Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame has taken on several forms since the publication of Victor Hugo's novel Notre Dame de Paris in 1831. Quasimodo, the name itself meaning "half-formed," is the misshapen, misunderstood hunch-backed bell ringer of the Notre Dame Cathedral in 15th Century France. The character has been brought to life on the movie screen many different times from the 1930's through to the 1990's. Charles Laughten played the disfigured character in a 1939 Pandro S. …

…white rendition of Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris to make Quasimodo a character with whom the audience could sympathize and relate. This was done by rewriting Quasimodo's past, giving him hearing, intelligence, and social skills, making him the lead character and the hero, and finishing the story with his acceptance by the masses. Quasimodo is transformed from a grotesque, unloved, misunderstood "monster" to a likeable hero for whom we feel compassion and a connection.