This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered in 4K high resolution from a 16mm reduction print (reputedly from the collection of Lon Chaney historian Jon Mirsalis). When compared to the Flicker Alley Blu-ray Disc edition noted below, the picture features a more-balanced greyscale range and greater image detail. The picture has been digitally stabilized to reduce bouncing, with the only remaining unstable part of the image being some occasional movement due to very slight cupping in the original source material utilized for the 16mm print. There remains a light amount of dust and speckling, and also the moderate emulsion scuffing that enthusiasts of the film will be all too familiar with.

The film is accompanied by music composed by Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum and Laura Karpman.

The supplementary material includes entertaining and informative audio commentary by film historian Farran Smith Nehme; a booklet essay by Chaney historian Michael F. Blake; an episode from the newsreel series “Life in Hollywood” featuring footage of Lon Chaney on the Hunchback set; Lon Chaney home movie footage; and slideshows of production correspondence, publicity materials and production stills (12 minutes total).

This Blu-ray Disc is our recommended home video edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, for its increased image detail and more-balanced greyscale range. With so many home video editions of the film available, collectors may ask if it is worth upgrading their holdings yet again. We say yes. Until a 35mm print is recovered, the film will probably not look any better on home video than it does here.

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This Blu-ray Disc edition has been prepared by home video producers David Shepard and Serge Bromberg with a new high-definition video transfer from a color-tinted 16mm reduction print that was duplicated from the camera negative in 1926.

This Blu-ray Disc edition is virtually identical to the 2007 Image DVD edition below. The chief difference is that this BD edition is presented in full pillarboxed format, where the DVD edition was presented with a slight windowboxing of the picture. Of course, even if prepared from the same HD transfer, this BD edition is slightly sharper in image detail than its sister DVD edition. Much of what was said about the Image DVD edition's visually quality and content still applies here. Also, we suspect that the difference in running times between this BD and the DVD editions is a slightly faster frame rate in the video transfer. The running speed is still a natural movement pace.

The film is accompanied by an orchestral and pipe organ music score compiled by Donald Hunsberger, arranged and conducted by Robert Israel.

Full-length audio commentary by Chaney expert Michael F. Blake is available on the secondary audio track. As opposed to commentary by academics, Blake’s information is delivered with informality and the enthusiasm of one who honestly loves films. One could imagine watching the film at home, with Blake chattering about the film in a chair at one’s side. Blake regales us with memories of conversations with Patsy Ruth Miller, Burt Lancaster and others about the film and Chaney’s makeup and performance as Quasimodo.

The supplementary material includes audio commentary by Chaney expert Michael F. Blake; an early Lon Chaney short, presented in standard resolution, the incomplete Alas and Alack (1915) which is missing its ending; footage of Chaney on the Hunchback set (2 minutes — standard definition); and an HD gallery of stills and advertising materials (more than 100 images). Also included is an insert booklet reproduction of the 1923 souvenir program book. The stereoscopic (3D) material that was available in the DVD edition has been excised from this Blu-ray Disc edition.

This Blu-ray Disc was our recommended home video edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, until the release of the Kino Classics edition noted above.

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When released, this new Image DVD edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame was the best-available version on home video. Producers David Shepard and Serge Bromberg have prepared a new high-definition video transfer from an “original” color-tinted print, a 16mm reduction print that was struck in 1926, which is still quite scuffed, dusty and speckled. However, when compared to the dire quality of previous home video editions, the results here are stunning.

The difference in runnning time between this and the previous Image edition is in the slower, natural pacing of the video transfer, which is also framed slightly more open than the 1999 edition, generally showing a sliver more picture information at the top of the frame and more at the sides and bottom. The source material — while not in excellent condition — holds more image detail, with a far more-defined greyscale range in shadowy quartertones and retained detail in most of the highlights, than is seen in legion 16mm prints that are commonly available. Some flaws seen in those prints are not present in this edition’s source print while other flaws are common to both, which may indicate that all readily-available duplicates originate from the same source print. Also notable is the greater level of image stability in this source print over that utilized for the previous Image edition, which had far more examples of picture wandering within the frame. While the intertitles artwork is identical between the two source prints, this edition’s main title appears to be the earlier artwork of the two.

