Misplaced Pages

The Darling of Paris
Directed by	J. Gordon Edwards
Written by	Adrian Jackson (scenario)
Based on	The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
Produced by	William Fox
Starring	Theda Bara Glen White
Cinematography	Phil Rosen
Distributed by	Fox Film Corporation
Release date	January 22, 1917 (1917-01-22)
Running time	60 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

The Darling of Paris is a 1917 American silent romantic drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara and Glen White. It was a very loose film adaptation of the 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. It was produced by William Fox. The Darling of Paris was later re-edited from six to five reels and re-released by Fox on February 16, 1919. The film is now considered lost.

Plot

The wealthy girl Esmeralda (Theda Bara) is kidnapped by gypsies at birth and becomes, as one might assume, the darling of Paris. She is loved by the bell ringer and former hunchback Quasimodo (Glen White), Frollo (Walter Law), the wicked surgeon who cares for him, and an equally wicked Captain Phoebus (Herbert Heyes).

However, the titular hunchback is downplayed in favor of gypsy dancing girl Esmerelda. The surgeon kills the Captain and frames Esmeralda, but after many merry mix-ups, she winds back with her wealthy family, happily wed to Quasimodo.

Cast

Production notes

The film was shot at the Fox Studios then located in Fort Lee, New Jersey. An elaborate set was constructed on the back lot to recreate Paris where the film is set. The set also included a reproduction of the Notre Dame de Paris.

Brazil

The release in Brazil was done with the title A Favorita de Paris on September 17, 1917, on the cinemas Ideal and Pathé, both from Rua da Carioca 60–62, Rio de Janeiro. It also debuted on Cine Haddock Lobo on September 30, 1917. Cinema Haddock Lobo was located near the Largo da Segunda-Feira, in a street of several theaters. Cine Ideal belonged to the group Severiano Ribeiro, which still holds in its storehouse old silent films. For over a month it grossed a huge box office and was a success of public and critical acclamation on Rio society.

The highest-grossing releases in September on Rio:

See also

• List of lost films

References

1. "Silent Era: Darling of Paris". silentera. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
2. Fort Lee: Birthplace of the Motion Picture Industry. Arcadia Publishing. 2006. p. 34. ISBN 0-738-54501-5.
3. A FAVORITA DE PARIS (The Darling of Paris) Brazil release Cine Ideal: Sept. 17, 1917
4. A FAVORITA DE PARIS (The Darling of Paris) Brazil release Cine Haddock Lobo: Sept. 30, 1917

External links

• The Darling of Paris at IMDb
• The Darling of Paris at SilentEra
• The Darling of Paris at AllMovie
• Theatrical lobby poster

• 1917 films
• 1910s historical romance films
• 1917 romantic drama films
• Fox Film films
• Lost American romantic drama films
• American silent feature films
• American black-and-white films
• Films based on The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
• Films directed by J. Gordon Edwards
• Films set in Paris
• Films set in religious buildings and structures
• Films set in the 1480s
• Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey
• American historical romance films
• 1917 lost films
• English-language romantic drama films
• Films about Romani people
• 1910s American films
• Silent horror films
• Silent American romantic drama films
• 1910s English-language films
• English-language historical romance films