MovieChat Forums > The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Discussion > Observations/thoughts about the 7/18/1...

Observations/thoughts about the 7/18/10 TCM airing of this...

posted 14 years ago by genplant29
4 replies | jump to latest

I watched this movie on TCM early this morning and was surprised that a movie of this one's status hasn't yet (it appears) received a full and proper restoration, as there's major flutter in places, not to mention an abundance of fallout and streaking in the picture quality.

Additionally, I don't think the new 2006 score is anywhere near up to par. It reminded me too much (though I realize it isn't) one of those silent movies that gets snippets of classical music movements tacked on to it as a score. I didn't really think the 2006 soundtrack is very complimentary. Unlike a modern score for say the silent "Ben Hur," in which every little moment seemed to have been well thought out and orchestrated, and to sound and feel like it's truly PART of the movie and overall full viewing experience, this movie's 2006 score just felt lame and amateurish to me. Was that just me?

All the above having been said, I have an unrelated open question - something I wondered about while watching the movie (which, incidentally, I didn't all that much appreciate as its look and sound left much to be desired by me, though I couldn't help think that it could have probably seriously impressed me if "improvements" had been done to enable the viewer to feel more completely in the experience and not distracted by flaws and incongruities).

Here's the question: In this movie, Esmerelda is always wearing a dress just below the knees. Even when she is given sanctuary in Notre Dame's tower, and one morning finds new clothes there, it's the same-length dress we see her newly don. Standard fashion of the era that this story takes place was floor-length dresses for ALL women - right? Or was there a different standard for Gypsies, that their women routinely wore short dresses. I tended to think, watching this movie, that it was just an "artistic liberty" that Esmerelda's dresses were short, though was wondering if her fashions were, in fact, truly accurate. Does anyone know? I just can't imagine ONLY Gypsy women wearing short dresses, during a time when it was the norm for women to fully cover their legs. Anyways, I just wanted to share my questions about that, which kept re-entering my mind while watching the movie.

[–] iwals 14 years ago

I agree with you about the soundtrack--it seems tacked on rather than becoming integral with the movie. I was actually looking forward to it having an excellent soundtrack, as I had heard specific mention of the original score for the movie.

I am by no means an expert on 15th century clothing, however I do agree Esmeralda's dress would have been considered immodest for the times. I also feel there was an anachronistic view of the poor wanting to revolt. Remember, they made a point of this being set in the pre-Columbian era, with Louis XI as king, yet revolutionary themes were in the air. It seemed they were on the verge of the French Revolution 300 years before the fact.

Nobody gets to be a cowboy forever.

[–] genplant29 14 years ago

I absolutely agree with you that this story gives off the vibe of taking place during the French Revolution.

[–] deuchler 14 years ago

From what I have read, all the original prints of the film have vanished. The only copies of the picture that survive are on 16 MM, which would be used in school showings or privately. So there are no pristine prints left to work with and "correct" or restore. These surviving copies undoubtedly have already been copied and recopied a lot and thus the quality suffers enormously, alas.

[–] Fairyangel24 14 years ago

Yes, I think she was dressed a little immodestly. In the book, it says when Esmerelda is being taken to the gallows in a horse-drawn cart, she is dressed in nothing but her shift, and she's trying very hard to cover up her legs "as if by a last feminine instinct."