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''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' is a 1939 American film starring Charles Laughton as Quasimodo and Maureen O'Hara as Esmeralda.〔''Variety'' film review; December 20, 1939, page 14.〕〔''Harrison's Reports'' film review; December 23, 1939, page 202.〕 Directed by William Dieterle and produced by Pandro S. Berman, the film was based on Victor Hugo's 1831 novel ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame''. For this production RKO Radio Pictures built on their movie ranch a massive medieval city of Paris and Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the largest and most extravagant sets ever constructed. ==Plot== The film opens in 1482 with King Louis XI and his close advisor, Frollo, the King's Chief Justice of Paris, in a printing shop. Frollo is determined to do everything in his power to rid Paris of anything he sees as evil, including the printing press and gypsies, who at the time are persecuted and prohibited from entering Paris. That day is Paris' annual celebration, the Festival of Fools. Esmeralda, a young gypsy girl, is seen dancing in front of an audience of people, including the King and Frollo. Quasimodo, the hunchback and bell ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, is crowned the Pope of Fools until Frollo catches up to him and takes him back to the church. Esmeralda is caught by Paris' guards and is being chased after until she seeks safety in Notre Dame, to which the Archbishop of Paris, Frollo's brother, protects her. She prays to the Virgin Mary to help her fellow gypsies only to be confronted by Frollo who accuses her of being a heathen. At this point she asks King Louis to help her people, to which he agrees. Frollo then takes her up to the bell tower where they encounter Quasimodo, whom she is frightened of. She tries to run away from the hunchback until he catches up to her and physically carries her away. Pierre Gringoire, a poor street poet, witnesses all this, calls out to Phoebus and his guards, who capture Quasimodo just in time. Esmeralda is then saved and starts falling in love with Phoebus. Gringoire later trespasses the Court of Miracles but is saved by Esmeralda from hanging by marrying him. The next day, Quasimodo is sentenced to be lashed in the square. Frollo, seeing this, realizes that he can't stop the sentence because it already happened, and abandons him instead. However, Esmeralda arrives and gives him water, and this awakens Quasimodo's love for her. Later that night, Esmeralda is invited by the nobles to their party. Frollo shows up to the party, where he confesses to Esmeralda his lust for her. Afterwards she dances in front of the nobles and moves away from the crowd with Phoebus to a garden where they share a moment between each other. Frollo then kills Phoebus out of jealousy, and Esmeralda is wrongly accused of his death. Afterwards, Gringoire visits Esmeralda in her prison cell to console her. Meanwhile, Frollo confesses his crime to his brother, and is in charge of Esmeralda's trial and sentences her to death. After she is about to be hanged in the gallows, Quasimodo saves her by taking her to the cathedral. When Gringoire and Clopin realize that the nobles will revoke Notre Dame's right of sanctuary, they both try different methods in order to save Esmeralda from hanging. Gringoire writes a pamphlet that will prevent this from happening, and Clopin leads the beggars to storm the cathedral. After the King reads the poet's pamphlet, Frollo confesses his crime to him and Gringoire comes in to talk to Louis. After Quasimodo and the guards fight off the beggars, he sees Frollo in the bell tower seeking to harm Esmeralda, and throws him off the cathedral top. Later that morning, Esmeralda is pardoned and freed from hanging, and her Gypsy people are also finally freed. Then, she leaves with Gringoire and a huge crowd out of the public square. The film makes it clear that in the end Esmeralda truly loves Gringoire. Quasimodo sees all this from high on the cathedral and says sadly, to a gargoyle, "Why was I not made of stone, like thee?", and the film ends. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939 film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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