DISCLAIMER: I’ve never felt a need to write one of these
before, but the fact that it’s The
Hunchback of Notre Dame changes everything.
Today’s discussion on Waking Snow White will veer slightly into some
adult topics, and since I know that there are younger readers in my audience, I
felt a need to issue a warning. As
usual, I will do my utmost to keep the discussion as civil, appropriate, and
professional as possible, but there’s no way to properly discuss Hunchback without also discussing
religion, violence, and pole dancing, so for the first time in Waking Snow
White history, reader discretion is advised.
First and
foremost, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
is easily one of the ballsiest Disney animated films ever made. I don’t know if it is the absolute ballsiest
Disney film ever; for me, that title belongs to either this film or Fantasia, I’m torn between the two. I do know that I wouldn’t recommend parents
showing this movie to their kids until their children are at least ten or
eleven, which is about how old I was when I first saw Hunchback. Why do I say
that? Because The Hunchback of Notre Dame contains attempted infanticide, murder
of human characters, torture, frequent mentions of Hell, religious hypocrisy, implied
profanity, prejudice, social injustice, the first use of the word “damnation”
in a Disney film, and open references to sex.
It earned a G rating.
 |
| Wearing this contact lens permanently damaged Lon Chaney's vision. |
What
do you expect to happen when Disney attempts to adapt a Victor Hugo novel into
an animated family film? I was eleven
years old when this movie came out, long before I had read any of Victor Hugo’s
work, but even then I distinctly remember thinking, “They thought it was a good
idea to make that book into a Disney movie? Really?” Even without having read the book, I was
familiar with the title for good reason: The
Hunchback of Notre Dame is an incredibly famous story that has seen its
share of film adaptations from Hollywood long before Disney placed a pair of
mouse ears on its hump. The most famous
examples of Hunchback’s film
adaptations include a Universal silent film starring the legendary “man of a
thousand faces,” Lon Chaney, as Quasimodo. This was eventually followed by a
black and white “talkie” released in 1939 featuring Charles Laughton in the
title role, and a nineteen year old Maureen O’Hara as Esmeralda.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame earned its
pair of adamantium cojones back when
it was first written. Notre-Dame de Paris was born when Victor
Hugo visited the famous Parisian cathedral and spotted the Latin word “fatum,”
(which means “fate”) carved deep into a stone there. He was fascinated by this rather melancholy message
and agonized over its origin. Suffice to
say, “fate” is a significant theme in the story of Notre-Dame de Paris and almost all of its subsequent film,
television, and stage adaptations. Almost all of the controversial content that
I listed in the introductory paragraph is present in the original book.
One
might be tempted to ask, “Come on, is it even possible for a Disney animated
film to be that controversial?”
Short answer: yes. Long answer:
in the first six minutes and twenty five seconds of the film, a race of people
are unfairly prejudiced against, a mother is murdered in cold blood for trying
to protect her infant child, said child is almost murdered as well, and the
fate of immortal souls are discussed. Again,
I must emphasize that The Hunchback of
Notre Dame managed to pass through MPAA scrutiny with a G rating. Case in point, I have heard through various,
possibly unreliable sources that Jason Alexander did not bring his own children
to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame
because of the dark and somewhat sexual content the film contained. While I can’t prove if that is true, I can
say one thing that is absolutely fact: Esmeralda pole dances in this film. You don’t believe me? Allow me to present the two following videos
for comparative purposes. First is a
video of the scene in question. Please note
the rather suggestive pose Esmeralda adopts at the 2:52 mark as she makes
creative use of the pole end of a spear.
Now
watch this video of the winner of Miss Pole Dance World from 2008. WARNING: While this video does not contain
any graphic sexual content or any nudity whatsoever, it does prominently
feature a scantily clad woman dancing around a pole, so I wouldn’t exactly call
it work place or school safe, so watch at your own discretion in the privacy of
your own home, please.
