Der Glöckner von Notre Dame (1923)

Der Glöckner von Notre Dame: Directed by Wallace Worsley. With Lon Chaney, Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Kate Lester. In 15th-century Paris, the brother of the archdeacon plots with the gypsy king to foment a peasant revolt. Meanwhile, a freakish hunchback falls in love with the gypsy queen.

“This early version of the legendary story is (so far) the oldest film Iu0026#39;ve ever seen. Personally, I find it fascinating to purchase movies made before my grandparents were even born. The entire concept of cinema as a form of art is scarcely out of the egg it all still looks so grotesque. I did learn something from this film…these ancient milestones arenu0026#39;t necessarily brilliant but impressive beyond belief. The Hunchback of the Notre Dame often gets referred to as one of the first ‘horroru0026#39; classics but much more than that, itu0026#39;s a historical spectacle with massive sets and groundbreaking elements. The actual plot is so easy to summarize but you get so much more than that! Like a very detailed and imaginative portrait of Paris in the 15th century, the variety of social classes and an idea of medieval interpretation of the law. At some times in this film, you almost get the idea Quasimodo and Esmeralda are just second-class puppets in what is primarily a historical and educating documentary. Magnificent without a single doubt…but time-consuming and ponderous to sit through…Although, I have to say I hunt down the extended version, furnished with a stained musical track and lasting 140 minutes. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe actual plot and the presentation of Quasimodou0026#39;s personality is still unparalleled and touching beyond comparison. Lon Chaney is simply outstanding as the unworldly and deformed ‘freaku0026#39; whou0026#39;s willing to sacrifice his life unconditionally to rescue the girl who once treated him in a human way. He might be hideous, but heu0026#39;s the only whou0026#39;s pure, honest and free of prejudices. Lon Chaneyu0026#39;s facial make-up and hunch are early horror triumphs. Along with his natural charismatic appearance, the Quasimodo portrayal provided Chaney with the immortal status of horror-cinema icon. Even though he already starred in over a hundred films before The Hunchback, heu0026#39;ll always be remembered starting from this point of his career. Like none other actor, Chaney gave a face to Quasimodo and that is not exaggerated! Multiple other well-respected actors gave image to Quasimodo after Chaney (like Charles Laughton, Anthony Quinn and Anthony Hopkins) but only he will truly be remembered for it. Same goes for Lonu0026#39;s personification of Erik in `Phantom of the Operau0026#39; which is his greatest achievement in cinema along with Hunchback. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Hunchback of the Notre Dame is over eighty (80!) years old now and it still stands as one of the most overwhelming heavyweights in cinema ever. Some of the sequences shown here are pure mythical inheritance. Like Chaney acrobatic movements while tolling the massive bells…or his descent off the Notre Dameu0026#39;s walls! Still, this film might not be for all tastes as itu0026#39;s too bombastic all together and Woreslyu0026#39;s direction is kind of rough and ponderous. He surely put too much energy in it, as it was the most ambitious project of his career. Therefore, itu0026#39;s hard to stay focused continuously as the shots of Medieval Parisian streets seem to be endless”