We had dinner at the Unicorn Hotel's pub, part of the Wetherspoon chain. It was classic pub fare and we all enjoyed our meals (even if Lucy had a hard time choosing what to eat). I had a Daleside Old Boat Ale that was quite smooth to drink and went well with my chicken roast dinner. I should say that the pub is decorated following the theme of Lewis Carroll's Alice stories. The unicorn is the one who fights the lion in one of the book. We saw a full-size unicorn (though it was not live) and Tweedledum and Tweedledee behind the bar (though they were not serving drinks). Dinner finished just in time to get the kids in the car and get over to the cathedral.
The movie was back-projected on the screen that was about 15 feet above the ground. The copy of the film was a bit rubbish. It was a DVD with a grainy print and the title cards were often off an edge of the screen (either top or left), making them hard to read. Though maybe the projector was not aimed just right at the screen.
On the other hand, the organ playing was magnificent. Alexander Mason is an award-winning organist who teaches music and composition in addition to performing many free-lance improvisations, though improvising for the 90 minute running time of the movie is quite impressive. He was charmingly polite and was grinning from ear to ear at the end of the performance, partly from satisfaction at a job well done and partly from the warm applause.
A face only a mother/movie fan could love |
The set decoration is quite impressive, especially when the viewer can look from the projected image of the film's Notre Dame to an actual cathedral. The movie's set is spot on. All the locations are convincing. The plot is fairly thick with characters and events, but doesn't become confusing or overly simplified, in spite of a relatively brief running time.
This movie is definitely worth seeing and I am glad that I saw it in such special circumstances.
If you are looking for a better print, check this out at Amazon:
The movie is also available on YouTube, the print seems similar (the title cards are easier to read), though the music is orchestral with some choral elements thrown in. It looked pretty good, at least the first five minutes that I watched.
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