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Set in 15th century France, during the reign of Louis XI (Harry Davenport), Hunchback is the story of the beautiful Gypsy girl, Esmeralda (Maureen O'Hara), who has danced in the streets and attracted the attention of many, including the Chief Justice, Frollo (Sir Cedric Hardwicke). Lusting after the ravishing beauty, yet despising himself for doing so, Frollo brings Esmeralda before the court on a trumped-up charge of murder. Convicted, Esmeralda is sentenced to hang, but is saved from that fate by Quasimodo (Charles Laughton), the deaf, nearly mute, deformed bell ringer of Notre Dame, who is hopelessly in love with her. Some of the themes tackled in this timeless story are:
Superstition: Because Quasimodo is deformed, the people fear him and believe him to be possessed.
Handicaps: Not only is Quasimodo deformed, but he is deaf and barely speaks.
Prejudice: Chief Justice Frollo despises all Gypsies and deems them unfit to enter France.
Fear: The printing press has been invented, and Frollo fears what will happen if the people are able to read certain truths for themselves.
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Places of refuge: The Cathedral of Notre Dame is a safe refuge for all. Once within its walls, those being sought have sanctuary.
Love: Esmeralda's love for her people and for the soldier, Phoebus (Alan Marshal); poet Gringoire's (Edmond O'Brien) love for Esmeralda; Quasimodo's love for the bells; and, of course, his heartbreaking love for the beautiful Esmeralda, which culminates in one of the most memorable lines I have ever heard, "Why was I not made of stone like thee?"
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Hypocrisy: Though Frollo disapproves of Esmeralda and claims her dancing to be evil, he secretly lusts after her. He gives the appearance of righteousness and purity, all the while longing for the very thing he claims must be destroyed. Blaming Esmeralda for inciting the sinful thoughts in him, he is determined to punish her, and he does so by convicting her of crimes she did not commit.
Self-loathing: Frollo is not all bad, as evidenced by the fact that he has been Quasimodo's protector and benefactor ever since rescuing him as an abandoned infant years earlier; Esmeralda herself believed there was love in him. It is not wickedness---but rather shame over his fall into lust---which drives the Chief Justice to persecute Esmeralda.
Mercy and kindness: Posssessed with a good and kind heart, Esmeralda desires to help her people---the Gypsies---find freedom from persecution, and when Quasimodo is publicly flogged and left in the pillory, Esmeralda takes pity on him and satisfies his cries for water.
To be honest, though The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a classic and very well-known piece of literature, I haven't ever read it. I struggled greatly with Mr. Hugo's Les Miserables, so I was never keen on reading another of his works. Thus, I have no idea how close this film is to the novel. As I've stated before, though, whether a film is true to its book counterpart or not rarely matters to me. I think both have merit of their own---and this film version has incredible merit.
Quite honestly, I think this production is nothing short of spectacular. While it came away with an Academy Award nomination for its Alfred Newman score, as well as a Best Sound, Recording nomination, I can't believe it didn't receive many more nominations. For sure, I think it ought to have received a Best Picture nomination, as well as a Best Director, a Best Costume Design, and last but not least, a Lead Actor nomination for Mr. Laughton. I haven't seen Laughton's entire filmography, of course, but I can't help but believe his work in Hunchback was the performance of his career. He is beyond brilliant in this role. The way he brings the deformed Quasimodo to life is absolutely breathtaking . . . and heartbreaking. Yes, 1939 was the year Clark Gable and James Stewart gave terrific ("should have won an Oscar") performances in Gone with the Wind and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but Mr. Laughton was right there with them. Not nominating him for a Lead Actor award was a gross oversight on the part of the Academy.
In addition to Mr. Laughton, I believe the costume designer and makeup artists ought to have received Oscar nominations. (Of course, that wasn't go to happen, because those categories didn't become part of the Academy Awards until 1948 and 1981.) Whether acknowledged with an award or not, however, the people responsible for transforming Mr. Laughton into a grotesque "hunchback" did a phenomenal job Though made in 1939, the artistry of this film was very ahead of its time.
Nineteen years old and incredibly beautiful here, Maureen O'Hara plays the part of the kind-hearted Esmeralda perfectly. This is her 4th film, and its easy to see why she would go on to be a major Hollywood star. Harry Davenport is his usual, fairly-lovable self (not at all in keeping with other film portrayals of King Louis XI). Edmond O'Brien, in his film debut at age 24, is incredibly handsome (and thinner than I have ever seen him). What fun seeing him at such a young age.
Finally, Sir Cedric Hardwicke gives a superb performance as well. Frollo is a complex character---not completely evil, just power hungry, controlling, and disgusted by the awakening of desires from which he had pledged to abstain. Hardwicke does a fantastic job bringing all the nuances of the troubled Frollo to life. He, too, ought to have received an Academy Award nomination.
Out on DVD, this 1939 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame ought to be fairly easy to track down. I highly recommend seeing it. It is a spectacular work of art.
Happy viewing!
By the way, Hunchback is one of the films being screened at Boise's Egyptian Theatre this coming Saturday (August 17th), for Maureen's 93rd birthday bash. Much as I love it and would be thrilled to catch it on the big screen, I won't be doing so. I have tickets for The Quiet Man, The Black Swan, and How Green Was My Valley, which run consecutively, so I'll already be sitting through over 6 hours of movies. Hunchback follows How Green Was My Valley, so that would be pretty much 8+ solid hours of sitting. The 6 hours is pushing it, so I know I wouldn't make it through 8.
NOTE: All photos obtained from Doctor Macro (HERE)
