"Sanctuary!" 'THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME' Classic Movie, Charles Laughton

[appalachiablue]

(4 mins.). MOVIE scene, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," (1939) starring Charles Laughton as Quasimodo and Irish-born Maureen O'Hara as Esmeralda. In 15th-century medieval France, the gypsy girl beauty, Esmeralda is framed for murder by the infatuated Chief Justice, and only the deformed bell ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral can save her. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031455/

Victor Hugo's 1831 book spread Notre-Dame’s magic, the most memorable milestone in Notre-Dame’s legacy did not take place in the cathedral nor was it a real event. It was conceived at a Parisian writing desk, when Victor Hugo brought the cathedral alive in his romantic gothic novel, "Notre-Dame de Paris", giving it a personality on par with the novel's heroes, the hunchback Quasimodo and the gypsy beauty Esmeralda. At a time when the church was facing the prospect of demolition because of its shocking state of disrepair, Hugo’s novel worked as a rallying cry to action for the nation, which began efforts to safeguard the structure.

The story has since been the subject of films, cartoons and children’s books, spreading the fame of this French medieval religious site to distant corners of the world, where children unfamiliar with Paris have discovered the magic of the gargoyles, beams, bell towers and columns of the edifice.


> "Book Sales For ‘The Hunchback Of Notre Dame’ Soar In France After Cathedral Fire," Huff Post, April 16. The classic novel shot to the top of Amazon France’s bestseller list after a massive blaze overtook the famed Paris church.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/victor-hugo-hunchback-of-notre-dame-fire-paris_n_5cb5f38ee4b082aab08cf3cd
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016230397

(2 mins.). 'Notre Dame Through The Ages,' France24 News.

[Journeyman]

1. My favorite scene in the movie comes at the beginning, when the Gypsies roll into Paris . . .

A French sentry stops the family as they try to enter the City.

"Hey, you, only native Parisians allowed here!"

"Oh," says the Gypsy, "and how long have you been here?"

"My family," says the sentry loudly, chest puffed out, "My family has lived in Paris for 300 years!"

"Eh," comes the reply. "You came yesterday, I come today."

[appalachiablue]

2. Very good, found the Gypsy scene on this Vimeo copy. It's as you say.

(YouTube's Link is wrong- it's the 1923 silent version with Lon Chaney, NOT 1939 film with Chas. Laughton as stated).


--> *WATCH, FULL MOVIE, 1939 "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," with Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara. ENGLISH.

vimeo.com/159374850