| The Hunchback of Notre Dame -- 1924, with Lon Chaney |
| Directed by: Wallace Worsley II Written by: Victor Hugo Edward T. Lowe, Jr Pearly Poor Sheehan Produced by: Universal Pictures |
| Cast Quasimodo ....Lon Chaney Esmeralda ....Patsy Ruth Miller Phoebus de Chateupers ....Norman Kerry Jehan Frollo ....Brandon Hurst Clopin ....Ernest Torrence Dom Claude Frollo ....Nigel de Brulier Gringoire ....Raymond Hatton Madame de Gondelaurier ....Kate Lester Fleur de Lys ....Winifred Bryson Sister Godule .....Gladys Brockwell Louis XI .....Tully Marshall Marie, Queen of Gypsies ..... Eulalie Jensen |
| First of all, may I say this is the most annoying music ever put to soundtrack. It's all pipe organ!! Enough to make you tear your hair out... Anyhow, so the movie opens with credits. Exciting stuff, n'est-ce pas? Then it opens with an introduction of Notre Dame cathedral. Something about the poor being able to find shelter within its walls. Cut to a scene of priests walking in Notre Dame. Then it shows the square in front of Notre Dame, where people meet and stuff. Then the Feast of Fools, the one day where people crushed by tyranny can have fun. Then some guy in a devil's costume attacks some lady. More drunken frollicking in the streets. Then a small paragraph introducing the strange creature called The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Lon Chaney. He sits with some gargoyles at the top of the cathedral, looking...gargoylish. Then the bells begin to ring, and he acts as if they're harmonous (....) Text says it's the only thing he can hear, 'cause he's half-deaf. True... Then he looks upon the crowd of revellers and merry-makers below, and makes fun of them. I'm sorry, but this is hilarious. The text says because they make fun of him, he makes fun of them. Then guards push their way through the crowd. Introduction of King Louis XI who's said to be a "crafty oppressor" who executes a lot of people. He's being escorted through the crowd. He complains to a minister or somethin' that he doesn't like the crowd. Then introduction of Clopin, King of Beggars, enemy to kings, sitting on the steps of Notre Dame, watching the crowd. Quasimodo continues to mock and sulk. Clopin meanwhile....watches some more. Then the introduction of Dom Claude, Archdeacon of Notre Dame, who also stares out onto the square. Some little chick comes up to Clopin, offers him a drink. He freaks out...who knows why, shakes her, and throws her down the steps, pointing at her violently ("I told you! No lemon slices in my cocktail!") Dom Claude runs up, grabs his shoulder, stares him meaningfully in the eye. He says something to Clopin which makes him feel bad. Introduction of Jehan Frollo, Claude's younger brother, who also lives in the cathedral and is a priest. But he doesn't wear priestly garb -- he wears normal clothes. He goes up to Clopin after Claude leaves and mocks him for bowing to Claude. Then consoles him, saying their day will come. Judgement Day....I don't know. Anyhow, Quasi goes on mocking, bouncing up and down on the cathedral as people point up at him from the square. He hangs off a couple of gargoyles, so on...starts climbing down, still climbing down. More mocking. More climbing. People keep looking up and covering their heads like Quasi's going to drop down on them. All of them. Including the ones at the back of the square. Clopin and Jehan look up, then away, kinda covering their faces like kids do when their moms are with them at the mall. Jehan tells Clopin that "freak" is his slave, and would be useful to them ("Even this foul creature may yet prove one day to be...ooof use to me..." Sorry, random Disney lyric. Mooooving on...) Quasimodo *eventually* climbs down. The only good thing about this is you get a chance to see Notre Dame's entire facade. Niiiiice clips. But it takes ten minutes. Okay, he's on the ground. He continues jeering. Jehan steps up to him and gstures for him to follow him. Then Esmeralda's introduction. She's a child of mystery, that Clopin rescued from gypsies and brought up as his own. Then there's the Sachette, who looks upon the scene from her little rat-hole. She yells at Esmeralda, cursing