1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Introdution

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Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 Lon Chaney picture image

Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 Lon Chaney

The 1923 version of Hunchback of Notre Dame with Lon Chaney is the oldest surviving film version but it’s by no means the oldest. The Hunchback was a project Chaney really wanted to make. Initially Universal watched it to be a star vehicle for Priscilla Dean (who appeared in a few films with Chaney like Outside the Law & The Wicked Darling) but that along with many other attempts at it fell through.

Priscilla Dean image picture

Priscilla Dean

Chaney eventually struck a deal with Universal and Chaney and Irving Thalberg (then then head of Universal) made it into something special and not just another mass-produced movie that universal had been making at the try. The 23 version in affect made Universal into bigger name studio and launch Chaney’s career. But is it a good movie? Is it a good adaptation of Hugo’s novel? If Chaney hadn’t for the most part spearhead this movie and  who Esmeralda still have been the focus  in the movies?  Would there have been the same number adaptations?  These and probably more question coming soon.

 

Next Time- The Plot

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda Hunchback chaney version 1923 picture image

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda

An Page from Tim Conrad’s Graphic Novel

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I saw this on Twolionss’ Tumblr site (She has another page up click here to see it )and had to post it. It’s A Page from Tim Conrad’s Hunchback of Notre Dame Grpahic Novel

An Page from Tim Conrad's graphic novel version of Hunchback of Notre dame from Book 9 Chapter 1 Delirium picture image

An Page from Tim Conrad's graphic novel version of Hunchback of Notre dame from Book 9 Chapter 1 Delirium

This scene is from Book 9 Chapter 1 Delirium of the novel where Frollo, in his guilt and growing insanity, finds Esmeralda in Notre Dame and think she is specter.

 

Curious that Esmeralda’s hair is red in this huh? The only other time I’ve seen her with red has been in certain casts of Notre Dame de Paris  and Maureen O’Hara in the 1939 version but that doesn’t really count as it’s a black & white movie.

Frances d'Amour as Esmeralda in Notre Dame de Paris picture image

Frances d'Amour as Esmeralda in Notre Dame de Paris

Esmeralda Smiling, Maureen O'Hara 1939 HUnchback of Notre Dame picture image

Esmeralda Smiling, Maureen O'Hara 1939 HUnchback of Notre Dame

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not sure about the art  it’s simplistic and the color are muted. It might work better in context  full of the work.

Tim Conrad’s Graphic Novel of The Hunchback is going to be out  July 31 2012 but you can preorder, Click here to preorder it

Who is Cuter, Phantom or Quasimodo? Chaney addition

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Since we’re going to be embarking on reviewing the Lon Chaney version of Hunchback of Notre Dame I thought it would be a good time to ask an important question who is  more Handsome, Chaney as Quasimodo or Chaney as the Phantom of the Opera? Mmmm this is a very tough question as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder but then again so is ugliness.

 

Lon Chaney as the Phantom of the Opera picture image

Lon Chaney as the Phantom of the Opera

Lon Chaney as the Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image Quasimodo

Lon Chaney as the Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To answer this very tricky question I asked a crack team of young, impressionable and insecure, teenage girls  who all said that they were both ugly but if they had to pick they all chose the Phantom because even though he’s ugly, he is at least a musician and they all really like musician plus he is a better dresser. Though even when I pointed out that Quasimodo rang bells with making him a musician of sorts the girls still said the Phantom. I guess they like bad boys, typical huh?

My Crack Team of Young, Impressionable and Insecure, teenage girls a.k.a Disney Princesses picture image

My Crack Team of Young, Impressionable and Insecure, Teenage Girls a.k.a Disney Princesses

 

Sorry Quasimodo, the girls prefer the deform, obsessed, musically-inclined psychopathic genius to your deformed and slightly angry yet loyal nature.

Lon Chaney as the Phantom of the Opera With Mary Philbin picture image

Phantom makes the Ladies go weak in the Knees

 

But what do you think? Who is do think is more handsome the Hunchback of Notre Dame or The Phantom of the Opera? (Remember keep it to Lon Chaney)

A Coincidence or Fate? Florence +The Machine & Notre Dame de Paris

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I saw this picture on Notre Dame de Paris Fans and I was like “Woah! No Light, No Light lyrics! Cool”.

Helene Segara as Esmeralada Notre Dame de Paris and Florence + The Machine picture image

Helene Segara as Esmeralada and Florence + The Machine

Funny thing is, No Light, No Light by Florence + The Machine is at present my favorite song and if this picture was posted a week before I wouldn’t have gotten it, odd huh? I’m very slowly becoming a Florence + The Machine fan (before this I’d only really listen to Cosmic Love by Florence +Machine) and for the most part I very rarly listen to popular/current music.

