#33 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939). I really love the physicality of Lon Chaney, Sr.s performance as Quasimodo in the silent version, but Charles Laughton engenders so much pathos as in the 1939 remake that it remains my go to hunchback fave. There are many changes from the classic Hugo novel, but I dont mind, as I go to a film to see a film, and all that implies, versus reading a book and all that implies, and dont necessarily feel the two need slavishly reflect each other. Maureen OHara as the ethereal beauty Esmeralda explains at first glance why Quasimodo falls so completely for her, and makes believable the often extreme actions he takes on her behalf. Cedric Hardwicke as Jehan Frollo is perfectly cast as the manipulative archdeacon who not only has Quasimodo, but King Louis XI, wrapped around his supposedly holy finger. There is much to admire, including the set of Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the largest RKO (or Hollywood) ever constructed for a film. But what kills me is the final line, where Quasimodo (spared death as in the novel) hugs the only friends he has ever truly had, the stone gargoyles of the upper most reaches of the famous church. He longingly sighs and closes his one good eye, and mutters, Why was I not made of stone, like thee? A surely devastating moment, one that makes anyone who has ever suffered or felt the pangs of being different feel teary-eyed with instant recognition. #33 of my Halloween Horrorfest. A reverse countdown of my favorite (not necessarily critically regarded as The Best) horror films, one for each day until Halloween, in no particular order.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:31:21 +0000
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