In the spring of 1956, at the age of 29, Gina Lollobrigida was at the pinnacle of her career. She had been chosen by the director Jean Delannoy to portray Esmaralda in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, adapted from the Victor Hugo novel by Jacques Prévert. The Italian actress is shown at the Boulogne-based studios where a portion of the cathedral had been recreated. In this epic film, which includes some thousand extras, she co starred with Anthony Quinn, an unforgettable Quasimodo.
