**Breaking News: Hollywood’s Golden Age Butchers Beloved Classics**

In a shocking revelation, a new analysis has surfaced detailing how Hollywood’s Golden Age adaptations of classic literature have been systematically altered, often to the point of unrecognizability. From Victor Hugo’s tragic “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” to Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca,” these films have not only distorted the original narratives but have also ᵴtriƥped away the profound themes that made these works literary masterpieces.

The report highlights 12 notorious adaptations that fundamentally betrayed their source material. For instance, RKO’s 1939 version of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” transformed Hugo’s heart-wrenching tragedy into a feel-good spectacle, erasing the devastating conclusion in favor of a sanitized happy ending. Similarly, Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rebecca” won Best Picture while undermining the novel’s shocking twist, bowing to the Hays Code’s censorship demands that prohibited sympathy for murderers.

Other adaptations, like the 1939 version of “Wuthering Heights,” halted halfway through the story, fabricating a ghostly reunion that undermined Emily Brontë’s exploration of toxic love and generational trauma. MGM’s “David Copperfield” (1935) reduced Dickens’s social critique to mere highlights, while “Anna Karenina” (1935) transformed Tolstoy’s complex narrative into a simplistic morality tale about adultery.

The report underscores how commercial pressures and censorship shaped these adaptations, forcing filmmakers to prioritize mass appeal over literary fidelity. As a result, generations of viewers have encountered these classics through a distorted lens, often leading to confusion when they finally read the original texts.

This urgent exposé serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing tension between art and commerce in Hollywood, raising critical questions about the integrity of literary adaptations. As audiences reflect on these cinematic betrayals, the call to seek out the original works has never been more pressing. The legacy of these butchered classics continues to influence how literature is perceived, underscoring the necessity for a deeper understanding of both the films and their source material.