Can I challenge someone to make a music video using No Light, No Light (or another Florence + The Machine song) and Notre Dame de Paris? Because I don’t think I can pull it off and it would be so awesome! ^_^

Source of Picture is from thehostparty

9 new Asian Tour Pictures

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More Pictures from the Asian Tour Cast;

 

A Lon Chaney Reference in a Children’s Show

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I’ve been a fan of  Animaniacs since the begining, but like some many children a lot of the joke went right over my head. I was watching Volume 2 recently and I notice a wonderful little refernce to the 1923 version.

Ok, so the opening has a line that is varied, this line has to end with an “Y” sound and one of these lines is “Where Lon Chaney” and the visual is  Wakko is dressed as Quasimodo and not as Phantom of the Opera which is probably Chaney’s most well-known role. So point for the Hunchback.

Wakko as Quasimodo Animaniacs picture image

Wakko as Quasimodo Animaniacs

Isn’t he cute?

Why did Hunchback Fail? The Conclusion of the conclusion of the Disney Version

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Quasimodo clapping Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Quasimodo Clapping

I don’t think Disney denies knowledge of Hunchback like they do with the Black Cauldron it’s just very clear that from a  business stand point that Hunchback didn’t make the money that Disney was used to after the Renaissance and so it gets looked over in favor of the cash-cows. But why did Hunchback fail to garner the reviews and money and is hence ignored?  Well that is actually an easy question to answer, and it not so much the title translation it’s actually film history. You see the oldest surviving movies of Hunchback (the 1923 version and the 39 version) were both star vehicles for the actors who played Quasimodo. As a result Quasimodo has been the coveted role in Hunchback, it something I like to call “The Quasimodo Factor©” (more on this later) . (Why do you think Josh Brolin is playing Quasimodo, it’s because he a producer and chose to play him.) So as a Quasimodo has been pushed to the main character role even though he is not in the book.

Frollo and Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Frollo and Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

I think this was Disney’s problem from the onset, they thought this film demanded Quasimodo and it didn’t matter how he was depicted. So Quasimodo with his sweet/bland personality was favored over the more interesting characters like Frollo, Clopin and Esmeralda.

Esmeralda and Quasimodo Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Esmeralda and Quasimodo Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

I have to wonder that if Disney had made Frollo and Esmeralda the focus and put Quasimodo in a role where he was a minion and through some kind of exposure to Esmeralda is turned good if the movie who have done better. Was Disney too blindsided by Chaney and Laughton to see that it might have the Hunchback that bought down Notre Dame. I mean don’t get me wrong Disney was in a hard position with his one making an adult classic into a children-friendly film and I think for they did it worked, and I’m not bashing on Quasimodo but here is a challenge, list your favorite character from this movie and then list your favorite character from other Disney movies and see how  often did you site the protagonist as being one of your top. I bet comparatively people like other disney protagonists over Quasimodo.  So I think Quasimodo and the film revolving around him is the down fall and you can thank the 1939 version and the 1923 version for this.

 

Next Movie to be Reviewed – The 1923 Version Starring Lon Chaney….. oh….

 

Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 Lon Chaney picture image

Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 Lon Chaney

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*I’ll tell you what I’ll rank Disney characters too,  leave a comment with  5-7 disney movies, can be any movie (not Oliver I haven’t seen it but anything else is fair game (I think)) if I don’t hear from people by the  April 23th I’ll just choose at random. If  in the event I get more comments  I’ll pick the top 5-7 Disney movies that people picked Got it?

Disney Article by Floyd Norman

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Here is an article posted back in January that I have been meaning to post http://disney.go.com/disneyinsider/part-of-the-magic/floyd-norman/?cmp=fb_dcom_ins_di_hunchbackofnotredame_0215_Extl/

Cast Poster of Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Cast Poster of Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

It’s a bit of an inside look of what happened behind the scenes on the Disney version. Though in truth, most of this information was discussed on the DVD commentary, but it’s still a good read.

 

Frollo singing Hellfire Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Frollo singing Hellfire Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

It seems that from the onset, this movie lived and could have died from how Hellfire was received from the higher-ups. The studio seemed to love the fact that the film was darkest and they had this complex villain and yet Disney just doesn’t real seem to care that much about this one. But why? I think the closing statement of this article puts it best “Although we may not have matched the numbers and reviews received by “The Lion King”, we created a darn good movie.” (i.e accolades and money).

 

money and accolades = The Lion King

Cynical take at what Disney Values in the Movies

Next Time – The Conclusion of the Conclusion of the Disney (although I’ll probably never be truly done with it… )

Djali, Esmeralda, and Phoebus Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Djali, Esmeralda, and Phoebus Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame