The Lon Chaney silent The Hunchback of Notre Dame is an important document, and a pretty good movie, especially if you can see it projected. William Dieterle's 1939 film with Charles Laughton is an outright classic, with iconic casting in every role, but in a way it, like its predecessor, is as much a travesty of Victor Hugo's story as the Disney version. Tragedy is softened, hard edges blurred. (And actually there's a lot to admire in the cartoon: an epic cinematic scale and vision, use of humor that doesn't actually wreck the serious aspects. It's just that, starting with Quasimodo not being deaf—because he has to sing, you see—means you're not filming Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo at all.)So it was perhaps inevitable that the French would one day have to show us how it's done, and present a more faithful rendering of the book.
- 12/14/2016
- MUBI
Similar News
Two Home Design Fests Take Over L.A. This Month: Inaugural Design Miami.LA and Lcdq Legends
- 5/5/2024
- by Abigail Stone
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Matteo Garrone’s ‘Io Capitano’ and Feminist Dramedy ‘There’s Still Tomorrow’ Both Big Winners at Italy’s David di Donatello Awards
- 5/3/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes Film Festival: 50 years after winning Palme D’or, Francis Ford Coppola returns to the competition
- 4/25/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Serie A: Gremio keep title hopes alive, Flamengo stumble
- 7/23/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
If You Liked Alita: Battle Angel, It's Time To Check Out Battle Angel
- 2/2/2023
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
The Song Of Ferrix In The Andor Season 1 Finale Was Composed Before Shooting Even Began [Exclusive]
- 11/23/2022
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Watch Doja Cat’s Commanding Performance of ‘Acknowledge Me’ on ‘Fallon’
- 5/2/2024
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
The Best Disney Villain Song Could Have Been Even Darker
- 4/15/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Doja Cat Expands ‘Scarlet’ With Deluxe Edition, Adds Seven New Songs
- 4/5/2024
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.