Starring Charles Laughton as the severely misshapen bellringer Quasimodo, William Dieterle's adaptation of the familar Victor Hugo classic is set in the bustling society of 15th-century Paris, as the forces of church and state strive to maintain their sway over a populace struggling for a better life. Jean Frollo (Cedric Hardwicke), chief justice of Paris, unites secular and religious authority in one foully hypocritical personage. Spying a spectacularly beautiful Gypsy woman named Esmeralda (Maureen O'Hara) in church, he sends his factotum, Quasimodo, to abduct her. Frollo's plan is foiled by Phoebus, captain of the guard (Alan Marshall), and the hunchback is sentenced to public flogging and exposure. Despite her earlier fear of Quasimodo, only Esmeralda is willing help the bound hunchback as he begs for water in the public square. The film features one of Laughton's best performances, a superb supporting cast, a vivd script, and extraordinary production values for a type of intelligent entertainment now rarely seen.