There are differences between this new Image edition and the 1999 edition. There are brief sections of footage, seen here, that are missing from the previous edition, all likely due to splices: beginning at 17:17, the Bastille exterior shot in the 2007 edition print is a daylight shot, while the 1999 edition print at 14:30 utilizes a night shot with exterior lighting that appears to have been inserted from later in the film (as seen at 1:25:19); at 37:36, there is approximately 11 seconds of footage and an intertitle; at 43:16, there is approximately 7 seconds of footage and an intertitle; at 50:01, there is 1 second of an additional crowd shot; at 57:43, there are approximately 2.5 seconds of an additional shot; at 60:56, the scene-ending shot is extended by 4 seconds; at 72:12, there is an additional shot lasting approximately 2 seconds; at 86:13, there is an additional shot lasting approximately 7 seconds and about 3 seconds of the beginning of a medium shot of Chaney; at 1:02:38, the beginning of the shot is seen, amounting to about 1 extra second of footage; at 1:16:17 can be seen the original ending title card; all not seen in the 1999 edition. With all that having been said, this new edition also has missing footage: at 62:37, the ending of the shot of Esmeralda and her friend (seen at 51:57 in the old edition) is missing, amounting to approximately 3 seconds of footage; at 89:42, there is a missing shot of Esmeralda (seen at 1:14:32 in the old edition), amounting to approximately 5 seconds; and at 93:15, the remainder of the shot of Quasimodo on the bell (seen at 1:17:30 in the old edition) is missing, amounting to about 4 seconds of footage.

The film is accompanied by an orchestral and pipe organ music score compiled by Donald Hunsberger, arranged and conducted by Robert Israel, and presented in digital stereo.

Full-length audio commentary by Chaney expert Michael F. Blake is available on the secondary audio track. As opposed to commentary by academics, Blake’s information is delivered with informality and the enthusiasm of one who honestly loves films. One could imagine watching the film at home, with Blake chattering about the film in a chair at one’s side. Blake regales us with memories of conversations with Patsy Ruth Miller, Burt Lancaster and others about the film and Chaney’s makeup and performance as Quasimodo. We have a minor problem with Blake’s mispronunciation of some proper names, but whaddya gonna do?

The supplemental section includes an early Lon Chaney short, the incomplete Alas and Alack (1915) which is missing its ending, in addition to footage of Chaney on the Hunchback set (2 minutes), a gallery of stills and advertising materials (72 images), and stereoscopic production stills (20 images, 3D glasses included). Also included is a reduced-scale facsimile reproduction of the original souvenir program, and an essay by Blake.

Forget all the other substandard editions noted below, this edition is the one that we enthusiastically recommend on DVD home video. If you are still on the fence about moving to Blu-ray Disc and you are uncertain about whether to choose the BD or DVD editions, you may consider this DVD edition. There is little difference in visual quality other than the extra image resolution that Blu-ray Disc affords.

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This early DVD edition, produced by David Shepard, features a slightly-windowboxed video transfer that was originally prepared in 1990 for VHS videotape and later released on laserdisc. The disc’s packaging states that it has been transferred from a tinted print struck in 1924 from Universal’s duplicate negative of the domestic release, although the image quality of this color-toned print says otherwise with its soft image detail that has the qualities of a 16mm reduction print. A few shots appear to have been transferred from another source print. The most annoying quality of the presentation are two hairs caught in the transfer gate, first the bottom then the top of the frame, during the first half-hour of the film. This early-production DVD also features poor MPEG-2 video compression, with still frames full of smeary artifacts, which does little to hold the qualities of the source print. At 35:55 there are approximately 4 seconds of footage that repeats what has been seen just before.

The orchestral music score (with limited sound effects) accompanying the film appears to have been originally recorded for Blackhawk Films’ theatrical preservation prints and nontheatrical reduction prints. The sound quality indicates that the original recordings and not a print’s optical soundtrack have been used for audio mastering. Occasionally, however, pop and crackles in the audio sound suspiciously like the music and sound effects have been lifted from LP records.

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The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.

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This double-feature DVD edition is virtually identical to the other cheapy editions noted above. Yeah, it’s still watchable, like the others, but this video transfer from a 16mm reduction print is compromized by the shortcomings of the source print like a flat greyscale range and course image details. The overcompression of the video information on the disc further compromises the quality.

