Hunchback of Notre Dame, The (Blu-ray)

Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame(1831) has been the subject of at least a dozen Hollywood film adaptations over the years from the first silent version in 1905 right up to an animated Disney version in 1996. But of all the film versions of this famous story, two stand out: the Lon Chaney Universal silent from 1923 and the Charles Laughton RKO sound version from 1939. Warner's(which owns the RKO catalog) has finally brought the latter film to Blu-ray and the results are simply stunning. Those who own the VHS or standard DVD of this great film may want to donate them to their local library because this new Blu-ray puts those inferior versions to shame. Sourced from the original camera negative, Warner's has given the film a high Bitrate(32.90) which makes for a pristine video and one of the best Blu-ray releases this year. RKO studios and producer Pandro S. Berman spared no expense(almost two million dollars) in bringing their version of Hugo's classic story to the screen and the results are not only impressive but even more so now on Blu-ray. Recreating 15th Century Paris on 15 acres of the RKO back lot in the San Fernando Valley, the set designs are so vivid that you actually feel like you're in the streets with the crowds or viewing the whole city of Paris with Quasimodo from the top of Notre Dame cathedral. It's that cathedral where most of the story and action is centered around and the RKO set designers outdid themselves with a nearly exact replica of the famous landmark. Warner's new Blu-ray is so clear that individual crowd members are clearly visible whenever they interact with the main actors. Detail is very strong with shops, buildings, carts, animals, props and costumes being especially vivid now on Blu-ray compared to the standard DVD. Image stability, which was a problem with the standard DVD has been corrected and cleaned up(by MPI) and fans of the film will be more than pleased. There are no vertical lines, dirt, torn or damaged frames that were problems with previous video versions of the film. The cinematography by Joseph H. August is eye popping with blacks, whites and grays being evenly balanced. Close-ups are especially detailed, so much so that you can feel all the suffering in Laughton's face whenever his Quasimodo character is on the screen. Director William Dieterle was born in Germany and was heavily influenced by the expressionistic style of the time and he makes great use of it. This is very apparent in the many nighttime scenes where shadows and light are prominent and make many of those scenes feel more authentic. . All the acting is top notch, with star Charles Laughton giving one of his greatest and most memorable performances as Quasimodo, the deformed and deaf bell ringer of Notre Dame. At first bullied, ridiculed, and jeered by the crowds, Laughton brings great sympathy and sorrow to Quasimodo that will stay with you long after the film is over. Actor Daniel Day-Lewis said of Laughton: "He was probably the greatest film actor who came from that period of time". He gets great support from Maureen O'Hara as Esmeralda in her American film debut. Only 19 at the time, her beauty is another highlight of the film. Her features are so stunning on Blu-ray that viewers will not be able to take their eyes off her. The rest of the supporting cast is equally impressive including Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Thomas Mitchell, Edmond O'Brien and Walter Hampton who give solid performances. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is 117 minutes(Aspect ratio: 1.37:1) and contains the following subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish. The Audio(English DTS-HD MA mono with Spanish in Dolby Digital mono) is crystal clear and free of any noise artifacts(hiss, pop, etc.) Special features include an interview with Maureen O'Hara, a short subject titled "Drunk Driving", a WB cartoon and the original theatrical trailer. The Blu-ray disk itself is housed in an eco-cutout case so anyone purchasing this new title may want to switch to a more solid Blu-ray case for added protection. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is one of the great films from Hollywood's golden era and should be an essential part of any home film library now that it is finally out on Blu-ray. Warner's has outdone themselves with this one and it comes very, very highly recommended.

I’ve always wanted to have a great addition of hunchback of Notre Dame, aside from Disney’s version. Obviously Lon Chaney Junior’s version is a classic, but the fact it’s a silent film does make it a different viewing experience if you’re looking for a picture with dialogue. This is definitely the one to get. I can’t say its superior to the silent version but the presentation does make a big difference. Plus, all the actors are excellent and there’s a lot of great production here. So if you want to version becomes very close to the silent version, but still has dialogue, Get this one

Wow, the quality of this transfer is astonishingly beautiful. Deep backs, but with excellent detail in the shadow areas. Seriously, this print looks like the film was made yesterday, with well done and easy to hear sound as well. If you enjoy these older films, and this one is a doozy, then you'll love this version. Highly recommended.

Sure Lon Chaney jr's version had great special effects for its time, but Charles Laughton's portrayal of our lumpy buddy is outstanding!! Maureen O'Hara is a knock out & Sir Cedric Hardwicke plays his part to perfection. I loved this movie the first time I saw it as a child, and am so happy to have it in my collection at last, watching it as a adult I appretiate it on a different level. This movie is awesome I hope the fact that it is black and white won't detour anyone from getting this movie... it is so good I recommend it to everyone. For fans of monster movies it is a must have, Sir Cedric Hardwicke is one of the most terrifing monsters of all time!!! Our hero the ungainly appearing hunchback decieves us all when he springs into action defending Esmerelda from execution like a acrobatic bodybuilder. Turning into a one man army Quasimodo scales the cathedral useing all the classic medevil defence tactics, hurling enormous stones down on the unruley mob, pushing away scaling ladders and one of the movies highlights pours molten metal on to the crowd, the way the molten metal distributes along the pipeing and then spews out of the mouths of the gargoyles & sprays the mob is as visualy stunning today as when the movie first came out. This movie is the perfect example of beauty is only skin deep, as at first glance Quasimodo appears to be the monster but it doesn't take long to realize that our malformed misunderstood friend is the hero, one of the few Hollywood hero's that doesn't get the girl at the end. Sir Cedric Hardwickes acting is so good as the evil Frollo it doesn't take long before your wishing a team of 400lb Irish riverdancers would jig acrossed his face! They call the year this movie came out the golden year of Hollywood because in 1939 The wizard of Oz & Gone with the wind and a long list of really big movies came out that year, The Hunchback of Notre Dame being one of them. Color was obviously available at this time but they chose B/W for either budget or artistic reasons but I wish they would have chosen glorious technicolor just because so many people today are turned off by B/W movies & it would be a shame for someone to miss out on this great film for that reason. This movie is so good you just want to share it with others. I just tried to watch this for the second time since buying it & it is all pixilated & skippy on inspection of the disc there are no visible scratches & it has been well taken care of. Other D.V.D.'s I own are playing fine but this one seems to have deteriated just sitting on the shelf! Needless to say I was very disappointed & have purchased a replacement I hope it is made better & more durable!