her. Marie, Queen of the Gypsies consoles Esme and pulls her away. Two women next to the rat-hole talk about Sachette. She was once young and had a beautiful baby (or 3-year-old) girl. She gave the child a gold pendant and hugged her and tucked her in (she looks pretty rich here). Then she left the house. While she was away, these gypsy-lookin' women snuck in and grabbed the child, kidnapping her. All they left behind was a little shoe. The women continue talking, saying she's locked herself away, just to curse and pray. Cut to Sachette, worshipping the little shoe in her hole. She begs God to give her child back if but for a moment. Night time in the square. People acting pretty dang drunk. Introduction of Gringoire. He watches the scene in a look of disgust, horror, and stupidity. The climax of the Festival is the crowning of the ugliest man. Who happens to be Quasimodo. This was touched for all of two seconds. Clopin orders that Esme be brought out to dance. Apparently, according to the text, Clopin's heart burned at the injustice of the world, but became tender at his foster daughter. She danced, Clopin watched and started to look....tender. Then cut to more text. King Louis is apparently hiding in the Bastille, trying to find peace from the noise. In the Bastille, King Louis sits and looks agitated. He asks for Phoebus, who is brought in. They mention how he's brave and handsome. Gaaah...so he goes before the King, and the King looks pleased. Stuff is said but obviously not important enough for the text. Then he's given a proclamation which makes him captain of the guard. Cut to the home of Madame de Gondelaurier. Phoebus watches Fleur de Lys sew and jokes with her. Then flirts with her. Introduction of Madame de Gondelaurier, aunt of Fleur-de-Lys. They step out onto the balcony, and Madame leaves them both along, unchaperoned. They talk about romantic crap, I'm sure. There's Esmeralda, dancing in the square with Djali. Fleur-de-Lys draws his attention to the pretty goat, but Phoebus has his eyes on something else. Fleur notices, gets kinda ticked off. Then a guard arrives on the balcony. Phoebus' company is waiting on the barracks. So he takes his leave of Fleur, stares at Esme for muuuch longer, then leaves. Fleur is heart broken. Cut to Quasi in the belltower, ringing bells. Three priests walk in the Gallery of Kings. People gather in the parvis to watch Esme. Phoebus pauses on his horse to stare at her. Then text appears, revealing that Esme had long loved Phoebus. He throws her a kiss. She grins at him stupidly. He rides off. She continues dancing. Jehan pushes his way into the circle. Text reveals every time he saw Esme, he wanted her. He stares at her with a longing smirk. Then he looks up to Quasi, then back to Esme. Then he leaves. He apparently knows the way she takes to get home. So that night, he and Quasi follow her. She's walking through the dark streets alone. Jehan holds his cloak over his face ala Dracula. Dear Lord... Cut to some guards on horseback. Then Quasi jumps out and grabs her. The guards hear the commotion and go to save her. Jehan runs for it, Phoebus pulls her onto his horse, and the others apprehend Quasi. ....Phoebus uses the word 'varlet.' That's all I'm saying. So they tie up the...varlet....while Quasi stares at Jehan, who does nothing to help him (what is he supposed to do??) While Quasi's being tied up, Esme sits in Phoebus' lap - er, on his horse, and they flirt. Then they ride off while the guards take Quasi. Then a loooong text describing the filth that is The Court of Miracles. Then a scene of merry-makers in what appears to be an underground cavern. Then an explanation of "Miracles" with clips of blind now seeing and the lame now walking. They gather around a fire happy-like. Small cut to Clopin amidst them all. Then at the Pomme d'Eve, Phoebus takes Esme..to the inn....that is. He invites her to supper and wine, when she looks confused about where they are. La Falourdel (not named) bring them in and sets them at a table. A couple of drunk people point at them. Text points out Phoebus thinks of her as just another chick, but her dream's coming true. Scene of a