Like the others noted below, this disc isn’t horrible but the new Flicker Alley edition noted above would be a far better choice than this.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition is . . .

This DVD edition is pretty much on a quality par with the other budget editions noted here, being transferred from the same source material, which is flat and quite worn. The image detail is a little soft.

The film is accompanied by the orchestral music score from the source print’s optical soundtrack, as in the Image, Alpha and Front Row editions noted above.

The disc also includes a Disney Oswald cartoon, a contrasty Felix the Cat cartoon, a Winsor McCay cartoon fragment lifted directly from the Lumivision edition (music and all), and television commercials.

A watchable disc, but far from ideal.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition is . . .

This budget DVD edition has been prepared from a good 16mm reduction print, with a flat greyscale tonal range, soft detail, speckling, dust, and the constant emulsion scuffing of the worn print from which the reduction print was prepared. Surviving prints of this film have never looked great, but we must be happy to be able to view this film at all. The full-frame video transfer appears to hold the tonal range and image detail of the source print, and is openly framed to allow most of the intertitles to be read without being cropped off, but is probably a little flatter than it should be. The length of the presentation is 101 minutes, not the 110 minutes listed on the packaging.

The film is accompanied by the source print’s orchestral music score, which is the same as the Image edition above — indicating that the source print for the transfer was a Blackhawk Films 16mm reduction print. The sound quality, like the visual quality, is flatter than the Image edition.

While the picture and sound quality is something less than the Image edition, it has been prepared from nearly identical materials. Ultimately this disc is watchable, and since budget discs are the only editions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame that are currently in print, they may be your only choice for now if you are looking to add the film to your home video collection.

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We admit that we don’t like Front Row product, but the video transfer for this DVD edition of Hunchback appears to be identical to the Alpha Video edition. The only differences between the two discs that we could detect is the result of separate MPEG-2 encoding. It is possible that Front Row did not produce their own video transfer, but instead purchased the rights to utilize an existing transfer. The source print is identical is its greyed flatness, and the musical accompaniment is the same.

The mono soundtrack is not in 5.1 surround sound, despite what Front Row would have consumers believe from their deceptive packaging. The length of the presentation is 101 minutes, not the 133 minutes listed on the disc’s packaging.

This is one of the few watchable Front Row silent film discs.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition is . . .

This DVD and book combination intended for budget-minded consumers who will respond to value-added products, being a trade paperback copy of Signet’s 1960s Walter J. Cobb translation of the Victor Hugo novel and a DVD copy of the Lon Chaney film, proves once again that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The book itself is worth the purchase price, but it is a pity that this DVD edition will be some people’s first and only exposure to this film.

The natural-speed video transfer is cropped too tightly on an already tight 16mm reduction print of barely good quality, being contrasty, slightly warped and quite worn. The edges of some intertitles will be cut off on some television monitors. The DVD video data has been over-compressed, presumably to fit a long program on a single-layered disc, producing smeary image details and shifting picture elements that move about in delayed response to action within the frame and even the jittering of the print.

We cannot account for the long running time of this edition compared to others noted above; not without an A/B comparison. The film does not appear to be transferred at a slower pace than other editions and yet does not appear to have additional footage.

The presentation is accompanied by a piano music score composed and performed by Steve Sterner, and it is a pity that this above-average performance should accompany one of the lowest-quality editions of this film.

Within the book is a supplemental essay entitled “Fact, Fiction, and Film” William R. Pace discussing the adaptation of the novel to film (11 pages). The film is introduced by Susannah Gora in an amateurishly-produced video segment apparently shot in the backyard of a modest home, with Gora appearing to hold up varied pieces of wrought iron patio decor.

Don't buy this set for the disc. One is advised to buy a good edition of the novel and the newest Flicker Alley Blu-ray Disc edition of the film, as noted above.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition is . . .

Among awful editions, this budget DVD edition is one of the worst. Windowbox transferred at sound speed from an analog videotape copy of the same modern synchronized sound print as for those budget editions noted above, image details are blurry and contrasty, the picture is turned about 2 degrees counterclockwise, and the color-tinting is inconsistent.

Bound to be a disappointment to anyone.

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The presentation features a musical accompaniment composed and performed by Ben Model.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is available from Reelclassicdvd.com through . . .

Other HORROR FILMS of the silent era available on home video.