History Film / TheHunchbackOfNotreDame1939

* AdaptedOut: Fleur-de-lys and Sister Gudule are both absent from this version.

Conceived as a sound remake of [[Film/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame1923 the 1923 silent version]], this 1939 version was probably the most famous and iconic movie adaptation of the story up until [[WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame Disney released their take]]. Many elements introduced by the 1939 version [[LostInImitation have been included in later adaptations]], including Disney's version. Some of these elements relate to the theme of social injustice, and were almost certainly intended as a topical commentary on what was going on in Europe back then, on the eve of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After Esmeralda is released, the rioters end their siege of Notre Dame and happily escort her through Paris. Their dead and dying comrades are quickly forgotten.

* HollywoodHomely: Averted with a vengeance in Quasimodo. Charles Laughton was plain in the best of circumstances, but his deformity makeup is convincingly horrifying, and he's shown to be all too painfully aware of how physically repulsive he is.

* AmbiguousBrown: Due to her literary counterpart having been an example of AmbiguouslyBrown, it is uncertain if this portrayal of Esmeralda is truly a RaceLift or still an example of Roma by adoption with her backstory having been cut.

* AmbiguousSituation: Due to her literary counterpart having been an example of AmbiguouslyBrown, it is uncertain if this portrayal of Esmeralda is truly a RaceLift or still an example of Roma by adoption with her backstory having been cut.

* RaceLift: It's hard to say where exactly the film comes down on this trope. In the original novel, Esmeralda was revealed to be a white French girl who had been raised by Gypsies. This film excludes that revelation, so she's presumably a Gypsy by birth in this version. Except she's played by the very white Creator/MaureenOHara, who is given absolutely no {{Brownface}} makeup for the role, so maybe she's still a white girl raised by Gypsies and it just wasn't mentioned onscreen. In any case, this movie definitely started the trend for Esmeralda being a "real" Gypsy.

** Quasimodo says that he will be twenty-five the following month at his trial, making this a minor example, as he was twenty in the original novel. Whether this also applies to Esmeralda, due to her and Quasimodo being the same age, is never brought up.

* AgeLift: Assuming that Jean Frollo is a version of the novel's Jehan Frollo, his book counterpart was 16-20 years old, the same age as Quasimodo and Esmeralda. In this film, he is played by a 46-year-old Creator/CedricHardwicke, making the line "He is your foundling" more logical than if the character's original age had been kept. By extension, Claude now is older rather than being an example of YoungerThanTheyLook, being played by a 60-year-old Creator/WalterHampden.

* AgeLift: Assuming that Jean Frollo is a version of the novel's Jehan Frollo, his book counterpart was 16-20 years old, the same age as Quasimodo and Esmeralda. In this film, he is played by a 46-year-old Creator/CedricHardwicke, making the line "He is your foundling" more logical than if the character's original age had been kept. By extension Claude now is older rather than being an example of YoungerThanTheyLook.

* AgeLift: Assuming that Jean Frollo is a version of the novel's Jehan Frollo, his book counterpart was 16-20 years old, the same age as Quasimodo and Esmeralda. In this film, he is played by a 46-year-old Creator/CedricHardwicke, making the line "He is your foundling" more logical than if the character's original age had been kept.

Conceived as a sound remake of [[Film/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame1923 the 1923 silent version]], this 1939 version was probably the most famous and iconic movie adaptation of the story up until [[Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame Disney released their take]]. Many elements introduced by the 1939 version [[LostInImitation have been included in later adaptations]], including Disney's version. Some of these elements relate to the theme of social injustice, and were almost certainly intended as a topical commentary on what was going on in Europe back then, on the eve of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

Conceived as a sound remake of [[Film/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame1923 the 1923 silent version]], this 1939 version was probably the most famous and iconic movie adaptation of the story up until [[Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame Disney came out with their take]]. Many elements introduced by the 1939 version [[LostInImitation have been included in later adaptations]], including Disney's version. Some of these elements relate to the theme of social injustice, and were almost certainly intended as a topical commentary on what was going on in Europe back then, on the eve of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.