butterfly caught in a spider's web. Woooow, not so subtle, now! He lifts the medalion from her throat, asks about it. She explains her mom put it around her neck, and no harm will befall her as long as she wears it. Somehow, this makes Phoebus feel bad, and he pulls up the neck of her shirt which for some reason she didn't notice he pulled down. He stands, looks....filled with realization, then grabs her cloak and offers to take her home safely. Then back to Court of Miracles. Text says people in the Court had a danger of losing their lives -- Gringoire his clothes. Yes, indeed, Gringoire's stripped down to his undergarments. Clopin looks at him while they explain he's a spy of the aristocracy they found. Clopin asks who he is. With rather flamboyant gestures, he explains he's a poet, a singer of sweet songs -- Gringoire. Clopin asks the crowd what they should do with him. They shout they should hang him, 'cause the aristocrats hang them. Gringoire proceeds to act like a dork. He goes to Clopin and begs for mercy, but he's knocked off and dragged to the gibbet. They tie a noose around his neck and are about the hang him when Esme suddenly jumps forward. She berates them for doing this, then stares at Clopin with a mad, "Daddy!" look. He looks ashamed and sheepish, then signals for them to let Gringoire go. Esme walks over to Gringoire, puts her hand on his head. Gringoire's filled with this sudden and utter devotion. Cut to text explaining that for his role in the kidnapping, Quasi is going to get his first taste of Louis' justice. So then a court scene, Quasi standing before a judge. The judge adds 20 lashes to his sentence (they cut out the reason why he got those lashes). Text about how a slave must suffer for his master. Then Quasi is dragged onto the pillory in the middle of the place of Notre Dame. A man reads the crimes "for nocturnal attack and disturbing the peace of King Louis." They tie him to a wheel, the executioner chooses a whip, makes them tear down Quasi's shirt, and then starts to whip him. Another little guy starts an hour glass. Quasi starts...shouting...I think. People laugh and carouse about him. Then a woman below starts turning a crank, and he's wheeled around while the guy whips him. Not really shown. But then there's a clip of an hourglas running. "Thus was justice rendered under King Louis XI!" I dunno about you, but I'm starting to think they don't like the monarchy... Esme shows up, the Sachette yells at her, points out Quasi. Esme immediately grabbed a jug, filled it, and took it up to the pillory, where Quas is horrified to see her. It takes him a moment to get used to her, but then he takes the water gladly. Claude (remember, here he's a good guy) shows up and walks out to the pillory. Esme finishes with the water and helps pull his shirt back up for him. He wears a similar look to the one he gave the bells. Claude runs up the stairs and undoes the ropes holding Quasi, making sure he's alright. Cut to more text -- Madame de Gondelaurier throws a ball to celebrate Phoebus' promotion. New word of the day -- jackanapes. Out in the darkened street, Esme waits for that young jackanapes Phoebus. He finds her, and the talk...yeah. Apparently she promised him that she'd go to the ball with him. She continues to argue, pointing out her clothes are awful. But it's cool, 'cause he took care of that. They go up to the gate to the house, and the guardsmen looks..surprised. They then go inside. Phoebus pulls her up the stairs and into the house. He hands her over to the servants and orders that they dress her, so they take off with her. Cut to Jehan walking through Notre Dame. He runs into Quasi, who growls and barks at him. So he kinda runs off. Quasi apparently hates him now and worships Claude, who shows up, and Quasi follows him out. Back at the Court, people are partying (geez, lotsa stamina). The guy from earlier runs up to Clopin and reporst that he saw Pheobus with Esme. Gringoire jumps up and says don't worry, she's got him, not the oter way around. Clopin knocks him down and rallies the entire Court, saying an aristocrat has caught her. They run off to save her. Back to the