The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939 Film) - Differences Between The Film and The Novel

Differences Between The Film and The Novel

The plot differs considerably from that of the original novel. The main differences are that Esmeralda and Quasimodo remain alive at the end, unlike in the novel, in which Esmeralda is hanged and Quasimodo is presumed dead, but two years later a hunchback skeleton is found at her grave site.

The character of Frollo is heavily changed. Instead of being an archdeacon, he is a judge and a close advisor of King Louis XI, while in the novel they do not meet each other. Frollo's death was portrayed close to the original one, but a major difference is that in the novel he was watching Esmeralda's execution when Quasimodo killed him.

Phoebus, who is only wounded by Frollo in the novel, is killed by him in this film version; therefore, as in the novel, Esmeralda is wrongly accused for the crime, but her attraction for Phoebus is not explored by the film after the incident.

The personal history of Esmeralda is ignored by the film. In the novel, it is revealed that she was not born as a gypsy and her mother is a recluse in Paris. In the film, her mother is not portrayed and neither is her background.

At the end of the film, Esmeralda is pardoned and freed from hanging and then leaves with Gringoire and a huge crowd out of the public square. In the novel, Gringoire left Esmeralda with Frollo capturing her and saves her goat instead, resulting in Esmeralda's death. The film also makes it clear that in the end Esmeralda truly loves Gringoire, whereas in the novel she merely tolerates him.