…
Okay, so Esmeralda wasn’t doing that in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but you get my point. The similarities are there. The rather lewd hollering and whistles made
by the men in the crowd as they watched Esmeralda dance felt more appropriate
for a bachelor party, rather than a public festival in which children were
attending. The gents (including
Pheobus!) even toss money at her! However,
no proper discussion about controversial content where The Hunchback of Notre Dame is concerned would be complete without
talking about “Hellfire.”
You
remember that list of controversial ideas within The Hunchback of Notre Dame that I mentioned in the first
paragraph? “Hellfire” alone contains
five of them: murder of human characters, frequent mentions of Hell, religious
hypocrisy, prejudice, and open references to sex. In other words, this one scene is possibly
the darkest, most controversial scene in the history of Disney animation. Much like “God Help the Outcasts,” “Hellfire”
is a prayer set to music, as Frollo implores to Maria for control of these new
lustful feelings he feels towards a certain beautiful gypsy. Unlike “God Help the Outcasts,” “Hellfire” is
not an endearing song that beseeches to God for the wrongs of the world to be
righted.
Instead,
“Hellfire” acts as Frollo’s soliloquy of the desire he feels for
Esmeralda. The fact that the song
centers on an elderly, supposedly pious man lusting after a much younger woman
is creepy enough on its own, but also discussed is how Frollo plots to offer
Esmeralda an incredibly twisted ultimatum: either choose to be “saved” by
Frollo, or burn in Hell. So Esmeralda’s
choices were to be the sex puppet of an eldritch old man or be burned at the
stake. I would have chosen the fire too.
Adding
yet another layer of “holy crap, I can’t believe they got away with that” to
the scene is the frequent use of vivid Hell imagery. The Gregorian chanting and church choir
harmonies are heard throughout the song from start to finish, with the classic
Latin phrase “mea culpa” (“my fault”) being used the most prominently. The Hellish imagery is quite intense for a G
film, and the implied imagery of holy judgment most definitely resonates with
the audience long after the film is over.
In an unforgettable visual message, the filmmakers are conveying to the
audience the state of a rather twisted man’s soul and the judgment that awaits
him.
With all of this
talk about Hell, judgment and demons, we are brought to the figure of the most
controversial topic in the history of humankind: God. In today’s ultra-P.C. societal climate,
discussing any kind of religion in a modern family film is a big, fat no-no. There were frequent mentions of God and the
Bible in Disney’s early films; some characters like Snow White and Penny from The Rescuers were even shown on their
knees saying their prayers before bed. Aside
from the mentions of Islam in Aladdin,
most modern Disney animated films do their utmost to avoid the subject of
religion out of fear of offending their potential audiences. That being said, it’s downright impossible to
set a movie in and around a very famous cathedral and not have the topic of God
pop up.
The subject of God doesn’t just occur once and
by accident in this film, though.
Besides the near constant presence of Notre Dame itself, Gregorian
chants are frequently heard throughout the film’s score and songs, most of the
film’s major themes deal directly with the core principles of Christianity, and
then there’s that little song called “God Help the Outcasts,” which is a prayer
set to music. On the surface, it’s a
beautifully crafted song—musically, lyrically, and vocally. There’s so many more layers to it though, some
that don’t become readily prevalent to an audience member until perhaps they
are older and experience much of what “God Help the Outcasts” is about for
themselves.
A
part of me is shocked that this song was okayed by the Disney suits, but
regardless, I’m glad that it was because this, “Out There,” and “The Bells of
Notre Dame (Reprise)” are my favorite pieces of music to come out of this
film. When listening closely to the
lyrics, some of the most controversial ideas in the entire film are found
within this one song. The very first
lyrics are, “I don’t know if You can hear me / Or if You’re even there.” So right off the bat, Esmeralda is
questioning whether or not God even exists.
It’s one thing to include God in a family film; it’s another thing
entirely for a family film to question His existence. Given the amount of hardship and prejudice
Esmeralda has endured, it makes sense that her faith in a higher power would be
shaky at best.