mansion. Ems'e dressed up like a lady, and Phoebus tells her how beautiful she is. Looks like they're about to kiss, but cuts to Clopin et al running through the streets of Paris. Phoebus brings Esme into the ballroom, which causes a big ruckus. Fleur grabs her aunt's attention and directs it to the newcomers. Phoebus takes Esme up to them, bows to Madame, and introduces Esme as the Princess of Egypt. Fleur looks upset and offended. They go on talking...geez, can't understand these silent flicks. Clopin and the Truants run up to the gate. Back to ballroom. Esme apparently descends from a line more ancient than that of the king of France. Clopin tells the gatesman he has a message to give to Phoebus. So what does the gatesmen do? You guess it. Let them in. So they aaaall run upstairs and mob the ballroom. Clopin holds them back before they attack. The aristocrats....look firghtened. Clopin tells them all to hold off, 'cause he only wants to fight one guy. Pheobus starts to draw his blade, but Esme stops him. Clopin starts to draw his blade, but aristocrats stop him. Phoebus yells at them to step down, 'cause this is his business. Phoebus goes up and asks Clopin what he wants. Cut to a filthy lady offending an arristocrat. Clopin tells him to leave Esme alone and not use her as a play thing. Phoebus says he loves her. Esme intervenes and tells them to stop, then tells Phoebus she doen't belong with them but with her people. Clopin tells Phoebus to stay with his own women. Phoebus asks Esme if she did not promise to be his bride. She looks at him and declares that she doesn't love him. He's....awww...heartbroken. Cloopin gives him a "Yeeeah...that's what I thought" look and takes off with Esme. On we go, Clopin yells at the lords that they can't trample on them forever, yadda ya. Esme takes one look back at Phoebus, Phoebus at her, and she leaves. Just when Phoebus had given up hope! Gringoire shows up at his door, bearing a message. Apparently he's really hungry (poor poet!) so he goes and takes some food. The servant takes the message to Phoebus, who reads it. Apparently Esme wants to meet him at Notre Dame. So happy, he goes up and thanks the poet. Gringoire looks -- no wait, he looks dedicated. Says Esme saved his life. And Phoebus calls him the Prince of Poets. He sets Gringoire down and begins to feed him. Gringoire tries to eat, but every time he starts, Phoebus interrupts to tell him something or ask something. Finally he just gives up and eats despite the soldier... Back at the Court, Clopin realizes he's losing Esme. Esme looks at a bird in a lovesick away, all the drunk people give a "Bah!" look. Jehan though shows up in the Court and begins talking with Clopin. Esme reveals to Marie, Queen of Gypsies, that she's giving her self to the Virgin for peace. Jehan offers half the treasure of Notre Dame for Esme's hand in marriage. Meanwhile, Marie cries in Esme's lap. Jehan continues cajoling. Clopin looks aaalmost convinced. But he admits there's nothing to make his people attack the cathedral yet. Esme steps out looking forlorn, but sees Jehan. She gives him a nasty look and leaves. She arrives at the cathedral, looking around in awe. Phoebus waits for her in the cathedral, and when he sees her, he stares at her for a moment before running to her. They kinda embrace, kinda hold back to give each other puppy-dog faces. Esme tells him it was only to see him once more. He finds that funny. Quasimodo enters nearby, and walks nearly past them. They stop to stare at him. Quasi does a sort of "Hey! Remember me?" but Phoebus step in front of Esme and looks dangerous. Quasi, heart-broken, messes with the fire...altar...thing. Then Phoebus and Esme leave, leaving Quasi. Jehan watches from the balcony. Quasi sess he was watching, but desn't do anything. Jehan follows them. They go out into the garden behind Notre Dame and sit on a bench. Phoebus still professes his love. Esme tells him that she must give him up to protect him. He thinks it's funny still. Jehan approaches behind them, hiding in the bushes. He pulls out a knife. Phoebus meanwhile grabs Esme's medallion and says "By this sacred emblem, I plight my troth." .....don't