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Notre Dame cathedral played starring role in movie classics

Shirley McMarlin
By Shirley McMarlin
3 Min Read April 16, 2019 | 7 years Ago
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In the wake of the devastating fire in the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral, reports say its stone construction and many priceless artworks have been saved.

French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to rebuild the 850-year-old marvel of medieval engineering, and pledges worth millions of euros already have poured in.

What’s been lost can never be replaced, but images of the cathedral will remain forever — many preserved on film.

Here are 10 movies in which Notre Dame either starred or had a supporting role:

“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1939)

Based on the 19th-century tale by Victor Hugo, this classic stars Charles Laughton as Quasimodo and Maureen O’Hara as Esmeralda, the object of his unrequited love.

“An American in Paris” (1951)

Though the musical was actually shot on a Hollywood sound stage, stars Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron dance to the Gershwins’ “Our Love Is Here to Stay” with the cathedral shown in the background across the Seine River.

“Before Sunset” (2004)

As Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Deply) cruise the Seine, they gaze up at the cathedral and Jesse tells Celine the story of a German soldier who defied orders to blow it up during World War II.

“Midnight in Paris” (2011)

Sitting in front of the cathedral, tour guide (Carla Bruni) translates a passage from a diary of Pablo Picasso’s lover to screenwriter Gil (Owen Wilson).

“Breathless” (1960)

One of the earliest French New Wave films, “Breathless” revolves around a criminal played by Jean-Paul Belmondo and his American girlfriend (Jean Seberg), who stays at a hotel “in the shadows of Notre Dame.”

“Ratatouille” (2007)

In Pixar’s computer-animated film, the title character — a rat who dreams of becoming a chef — roller skates past the cathedral.

”The Three Musketeers” (2011)

The hot-headed, aspiring musketeer D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman) and the Englishman Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen) take to the roof of the cathedral for a sword fight.

“Van Helsing” (2004)

Monster hunter Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) fights and eventually kills Dr. Jekyll in the rafters of the cathedral in this action-horror film.

“The Aristocats” (1970)

Villainous butler Edgar Balthazar drives past the cathedral while transporting Disney’s pack of fun-loving felines into the French countryside in this animated musical.

“Charade” (1963)

Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant stroll in the shadow of the cathedral as they ponder who might have killed her husband in Stanley Donen’s romantic thriller.

“Rugrats in Paris: The Movie” (2000)

Chuckie leads the Rugrats gang to Paris to crash his father’s wedding in the cathedral in this animated feature based on Nickelodeon’s cartoon series.

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About the Writers

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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