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Product Description
Charles Laughton gives a stunning and touching performance as Quasimodo, the deformed bellringer in 15th-century Paris who is befriended by Gypsy girl Maureen O'Hara. Cedric Hardwicke and Edmond O'Brien also star in this classic period drama, the first sound rendition of Victor Hugo's novel. 117 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; documentary; theatrical trailer.
Amazon.com
Of the many film versions of Victor Hugo's novel, this classicfrom Hollywood's golden year of 1939 remains the best, rivaled only by the 1923 silent version starring Lon Chaney. In his triumphant attempt to create a performance as memorable as Chaney's, Charles Laughton played the lovelorn Parisian hunchback Quasimodo under a disfiguring costume and gruesome makeup that rendered the actor almost unrecognizable. The result is a gripping and heartfelt portrayal of the misshapen bell ringer who falls desperately in love with the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda (played by Maureen O'Hara). The lavish production also greatly benefits from exquisitely moody black-and-white cinematography, brilliant medieval set design, and the atmospheric direction by German expatriate William Dieterle, whose style was heavily influenced by German films of the era. --Jeff Shannon
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