even ask what that means. He kisses it, and while he's bent over to do so, Jehan runs up and stabs him. Then Jehan runs off, leaving Esme there holding the body. Some guys run up and she tells them what happened. Instead they accuse her of doing it. Eeeeeveryone runs up then, and she's taken away. Now in an even bigger Court than Quasi's. Esme sits before the judges. She apparently is still denying she stabbed him. She sees Jehan in the Court and points him out, saying he did it. The judges look at Jehan, Jehan gives what has got to be the COOLEST look in this film and says she's bewitched. So they put her to question. In a lower part ot the Court, Esme is led, where she see s a guy hanging on the wall. So horrific, she gasps in terror and is dragged to the boot in a near swoon. There she's chained up while the boot's put on her feet. They twist it. Within three seconds, she's cracked and confuseed. Then apparently she faints. Phoebus still lives, though. He wonders if Esme's the one who stabbed him. Apparently delirious. Well, Madame's still taking care of him, even though he embarrassed and shunned her daughter. Jehan pays a visit to the bed-ridden man. He talks to the doctor, who says...I don't know. Fleur shows him Phoebus, and he tells Phoebus that she confessed and she's going to hang. There's a cut to the gibbet, then Phoebus gives a cry and clutches his head. Cut to Clopin on the steps of Notre Dame. Inside, Quasi and Claude pray. Clopin goes inside and Claude talks to him. Apparently Clopin's come to get Esme, but she's already been taken to prison. Clopin laughs heartily at that. Quasi gets up and finally realizes Clopin's there. Claude does some holy signs, Clopin mocks him. Offended, Claude drags Quasi away, but Quasi keeps looking back at Clopin. Claude pretty much tells him that "this is his sanctuary." Cut to Esme, in the jail. A priest comes to see her, and she begs for him to help her. He pulls back his hood to reveal himself to be Jehan. He tells her to come with him, but she says she'd rather die. Then Jehan tells her Phoebus died the night before and he's there to save him. She becomes sad at that. Jehan falls to the ground, grabs her waist, and proclaims he did it all for love. She runs from him and sneers. Calls him an assassin. He tells her she can go ahead and hang, then leaves. The date for her hanging was set ahead, and Quasi is told to ring her death knell. Quasi, of course, rings it. She's dragged out in a tumble through the square, wearing her shift. The Sachette sees her, gets really happy, leaves her prison, and runs out at the tumbril. She jumps on the cart in an attempt to kill Esme, but she's pulled off and thrown to the side. About an hour later, she realizes she's holding the medallion that she had ripped of Esme's throat. Now she realizes that Esme was her child. She starts screaming for them to save Esme and runs after her. Yet all is lost, so she falls to the ground. She grabs her side (indicating appendicitis) and passes out. Two guys and a priest show up by her, and priest declares "Resquiescat in pace". Which means rest in peace, so we can safely assumes she died. Esme is dragged from the cart to the steps of Notre Dame, to do penance. Quasi finally sees her. He sings down the western facade of the cathedral on a rope, grabs Esme, and runs into the cathedral with her shouting "Sanctuary!" Apparently, a crowd of 50 guards couldn't stop him in time. They start to go in after him, but Claude stops them and explains with a crazy-eyed look what the right of sancturay is. Then he goes up to the belltower, where Quasi has put Esme. She gets up and talks to Claude. Jehan, walking around up there, looks through a window and sees it. He gets upset and leaves. Claude explains to Esme she had protection pending an appeal. Esme sleeps that night. Yuuuup, she does. But she wakes up the next morning to discover clothes left for her. Quasi, who's REALLY happy about Esme, starts ringing the heck out of the bells. Clopin and his gypsies, according to the text, have made plans to rescue Esme on her day of exectuion. Back to the Court of Miracles. Jehan is there, and he talks to