Movielogr
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
Directed by William Dieterle
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
Paris, France, 1482. Frollo, Chief Justice of benevolent King Louis XI, gets infatuated by the beauty of Esmeralda, a young Romani girl. The hunchback Quasimodo, Frollo’s protege and bell-ringer of Notre Dame, lives in peace among the bells in the heights of the immense cathedral until he is involved by the twisted magistrate in his malicious plans to free himself from Esmeralda’s alleged spell, which he believes to be the devil’s work.
Rated NR | Length 117 minutes
Actors
Charles Laughton | Cedric Hardwicke | Thomas Mitchell | Maureen O'Hara | Edmond O'Brien | Alan Marshal | Walter Hampden | Harry Davenport | Katharine Alexander | George Zucco | Fritz Leiber | Etienne Girardot | Helene Reynolds | Minna Gombell | Arthur Hohl | Curt Bois | George Tobias | Rod La Rocque | Spencer Charters | Kathryn Adams | Diane Hunter | Sig Arno | Frank Mills | Dewey Robinson | Frank Mazzola | Alan Copeland | Arthur Millett | Ferdinand Munier | Barlowe Borland | Victor Kilian | James Fawcett | Alan Spear | Ward Shattuck | Ray Long | Lillian Nicholson | Gisela Werbisek | Harry Cording | Angela Mulinos | Lionel Belmore | Earl Clyde | Thom Fox | Gretl Dupont | Tempe Pigott | Nestor Paiva | Arthur Dulac | Vallejo Gantner | Charlie Hall | George Barrows | Peter Godfrey | Edward Groag | J. C. Fowler | Cy Kendall | Charles Halton | Norbert Schiller | Eddie Abdo | Alexander Granach | Edmund Cobb | Ralph Dunn | Eddie Bracken | Harold DeGarro | Louis Zamperini | John George | Kenner G. Kemp | Rondo Hatton | Vangie Beilby | Russ Powell | Louis Adlon | Paul Newlan | Dick Dickinson | Joseph P. Mack | Charles Drake | Richard Clayton | Billy Jones | Theodore Lorch | Eddie Dew | Margaret McWade | Jack Perrin | Hector V. Sarno | Margaret Seddon
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/29/2023 | Home Theater | Blu-ray | Owned | 8 stars |
| (Average) 8 stars |
Viewing Notes
An excellent adaptation with gorgeous cinematography, massive sets, thousands of extras and a great performance by Charles Laughton as the titular character. The scenes of the siege of Notre Dame and Quasimodo’s defense are astonishingly violent even if much isn’t actually shown. I’m kind of surprised this got through the censors.
The black and white cinematography is so gorgeous that it’s hard to imagine anyone would make a colorized version of this film. That feels like a crime.
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