Il gobbo di Notre Dame
Directed by:
Jean DelannoyCinematography:
Michel KelberComposer:
Georges AuricCast:
Gina Lollobrigida, Anthony Quinn, Alain Cuny, Robert Hirsch, Jacques Dufilho, Pierre Fresnay, Daniel Emilfork, Nadine Tallier, Edmond Beauchamp, Jean Martin (more)Plots(1)
Anthony Quinn stars as the deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo, and silver-screen siren Gina Lollobrigida portrays the seductive, breathtaking gypsy dancer Esmeralda in this haunting tale of passion and desire based on Victor Hugo's immortal novel. After Esmeralda befriends the hideous outcast ensconced in Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral bell tower, he falls hopelessly in love with her and is willing to sacrifice himself to save her from the gallows. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (2)
A fairly faithful rendition of a famous story. Pretty good craftsmanship, with decent actors and setting, but emotionally somewhat bland and, considering the excellent premise, the narrative is uninteresting and slowly fades from memory as the closing credits roll. The only memorable thing is the charming Lollobrigida, who does her best as Esmeralda. For me, 60%.
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I preferred the black-and-white version with Charles Laughton, who definitely had the best portrayal of the Hunchback in history, even surpassing Lon Chaney's original. This color version isn't bad; it builds up excellently towards the end, but still, I didn't feel that it handles the societal critique aspect as well as the older version.
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