Clopin. Tells Clopin Esme will hang today by order of King. Clopin immediately rallies the Court again and they all take off. Gringoire goes to Marie, Queen of Gypsies. They listen as Clopin tells the Truants they're as good as kings, and that they shouldn't let the aristocracy boss them around. Then they take off to Notre Dame, shouting they should sack the city. Jehan must have a brilliant idea, 'cause he runs off. Girngoire must have a brilliant idea, 'cause he runs off. Clopin must have a really brilliant idea, 'cause he makes three people run off. Then the Truants form an angry mob and run off. Apparently the message is spread through all the taverns and indigent area, 'cause they all rally. Phoebus, in turn, has healed, but he's still depressed. Gringoire! runs to Phoebus and tells him that Clopin and the Truants have risen. He reveals that the're after Esmeralda. Phoebus is surprised to hear Esme still lives. And through all this are many different clips of the Truants marching. Phoebus sends off Gringoire, then arms himself. Jehan ist still walking. Back in Notre Dame, Esme looks forlorn. The crowd spills into the parvis and attack Notre Dame. Esme hears this and looks outside. Then she rouses Quasimodo. They're apparently attacking Notre Dame with hammers....ehhh...not even the doors. Just Notre Dame. Quasi wakes up, then runs to a pot of just-so-happening-to-be-boiling led. The Truants in the meantime have built a big bongfire and gotten out casks of wine. Then they turn swords on themselves just to get some of it. Aaaanyhow.... The guards show up. Quasi starts flinging stuff down on the Truants despite the fact Esme keeps trying to stop him. They argue for a moment, he keeps hurling. Clopin rallies them together again, and finally they focus on the actual door. Undettered, Quasi throws more wood on the fires under the lead pots, then throws a large beam down on them. Gringoire in the meantime has arrived at the garrison and tells the soldiers to go to Phoebus. Oddly enough, they listen. Clopin, always the innovative one, tells the Truants they now have a battering ram with the large beam Quasi threw on them. So, of course, they start to use it. Quasi does "G*d d*mmit!" gesture and proceeds to pour the molten lead on them. Yes, Esme continues to protest. Oh, but who cares? Quasi goes to survey his damage. It didn't kill that many, though. Then Quasi sees the guards arrive and he freaks out in happiness. Why, you ask, when he was running from the guards to begin with? Oh, who knows. Clopin takes a scythe and starts killing guards. Big fighs and so on. Quasi stands up there and cheers. Esme cries. Jehan sneaks up behind her and grabs her. He drags her back into her cell and -- well, if this weren't the 1920's, he would have forced her down on the bed. Instead, they just wrestle standing up. Cut to Clopin, dying on the steps of Notre Dame. He tells his "children" to fight on. Gringoire leads Phoebus into Notre Dame. Meanwhile Esme has stopped struggling, Jehan has her. Quasis's still delirious with joy. He runs to find Esme and walks in on Jehan and Esme. Then proceeds to give the second COOLEST look in the movie. They argue, Esme accuses him of attacking her, Jeahn goes "It wasn't me!" then Quasi attacks him and begins to choke him. Meanwhile Gringoire and Phoebus run on. Apparently Gringoire gets distracted by something shiney, 'cause he turns suddenly. Phoebus goes on. Quasi carries Jehan outside, where Jehan then stabs him. Then Quasi drops him over the edge. Esme leans against hte building, looking forlorn. But Phoebus runs up behind her and they embrace. Quasi leans against the parapets, bleeding. He huffs, then sees the two lovers. They walk off, leaving Quasi there, and he cries. Phoebus takes Esme to her cell, where they talk....'n stuff. Quasi drags hmself off to his bells. Claude and Gringoire show up and see Phoebus and Esme. They make "Awww! That's so cuuuuute!" faces. Then Claude hears the bells ringing and they go to investigate. Quasi is on the ground, ringing his own death knell. Gringoire and Claude walk in just as he dies. The end! |
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