But
the song doesn’t end there. She keeps
singing: “Yes, I know I’m just an outcast / I shouldn’t speak to You / Still I
see Your face and wonder / Were You once an outcast too?” It’s incredibly sad that Esmeralda doesn’t
believe herself deserving of an audience with God, which is what is being said
here. More than that, though, is the
song reminding the audience that Jesus himself was treated as an outcast. This is the real crux of the song, because
it’s suddenly not about the plight of the gypsies anymore.
The
song isn’t called, “God Help the Gypsies,” it’s called “God Help the
Outcasts.” That’s an important
distinction to make, because it doesn’t limit the scope of the song to just
this film. There’s a message to be taken
away by the audience here and it’s important that we discuss it
thoroughly. Esmeralda is saying a prayer
for all those who have been treated as outcasts by society. This is contrasted sharply by the other
parishioners who are being rather selfish with what they pray for (“I ask for
wealth / I ask for fame / I ask for glory to shine on my name”). This shines a very positive light on
Esmeralda, as she continues to pray for the good of her people and anyone else
among “the poor and down-trod.”
The
final lyric is also the most important one: “I thought we all were / The
children of God / God help the outcasts / Children of God.” So much humanity is contained within this simple
phrase. In sixteen words, Esmeralda
reminds the audience that every last human being on the planet is a child of
God, and therefore also manages to call out the hypocrisy of those who believe
otherwise. Regardless of superficial
differences, all humans are the children of God. “God Help the Outcasts” is to The Hunchback of Notre Dame what “Part
of Your World” was to The Little Mermaid. The crux of the film’s message rests on its
shoulders and the film wouldn’t be the same without it.
No
character better sums up the plight of the outcast than Quasimodo. Deformed from birth and locked away for all
of his life, Quasimodo has spent his whole existence being treated like
Frollo’s dirty little secret. Quasimodo
definitely falls into the underdog category of Disney themes, and I would say
comes third only to Dumbo and Cinderella in terms of outcast underdog
characters the audience responds with and roots for. Quasimodo is an outcast of Paris society
based entirely on his physical appearance, making his plight all the more
challenging. After all, this story did
occur in a time before plastic surgery, so it’s not like he can simply change
the way he looks. Quasimodo spends the
film proving to the world that beneath his appearance is a good man; a goal
which is not easily met without a considerable amount of hardship.
The
scene in which the citizens of Paris torture Quasimodo is absolutely
heartbreaking, and very difficult for me personally to watch. Before I viewed it for the blog, I had not
watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame
for several years because of how much that one scene bothers me. I’m not trying to hold a pity party in which
someone plays a really tiny violin, but there have been times in my life in
which I have been an outcast and have been treated unfairly by people who were
just out to be cruel. I know I’m not the
only person on the planet who has felt that way at some point in their lives,
so I reckon there are a fair few people who become unsettled watching the crowd
tie Quasimodo down and laugh at his pain and humiliation. I don’t even like the song “Topsy Turvy,”
because I know what happens after that particular piece of music ends. Though Quasimodo’s appearance is quite
distinctive, the audience still finds themselves identifying with and
projecting themselves onto Quasimodo.
There’s
one aspect of Quasimodo’s appearance that I would like to pause on: his
hair. I know it’s kind of hard to miss
given his other more distracting traits, but Quasimodo is only one of three title
characters who are males with red hair.
Ginger pointed this out to me, which isn’t surprising considering that
she’s a redhead herself, so she notices other redheads with a Spider-Man like
sixth sense. I ran through the list of
Disney animated films to take stock of other prominent male redheads, and I
noticed a trend: Disney redheaded men are mostly brutes or occasionally
outsiders. Lampwick in Pinocchio was a total punk, and the little
boy who mocked Dumbo’s large ears was even less charming than Lampwick. Casey
in the “Casey at the Bat” segment of Make
Mine Music was praised for his physical prowess as a baseball player. The
giant in Fun and Fancy Free was
definitely a brute (who also was fond of pink bunny rabbits). Tweedle Dum and
Tweedle Dee were not particularly brutish or outcast, but they are very stocky
in their build. Peter Pan is the boy who doesn’t belong because he won’t grow
up. Sir Kay from The Sword in the Stone is the ultimate Disney brute. Finally,
Thomas in Pocahontas was an outsider
in that he was a boy trying to navigate through a man’s world. Quasimodo does possess both qualities: his
strength is immense and he is very much the definition of an outsider.
