Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.
While 1923’s THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME is an excellent movie, I’m not sure it deserves to be labeled a horror classic.
Based on the 1831 Victor Hugo novel, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME was originally written as a treatise by Hugo in favor of the preservation of Notre Dame cathedral and, in fact, the character of Quasimodo the deformed bell ringer was only one of many integral characters.
The story revolves around gypsy Esmeralda (Patsy Ruth Miller) and Captain of the Guard, Phoebus de Chateaupers (Norman Kerry, also of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA). The mismatched pair fall in love, but the outside forces in their lives are working overtime to keep them apart.
There’s Esmeralda’s adopted father, Clopin, “king” of the gypsies who refuses to let Phoebus, a known womanizer, make a plaything of his daughter. And there’s Jehan Frollo, brother of the archdeacon and master of Quasimodo. Jehan attempts to have Quasimodo kidnap Esmeralda for him, but when she is rescued by Phoebus, the hunchback is jailed and whipped. Only Esmeralda shows him any kindness later, bringing him water after his torture. Later, after Esmeralda and Phoebus have fallen in love, Frollo stabs Phoebus and lets Esmeralda take the blame.
She’s forced into a confession and her execution is set. Upon hearing news of his daughter’s hanging, Clopin arranges a siege to free her, but Quasimodo intercedes and rescues her from the gallows, bringing her to Notre Dame cathedral where she is granted sanctuary.
As Clopin’s army storms the cathedral, thinking Esmeralda is in danger, Quasimodo holds the fort by dropping rocks and pouring molten lead on the attackers. Meanwhile, Frollo is attacking Esmeralda again while Quasimodo is distracted. The hunchback comes to her rescue just in time and sacrifices himself to save the only person to ever treat him like a human being.
In the end, Esmeralda and Phoebus are reunited and Quasimodo rings the cathedral bells a final time, ringing his own death knell and for the growing love he’s helped rescue.
If anything, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, as far as genres go, is probably more romance than anything else. It just happens to have a character who’s grossly deformed and stars an actor who would be famous for his roles in horror movies. But I don’t think I’d ever label this one horror.
It’s damn good, though. No denying that.
I was greatly surprised at the quality, not only because it was made in 1923, but also, according to reports, the only surviving copies of the movie come from the 16-mm “show-at-home” prints the studio released in the 20s and 30s. But despite that, the picture is surprisingly clear and easy to see.
Another thing that surprised me was the soundtrack. The 1923 version of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME was a silent movie, but unlike other, later silent movies I’ve seen, the soundtrack doesn’t rely entirely on a film score. There is the expected musical score, but laid over it are the ringing of Quasimodo’s bells as well as knocking, horses clopping, crowds cheering, and the creaking of the bells’ ropes. These are not sounds I expected to hear in a silent movie, but whoever had the idea to include them was a genius, because it really helps to distract from the reading of cue cards and the music. Also, unlike other silent movies I’ve seen, the music isn’t constant throughout. There are moments of complete silence where the actors are left to carry the scene themselves. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a silent movie where we had moments of actual silence and it was a very welcome change.
While an important part of the plot, Lon Chaney’s Quasimodo character doesn’t have much screen time in the first half of the movie. He comes in here and there and it’s his public torture that causes Esmeralda to befriend him, but the first part of the movie focuses primarily on the interaction between Phoebus and Esmeralda. But for not having much screen time, and not being the main character in the movie as most people probably believe, Chaney took what time he did have and made it work in a huge way.
First there was the makeup. Designed entirely by Chaney, the Quasimodo makeup, even moreso than the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA makeup, proves that Chaney definitely earned any and all accolades he received for his craftsmanship. The man was a master and a genius. Not only that, but even through the makeup, his own facial expression shone through and lit up the scene when he was on camera. I’d often wondered if the bulk of his fame was due only to his makeup or if he could honestly act as well. PHANTOM didn’t show enough of his true expressions to judge, but HUNCHBACK shows off his emotional range in nothing more than a few facial expressions and now I’m convinced, from this movie, that, makeup aside, Lon Chaney Sr. was a great actor.
The great story, the acting, the makeup, the sound . . . for me, everything in THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME came together perfectly to create a lasting piece of art that can still be enjoyed for decades to come. It doesn’t surprise me at all that in 1923 this movie brought in over $3,000,000. In my opinion, it definitely earned it.
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