The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1939 · 1h 57m · Drama, Romance, Horror
Skip this one—the premise is solid Gothic drama, but without any critical validation and a plot that feels like a well-worn retelling of Hugo's classic, you're better off rewatching the Disney version or picking up the novel itself tonight.
Plot
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.
Director: William Dieterle
Cast: Charles Laughton, Cedric Hardwicke, Thomas Mitchell, Maureen O'Hara, Edmond O'Brien