The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Universal, R-1929). One Sheet (27" X 41").. ...

Description

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Universal, R-1929). One Sheet (27" X 41").
Known as the Man of a Thousand Faces, Lon Chaney was the screen's first master of movie make-up. From his early roles in such classics as The Miracle Man - in which he plays a contortionist who fakes a miracle healing - to his role as a double amputee in The Penalty, Chaney became a well known character actor portraying tortured, often grotesque and afflicted characters. The greatest of his star-making vehicles was as Victor Hugo's hunchback bell-ringer, Quasimodo, in the classic Universal film from 1923. The film helped set a standard for many later horror films, including Chaney's The Phantom of the Opera in 1925. It brought Universal Studios into the limelight and is one of the top grossing silent films of all-time. Posters from this great film have been in demand since the earliest days of motion picture poster collecting, and few have ever appeared. The film was such a success for the studio that they kept the title in constant re-release for several years after its premier. The original posters for the film were assuredly redistributed with each showing and thus, no doubt, used until they were not in any condition to be displayed again. Only one copy of the Festival of Fools style one sheet, similar to this poster, exists today. That and a handful of other size posters and some tinted lobby cards are all that remain from this classic film. This exceedingly rare find is the only copy we are aware of from the very early reissue of the film. It is a magnificent example of stone lithography and, in some ways, is a better rendering than the original poster. The poster has very minor fold separation and tiny crossfold paper loss. There has been no restoration to this wonderful poster. Very Fine.

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