How did redheads
earn such a reputation around Disney Animation?
Red hair has a long history of being a designator of people who are
different. The Malleus Meleficarum, the infamous guide to hunting witches written
in 1486 (I’m sure Frollo owns a well-read, earmarked copy) stated that red hair
and green eyes were thought to be a sign of a witch, werewolf, or vampire. There’s also the popular phrase “red-headed
step-child,” which is commonly used to designate someone as an outsider. It’s interesting that both Quasimodo and the
title hero of the film that immediately follows this one, Hercules, have red
hair. Both of them are on complete
opposite ends of the appearance scale (Quasimodo is physically deformed, whereas
Hercules is the pinnacle of physical perfection), and yet both of them have in
common the fact that neither of them are accepted by society at the start of
their respective films and both learn that good men are defined by the
conviction in their hearts.
Though physically
unattractive, Quasimodo (much like another title character from an earlier a
Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale film) has a kind and gentle manner that only his
gargoyle companions, Esmeralda, and the birds recognize and appreciate. Amadeus
actor Tom Hulce gave Quasimodo’s voice those qualities as well as a quiet
strength that arises in full force during the film’s climax, while James Baxter
had the challenge of granting a physically ugly character a beautiful spirit. The shining moment of both of these artists
is “Out There”. In the grand tradition of the Disney Wish
song, “Out There” bares Quasimodo’s heart to the audience.
Much like Jodi
Benson did for “Part of Your World,” Tom Hulce’s vocal performance gives the
song most of its power and depth. His
singing voice fascinates me. When he
first starts singing, his voice is so soft and almost sounds as though it is
about to break, something Disney had not attempted before with a leading male
while he sings. As “Out There”
progresses, Hulce’s voice grows stronger, betraying his Broadway roots when he
caps the song with one of the finest belts I’ve ever heard. Given the way Hulce performed “Out There,” he
is vocally mirroring Quasimodo’s character arc: Quasimodo begins the film soft,
quiet, unsure, and not confidant at all, but as the story progresses, he grows
stronger.
Of course,
Baxter’s animation of Quasimodo during the moments in which his character is
neither speaking nor singing are among the film’s most powerful: Frollo jerking Quasimodo’s chin up so that he
looks at him straight in the eye and the single tear he sheds when he believes
that he has found acceptance at last when he is crowned the king of fools (a
title that takes on a layer of cruel irony given what happens to Quasimodo just
a few moments after he is crowned). Both
are moments that entirely without words from Quasimodo, but they are both so indicative of how
sad Quasimodo’s existence is. It is this
one little tear that makes the subsequent torture at the hands of a vicious and
cruel crowd all the more tragic.
In that moment,
Frollo’s words, “the world is cruel / the world is wicked,” “you are deformed /
and you are ugly / and these are crimes for which the world shows little pity,”
and “out there they’ll revile you as a monster / out there they will hate / and
scorn and jeer” are one-hundred percent true.
Quasimodo realizes afterwards that he should have heeded Frollo’s words,
“why invite their calumny / and consternation?” hence his utterly defeated
tears as he walks unsteadily back into his bell tower, sealing Notre Dame’s
doors shut, blacking out the light emanating from “out there.” It’s such a far cry from the hopeful
hunchback wishing melodically for a day “Out There” just a few scenes
prior. Quasimodo finding the life he
hoped for “Out There” does not come about until he finds confidence in himself
after becoming friends with Esmeralda.
Quasimodo is not
the most important character in The
Hunchback of Notre Dame, even though he is the title character as well as
being the character that undergoes the most change come story’s end—Esmeralda
is. The beautiful gypsy dancer managed
to sashay her way into the thoughts of three very different men, and in doing
so wound up being Hunchback’s MacGuffin. Esmeralda single-handedly drives three-quarters
of the film’s plot, serving as the apex of a very convoluted love triangle,
which would probably be better described as a love polygon.
