighting the differences that exist between the various film versions and the novel, as well as an interview with Jonathan Rigby on the production history of this particular version.

All in all, this is a lovingly crafted Blu-ray for one of cinema’s most important films. Eureka deserves extra praise for putting this all together, their Masters of Cinema series is wonderful and continues to bring the classics of cinema kicking and screaming into the digital age with some outstanding Blu-ray releases.