The session: "Happy Birthday, Charles Laughton"
In honor of Charles Laughton's Birthday, Keith presented an abbreviated (two-week) session of movies he starred in.
Week 1: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
Directed by William Dieterle
My Level of Prior Knowledge
I hadn't heard of this. I mean, I am aware of the novel (though I never read it), but I hadn't heard of this particular adaptation.
Plot:
A high-positioned man, enraged that the woman he wants is not interested in her, unleashes his anger on her and on the deformed man on whom she took pity.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
There were ways that Hunchback felt like an epic, though I think a movie has to somehow have a broader scope to qualify for that term. Joe used the word "spectacle," and I think that's probably more appropriate. Charlie Laughton turned in the performance of a lifetime. How showed a tremendous range of emotions, which managed to show through the extensive makeup that was needed for his role as Quasimodo. There are scenes with thousands of extras, and amazing shots. The violence and torture pushed the envelope (for 1939). This was, overall, an amazing production.
If I had it to do over, I would have rated this a 10, but in class I said 9.5, so that's what I gave it.
Ratings
Me: 9.5
Bob-O: 10
Dave: 10
Ethan: 10
Joe: 10
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