The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)

Timing: 1:57 (117 min)

7.2/10
182

7.142/10
561

7.8/10
12037

All about film

Video 3

Photo 11

Actors and characters

Release date

1939-12-29

Country

United States

Production

RKO Radio Pictures

Genre

Drama, Romance, Horror

Budget

$1 800 000

Revenue

$6 877 900

Website

Director

William Dieterle

Actors

Charles Laughton, Cedric Hardwicke, Thomas Mitchell, Maureen O'Hara, Edmond O'Brien, Alan Marshal, Walter Hampden, Harry Davenport, Katharine Alexander, George Zucco
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Pandro S. Berman

Operator

Joseph H. August

Composer

Alfred Newman

Artist

Audition

Editing

Robert Wise, William Hamilton
All team (15)

• To convincingly portray a man almost deafened by the ringing of a bell, Charles Laughton stuffed his ears with wax to avoid instinctively flinching at unexpected sounds.
• The film premiered at Christmas at Radio City Music Hall, and some critics subsequently complained because they went to see a horror film but saw a historical drama, and stated it was not suitable for family viewing.
• 2,500 wigs were used during filming.
• The artist Van Nest Polglaze (1898-1968) recreated the appearance of medieval Paris on a set in San Fernando, California. The cathedral model was almost 58 meters high and included gargoyles, vaulted ceilings, and stained-glass windows. Its construction cost $250,000.
• Some sound effects were borrowed from Merian C. Cooper’s (1893-1973) and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s (1893-1977) film “King Kong” (1933). For example, when Esmeralda is tortured, the screams of actress Fay Wray (1907-2004) from “King Kong” can be heard. When Quasimodo fights to defend the cathedral, some of the screams of the wounded attackers are the screams of sailors from “King Kong”, and when Frollo falls and crashes, a scream from one of the sailors in “King Kong” is also used.