"Hallmark Hall of Fame" The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982)

Director:

Michael Tuchner

Writers:

Victor Hugo (novel)
John Gay (written for television by)

TV Series:

"Hallmark Hall of Fame" (1951)

Original Air Date:

4 February 1982 (Season 31, Episode 2)

Tagline:

Evil Is The Eye Of The Beholder

Plot:

Quasimodo, the hunchback bellringer of Notre Dame's cathedral meets a beautiful gypsy dancer, Esmeralda...

Plot Keywords:

Cathedral | Love | Sanctuary | Guardian | Hunchback

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Quasimodo
Derek Jacobi	...	Dom Claude Frollo
David Suchet	...	Clopin Trouillefou
Gerry Sundquist	...	Pierre Gringoire
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Philippe
John Gielgud	...	Charmolue
Robert Powell	...	Phoebus
Lesley-Anne Down	...	Esmeralda
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Magistrate at Esmeralda's trial
Roland Culver	...	Bishop of Paris
Rosalie Crutchley	...	Simone
David Kelly	...	Tavernkeeper
Joseph Blatchley	...	Albert
Dave Hill	...	Coppenhole
Donald Eccles	...	Judge

Also Known As:

Hunchback (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

150 min | USA:102 min | UK:98 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Iceland:L | UK:PG | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1988)

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Rosemont Productions

Trivia:

Anthony Hopkins and Derek Jacobi both played Adolf Hitler ( The Bunker (1981) (TV) and Inside the Third Reich (1982) (TV)) and Claudius ( Hamlet (1969) and Hamlet (1996) ) in two different version of Hamlet films.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Quasimodo: Why?
[the word reverbs while Quasimodo falls to his death]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#36.13)" (2006)

Almost completely like the novel.

This movie version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is superbly similar to the Hugo novel. Quasimodo looks exactly like it's told in the book, he is almost deaf, and in this movie we see yet another "little Esmeralda", who reminds us of the dancer in the Dieterle version.

I was quite surprised that even Frollo is rather good to Quasimodo - just like in the novel - but when he already at the beginning started to show his passion for Esmeralda, I knew that he is just like he must be. Honestly, I couldn't only hate him because he later seemed to be quite unhappy of being "bewitched" and that Esmeralda refused to answer to his feelings.

I was especially shocked that the film had even the torture scene of Esmeralda. Captain Phoebus, too, was surprisingly similar to the character of the book, and it was good that Gringoire tried to warn Esmeralda about him. It was also really moving to hear Quasimodo talk about his own ugliness.

The only thing I was a little disappointed in was the end; although it doesn't belong to the novel, I had started to hope that Esmeralda could see the truth about Quasimodo.