How Have I Never Seen This All-Time Classic

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MOVIE REVIEW
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Passed –

Genre: Drama, Horror, Romance
Year Released: 1923, 2022 (Eureka Blu-ray release)
Runtime: 1h 40m
Director(s): Wallace Worsley
Writer(s): Victor Hugo (novel,) Perley Poore Sheehan (adaptation) (as Perley Poor Sheehan,) Edward T. Lowe Jr. (scenario,) Chester L. Roberts (credited)
Cast: Lon Chaney, Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Kate Lester, Winifred Bryson, Nigel De Brulier
Where To Watch: Available for pre-order from Eureka! Releasing on October 17, 2022, eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame/

RAVING REVIEW: Somehow, I’ve made it my entire life without ever watching an adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel. This includes never having seen the Disney one (yes… I know…). Make sure you don’t make this same mistake and watch this film.

While the 1939 version of the film gets a lot of love, I think that Lon Chaney is ultimately the more iconic version of the film. While the “horror” aspect of the film is questionable at best, this was one of the earliest forays into the genre, with NOSFERATU and THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI both coming before it. However, as pointed out in the commentary on the film, they were considered more “art” pieces than horror films.

Traditionally I don’t watch many movies with commentaries, but I felt this would be an excellent exception to the rule since it was a silent film. I watched part of it with just the score and then watched it with the new commentary from author Stephen Jones and author/critic Kim Newman.

This is a gorgeous restoration of the film, I’ve done some searching from previous versions, and they seem to be still lacking in the crisp feel that this one had. While there is still a lot of grain, scratches, etc., this will probably be the best version you’ll see without there being an entire frame-by-frame “cleanup” that I feel would destroy some of the film’s legacy itself. I appreciate well-done transfers of classics far more than I do when all of the life is stolen from the presentation.

Special Features:
– Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase [2000 units]
– 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K restoration conducted by Universal Pictures
– Music by Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum & Laura Karpman (presented in uncompressed LPCM stereo)
– Brand new audio commentary with author Stephen Jones and author/critic Kim Newman
– Brand new interview with author/critic Kim Newman on the many adaptations of Victor Hugo’s novel
– Brand new interview with film historian Jonathan Rigby
– A collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by journalist Philip Kemp illustrated with archival imagery

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