The Hunchback of Notre Dame

"Impact! Power! Fire! Pathos! Drama!"

1939 1h 57m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

🔥

93%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.8

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 227🍅93%Rotten Tomatoes★7.8IMDB · 13,041

DramaRomanceHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Impact! Power! Fire! Pathos! Drama!”

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Cast

Charles Laughton
The Hunchback Quasimodo
Cedric Hardwicke
Frollo
Thomas Mitchell
Clopin
Maureen O'Hara
Esmeralda
Edmond O'Brien
Gringoire
Alan Marshal
Phoebus
Walter Hampden
Archdeacon
Harry Davenport
King Louis XI

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William Dieterle
Writers: Sonya Levien
Languages: English, Latin
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

87 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William Dieterle, shot by Joseph H. August. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Wise shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Charles Laughton and Cedric Hardwicke and Thomas Mitchell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William Dieterle directs. Joseph H. August behind the camera. Alfred Newman scores. Robert Wise cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Latin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 3.8× over at the box office.
387 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.
5Directed by William Dieterle, shot by Joseph H. August. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Robert Wise shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Charles Laughton and Cedric Hardwicke and Thomas Mitchell carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Impact! Power! Fire! Pathos! Drama!".
10IMDB entry: tt0031455 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 17 themes, including "sibling relationship", "paris, france", "based on novel or book", "unrequited love".

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph H. August
Original score: Alfred Newman
Editing: Robert Wise
Makeup / hair: Mel Berns
Runtime: 117 min · 1h 57m
Status: Released
Budget: $1,800,000
Box office: $6,877,900
Return: 382% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.8/10 · 13,041 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 1 win & 2 nominations total

Also by

William Dieterle

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-08-28
★ 9/10
Incredible film-making, bravo for real classics. What a truly lavish and gorgeous film this is, thematically it pulls the emotions in different directions, and as a story it's as sharp as a tack. Boasting a quite incredible performance from Charles Laughton as the tragic bell ringer Quasimodo (no nomination Academy, are you flipping sure?), and sets that are simply out of this world, this film to me defines classic cinema. Into the mix we get a radiant Maureen O'Hara as Esmeralda who lights up the screen in every scene she is in, it's a very special performance in view of it being her first lead US turn. However, really the film's triumph lies with its script, a very aware piece of writing encompassing political goings on and the corruption of the church set around the hunchback's tragic love. The make up of Laughton leaves an indelible image when brought into focus with the great detail of the surroundings, and the score is mightily appropriate. All in all this film cost 2 Million Dollars for RKO Studios, one of their most expensive outlays, but they were rewarded in spades as the film was a monster success and here in the modern day age of cinema the film still stands up as a benchmark for great movie making. 9/10
CinemaSerf2022-06-22
★ 8/10
The is a wonderfully evocative version of the timeless Victor Hugo story of love, desire, cruelty and brutality in 1490's Paris. Charles Laughton turns in a tour de force performance as the physically and mentally disabled "Quasimodo" who is feared, loathed and ridiculed by the local population. When a wandering gypsy girl "Esmerelda" (quite possibly Maureen O'Hara's best ever performance) is found guilty of murder he rescues her and gives her sanctuary in the high bell tower of Notre Dame cathedral. Here she is easy prey for the already infatuated "Frollo" - superby depicted by Sir Cedric Hardwicke. What follows is the stuff of great literature adapted with adroit skill and sympathy by Sonya Levein (screenplay) and directed by William Dieterie. The use of light and shadow, Alfred Newman's nimble score and an authentic set (recreated in California) make this by far the best rendering of this story on film.