The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Blu-ray

[Akijama]

PRE-ORDER The Hunchback of Notre Dame Blu-ray

Courtesy of Flicker Alley

Hunchback is a huge production: the sets depicting 15th-century Paris covered nineteen acres of Universal Pictures’ back lot and included the façade of Notre Dame Cathedral. Filming took six months and the climactic sequence employed two thousand extras, but it’s Lon Chaney’s performance that makes the character unforgettable. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME premiered at New York’s Astor Theatre on September 2, 1923. The success of the film was immediate; it made Carl Laemmle and Universal Pictures a fortune, and turned Lon Chaney into a screen legend.

This edition is mastered from a multi-tinted 16mm print struck in 1926 from the original camera negative. (The film apparently does not survive in 35mm). Visible wear in the source material is diminished with a moderate amount of digital restoration. It is pictorially much better than earlier video editions and seems to represent the best condition in which this landmark film survives today. A new symphonic score arranged by Donald Hunsberger was recorded in the Czech Republic by full orchestra conducted by Robert Israel.

[HuggyBear73]

Nice! No release day yet?

Originally Posted by Akijama

Courtesy of Flicker Alley

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by HuggyBear73

Nice! No release day yet?

Apparently, it's coming in February. CriterionCast.com is the source, btw.

[redrunner97]

yay!

[OAXACA]

Brilliant!!!

[zafisher94]

Awesome news!

[growler]

I wonder if it will be the "restored" 117 minute version:

http://www.amazon.com/Hunchback-Notr...+of+Notre+Dame

The link is to the Image 2007 Ultimate DVD Edition release.

Someone commented:
"They've added over 20 minutes from any previous edition"

Another said:
"...although this new Image release which replaces their 1999 edition is likely the best that we'll see until someone can afford to do a full scale restoration....There is no significant new footage here but the film has been speed corrected which accounts for the longer running time. The print seems to be the same as the 1999 release with lots of scratches throughout but the image is sharper and the toning of certain scenes is better."

It will be interesting to see the BD reviews with comparisons to this Ultimate DVD edition.

[zbinks]

Originally Posted by growler

I wonder if it will be the "restored" 117 minute version:

http://www.amazon.com/Hunchback-Notr...+of+Notre+Dame

The link is to the Image 2007 Ultimate DVD Edition release.

Someone commented:
"They've added over 20 minutes from any previous edition"

Another said:
"...although this new Image release which replaces their 1999 edition is likely the best that we'll see until someone can afford to do a full scale restoration....There is no significant new footage here but the film has been speed corrected which accounts for the longer running time. The print seems to be the same as the 1999 release with lots of scratches throughout but the image is sharper and the toning of certain scenes is better."

It will be interesting to see the BD reviews with comparisons to this Ultimate DVD edition.

That 20 minute difference probably is mostly the result of changing the framerate from ~24fps to ~20fps.

117 minutes x 60 seconds/minute x 20 frames/second = 140400 frames
97 minutes x 60 second/minute x 24 frames/second = 139680 frames

The 720 frame difference would result in a difference of approximately 30 - 35 seconds, which could potentially be a rounding error for the number of minutes.

Since the Blackhawk Films Collection was involved with both Image DVD releases and now the Flicker Alley Blu-Ray release, I'd presume all three releases were sourced from the same print.

[NoirFan]

Even for a boutique label, $44.95 is a pretty steep price tag for a single-disc, single-film release, especially considering the lack of any new extras.

[Seth F.]

$44.99 That's just the list price.

Even on the Flicker Alley site this title is only $34.95.


This boutique label has done a wonderful job on getting the Cinerama titles out on home video.

No one else has ever put these titles out.



Even this week's release of Captain Phillips (2013) has a list price of $40.99.


I wouldn't worry about list prices.

[HuggyBear73]

Is there a confirm date for this. Feb ? Also, does Flicker Alley ship single blurays in carboard mailers or bubble envelopes? And what carrier do they use?






EDIT: I just checked. It comes out on March 11th.

[Seth F.]

Last order I got from flicker alley was in a cardboard box, but I ordered 3 titles. I've never ordered just one item from them.

Just email them, info@flickeralley.com

I'm sure they can answer how a single items are shipped.

[HuggyBear73]

Originally Posted by Seth F.

Last order I got from flicker alley was in a cardboard box, but I ordered 3 titles. I've never ordered just one item from them.

Just email them, info@flickeralley.com

I'm sure they can answer how a single items are shipped.

Ok. Do you remember what carrier they used to ship your three titles?

[Seth F.]

Usps

[HuggyBear73]

Originally Posted by Seth F.

Usps

Cool. I'll most likely order 2 copies of Hunchback (one for my dad) and Nanook of the North. I believe that was a Flicker Alley release as well.

[captveg]

$44.95 is also the list price for Nanook of the North, so it's not that much of a surprise.

[iwanttobeabmoviestar]

this was my first Halloween costume to win a contest as a kid way back in the mid 80's

[bboisvert]

From Flicker Alley:

Bonus materials include a long essay and an optional audio commentary by Chaney scholar Michael F. Blake, rare footage (in standard definition) of Chaney out of makeup on the Cathedral set, a 1913 film, Alas and Alack, in which Chaney plays a hunchback, and a dynamic HD photo gallery with over 50 original production and publicity stills.

[insomniac013]

If only Flicker Alley could find and restore London After Midnight...

[BluVinyl]

I haven't bought anything from Flicker Alley before. Based on past BDs, does anyone expect this to ever get well below the current $29 price on Amazon? I would like to get this, but I'm not in a rush.