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- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
-
-
- (SEPTEMBER 10, 1923)
-
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This picture is a legitimate
- example of movie elephantiasis. It required, apparently,
- millions of horses, ten millions of men; it required the
- construction in Hollywood of Notre Dame Cathedral plus a large
- section of old Paris. All this was done on the Gargantuan scale
- of which only cinema directors can conceive. All this would have
- been futile, as it so often is with spectacle productions, if
- the story had not furnished it with backbone and if Lon Chaney
- had not provided a singularly fine performance in the title
- role. The combination affords massive and effective
- entertainment.
-
- It must be said for the benefit of Hugo addicts that the plot
- is sacrificed for the sake of a happy ending. This sacrifice
- seems reasonable in view of the preponderance of movie addicts
- over Hugo addicts.
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-