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The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Notre-Dame de Paris)

Movie · 1956 · 4 people

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (French title Notre-Dame de Paris) is a 1956 French-Italian production directed by Jean Delannoy. Adapted from Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, it is the first colour version of the book. Made in CinemaScope and running 115 minutes, it is sometimes also labelled horror. The leads are the American actor Anthony Quinn and the Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida.

The story opens in fifteenth-century Paris, at the large carnival held each year near Notre Dame with dancers and jugglers. There the alchemist Claude Frollo spots the gypsy dancer Esmeralda and falls madly for her, turning to the cathedral's hunchbacked bell-ringer Quasimodo for help. But Frollo is not the only man who wants her. Quinn plays Quasimodo, Lollobrigida is Esmeralda and Alain Cuny is Frollo, with Jean Danet as Captain Phoebus. Robert Hirsch, Jacques Dufilho and Roger Blin also appear. Quinn's Quasimodo is less disfigured than most, with only a slight spinal curve.

Jean Aurenche and Jacques Prévert wrote the screenplay, Raymond and Robert Hakim produced, and Georges Auric composed the score. In the English version only Quinn and Lollobrigida speak for themselves while the French cast is dubbed; in the French version both speak French. It is one of the few adaptations to keep Hugo's original ending.

DirectorJean Delannoy
Production companyTitanus

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Cast

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Jacques Dufilho Jacques Dufilho Actor · died at 91 Albert Rémy Actor · died at 55 Paul Bisciglia Actor · died at 81 Edmond Beauchamp Actor · died at 85

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Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Jean Delannoy makes good use of the wide CinemaScope frame to stage the crowded carnival of fifteenth-century Paris, and colour, in the book's first colour adaptation, gives the scenes a showy vitality. Anthony Quinn playing Quasimodo with only a slight spinal curve, far from heavy disfigurement, moves the character away from the monster figure and closer to a human being; a bold choice. The screenplay, co-written by Prévert, tries to carry the novel's large cast in balance. On the other hand, the 115 minutes grow heavy in the middle, and some scenes surrender to spectacle. The dubbed French cast in the English version also undermines the unity of the acting; the French version is the better choice if you can find it.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

This classic tells a story of obsession and jealousy, and Frollo's fixation on Esmeralda is a heavy theme. Some sources even file it under horror. That makes it unsuitable for young children. Teenagers past middle-school age and adults will be taken with the colourful carnival scenes and Quasimodo's story. It runs nearly two hours, so set aside a quiet evening.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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