Review: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)

The story of gypsy Esmerelda (Maureen O’Hara), and the title bell-ringer Quasimodo (Sir Charles Laughton) who pines for her and rescues her from being executed from a crime she didn’t commit, because she is the one person in Paris to treat the unfortunate hunchback with kindness. The true culprit is local judge Frollo (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), Quasimodo’s guardian who harbours romantic inclinations for Esmerelda that are not returned, thus he frames her for a murder that he himself has committed, having become mad with lustful feelings. Harry Davenport plays King Louis XI, somewhat clueless to Frollo’s Machiavellian machinations, whilst Thomas Mitchell plays ‘beggar king’ Clopin, a young Edmond O’Brien is a somewhat foolish street poet, Walter Hampden is Frollo’s polar opposite brother the Archdeacon, and George Zucco is a ruthless procurator.

 

A top-notch cast (well, for the most part) helps tremendously with this fine 1939 adaptation of the Victor Hugo classic directed by William S. Dieterle (“The Life of Emile Zola”, “Rope of Sand”), from a screenplay by Sonia Levien (“The Great Caruso”, “Oklahoma!”) and Bruno Frank (“A Royal Scandal”). Under plentiful (and really quite wonderful) makeup, Charles Laughton gives a harrowing and memorable performance in the lead role. His entrance alone is very memorable. It’s absolutely disgusting the way Quasimodo is treated in the film.

 

Aside from Laughton’s excellent performance, the film’s strongest asset for me is the depiction of the class divide in 15^th century France. Sure, it affects the pacing a bit (and I’m not sure the king of beggars is a necessary character, hence my preference for the Disney version that removed most of that), and Quasimodo ends up getting a bit lost in the shuffle (there seems one person too many infatuated with Esmerelda for my liking. It feels a tad cluttered), but it’s interesting material nonetheless.

 

I also greatly appreciated the characterisation of Frollo offered by the great character actor Sir Cedric Hardwicke. Some might find the performance a tad dull, but I appreciated the subtle and nuanced approach to the performance and character. This is a much more layered interpretation of Frollo than in the Disney version (more a slow descent into lust-motivated madness rather than straight villainy) and a genuinely interesting performance from Hardwicke, a true pro. He also joins Christopher Lee and Henry Daniell in mastering the look of sheer disdain. This guy looks like he hates enjoyment…and life in general.

 

I also enjoyed the character work offered by Thomas Mitchell, Edmond O’Brien, George Zucco (in a small role), and especially Harry Davenport. Mitchell, as the king of beggars, may not play an especially necessary role, but he plays it especially well in the kind of drunk and dishevelled performance he was a pro at, and which Edmond O’Brien would also later become a master at. Here the character seems almost Dickensian at times. O’Brien, one of cinema’s finest character actors in an impressive film debut, looks shockingly young- and shockingly thin- here. Like Mitchell’s character, I’m not sure the character is particularly necessary, but it’s certainly an interesting character and a fine performance. As the kindly, but somewhat clueless King Louis XI, Harry Davenport shows why he was such an underappreciated character actor, making the absolute most of his time here as one of the more likeable characters in the film.

 

Less effective is the typically irritating Maureen O’Hara as Esmerelda. The character is crucial, and sadly the irritating, constantly grinning O’Hara proves quite amateurish in the role (especially when she tries to talk and grin at the same time). The performance by Walter Hampden also appears to be miscalculated. Playing the manipulated archdeacon (and Frollo’s brother), Hampden comes across as patronising and sinister, when probably aiming for kindness. It’s the strangest thing and a source of confusion to me.

 

It’s a solid version of the tale, bolstered by some terrific acting, a good (and Oscar-nominated) music score by Alfred Newman (“Wuthering Heights”, “The Mark of Zorro”, “All About Eve”, “Airport”), and some really nice, shadowy B&W cinematography by Joseph H. August (“Gunga Din”, “They Were Expendable”), especially in the scenes with Laughton’s memorable Quasimodo. I have to go against the grain and say that Disney did this one a tad better in 1996, but this is also a worthy adaptation.

 

Rating: B-