Maureen O’Hara
I have many favorite actresses and actors (one glance at my About page certainly backs up this claim). However, if push came to shove and I was forced to name my number one ride-or-die favorite actress… well, you’re looking at her.
There’s just something about her talent, beauty, charisma, and extemporary character that resonates with me. It has since I was a little girl and saw my first Maureen O’Hara movie, Miracle on 34th Street and it does today, many years and many Maureen O’Hara movies later.
While I love Maureen and Charles Laughton’s performances in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), I don’t rewatch this one as often as I do her other films. As someone who is incredibly emphatic (meaning I STRONGLY feel other people’s emotions – whether they’re real or fictional), sad movies/books actually break my heart a little and cause a black cloud to follow me around for a bit.
Who has time for that?!
It is, however, an extraordinary movie and I do schedule “re-watches” every now and again because the performances are so very strong. I simply make sure I follow it up (quickly!) with a light comedy or musical. Elvis movies always hit the spot.
You can find The Hunchback of Notre Dame (link to the dvd on Amazon) on dvd or watch it on Prime Video. Be prepared for the great Charles Laughton to both amaze you and break your heart a little. The man was such a phenomenal actor.