Vintage original 8 x 10 in. US single-weight glossy photograph from the 1920's silent Universal horror film, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, released in 1923 by Universal Pictures and directed by Wallace Worsley.
The image depicts an interior shot of Esmeralda (Patsy Ruth Miller) being tried by several judges as two armed guards stand behind her. In fine- condition.
*"The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1923 American drama film starring Lon Chaney, directed by Wallace Worsley, and produced by Carl Laemmle and Irving Thalberg. The supporting cast includes Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Nigel de Brulier, and Brandon Hurst. The film was Universal's "Super Jewel" of 1923 and was their most successful silent film, grossing $3.5 million.
The film premiered on September 2, 1923 at the Astor Theatre in New York, New York, then went into release on September 6. The screenplay was written by Perley Poore Sheehan and Edward T. Lowe Jr., based on Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, and is notable for the grand sets that recall 15th century Paris as well as for Chaney's performance and make-up as the tortured hunchback bellringer Quasimodo. This was the seventh film adaptation of the novel. The film elevated Chaney, who was already a well-known character actor, to full star status in Hollywood, and also helped set a standard for many later horror films, including Chaney's The Phantom of the Opera in 1925.
At the beginning of 1923, Universal's accounts believed that the cost of the production would be between $750,000 and $1,000,000. The film wound up costing $1,250,000 to produce and was in production from December 16, 1922 until June 8, 1923. It was the most expensive Lon Chaney film ever made. He was paid $2,500.00 per week salary.
The film is readily available today on Blu-Ray and DVD, although the existing prints (all copied from 16mm sources) are all missing at least 15 minutes of footage that was in the original 1923 35mm release print. In 1951, the film entered the public domain in the United States because the claimants neglected to renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication."
*(source: Wikipedia)
3RB