Who can blame
Pheobus, Quasimodo, and Frollo for all becoming enamored with the lovely gypsy
girl? First and most obviously of all,
she’s gorgeous. I love how
bold her design is. Nothing about her
features could be mistaken as delicate.
She has this fantastic olive skin, glossy, thick black hair, and a very
womanly shape. I especially appreciate
her thick black eyebrows, speaking as a thick eyebrow-ed lass myself. Most striking of all are her beautiful,
expressive green eyes, which run the gamut from seductive to kind to angry
during the course of the film. A great
amount of emphasis has to be placed on Esmeralda’s eyes, considering that her
name comes from the Spanish/ Portuguese word for “emerald.”
The filmmakers
cast Demi Moore as Esmeralda’s voice, because they didn’t want her to have a
typical leading lady voice. Moore did a
very good job playing Esmeralda; I especially enjoyed her reading when she
shouts “Justice!” at Frollo. Her husky
voice gave Esmeralda a worldly, streetwise quality that a woman who grew up as
a gypsy outcast would possess. Thanks
to Moore’s voice and – supervising animator – Tom Fucile’s animation, a memorable
heroine who manages to snag the attention of three very different men is
created.
“Heaven’s
Light/Hellfire” best sums up both Quasimodo and Frollo’s feelings regarding
Esmeralda. Quasimodo sees Esmeralda as
an angel (notice the not-so-subtle angelic sounding children’s choir that
always accompany their interactions together) finally bringing him a taste of
what Heaven’s light might feel like, whereas Frollo thinks of her as a
provocative siren witch born from the fires of Hell. They think of her in extremes, which is why
neither of them could end up with her in a romantic sense. Quasimodo only sees Esmeralda’s good
qualities, while Frollo only sees her as a seductive heathen. Esmeralda is both an angel and
a vixen, and there is only one man in the film who recognizes and appreciates
both of those qualities in her, and that is Phoebus. After witnessing Esmeralda’s thorough
thrashing of Frollo’s guards, Phoebus declares with an awestruck look on his
face, “what a woman!” Indeed, Phoebus
phrased it best; Esmeralda can be both kind and sultry, a woman all the way.
Kevin Kline was an
interesting choice for Phoebus. After
all, he is better known as a character actor (he was awarded his Oscar for his
comedic turn in A Fish Called Wanda)
as opposed to a heroic leading man.
Kline adds a quirky layer to Phoebus, gifting him with a very dry sense
of humor that I don’t think we have really seen before in a Disney hero (“You
leave town for a couple of decades and they change everything”). His sense of humor in contrast to his moments
of heroism makes Phoebus one of the more interesting characters found within Hunchback. Unfortunately, I am not convinced that the
filmmakers managed to strike the correct balance of humor and heroism with
Phoebus. Though Kline’s signature dry
witticisms are fantastic and incredibly quotable, I don’t fully buy him as the
hero when he does manage to pull off some traditional heroics. I don’t completely believe him when he gives
that speech motivating the citizens of Paris to revolt against Frollo. The filmmakers were much more successful with
Phoebus by allowing him to commit acts of heroism while still maintaining his sarcastic
sense of humor (“Achilles, sit,” “Consider it my highest honor, sir,” “Alone at
last”).
Sitting
in the other corner of Hunchback’s
love polygon is Judge Claude Frollo. We’ve
discussed villains at length on here, for the most part agreeing that the
scariest Disney villains are the ones who could potentially exist in real life
(ex. McLeach, Sykes, Lady Tremaine). In
my mind, the most chilling example from this category is Frollo. He represents one the darkest corners of
humanity. Here is a man in a position of
power who justifies his abhorrent actions with a tyrannical sense of self-righteousness. People like Frollo are not a scary shadow from
the past; human beings much like him emerge every day around every corner of
the globe, ranging from dictators to religious leaders to politicians. Frollo is a perfect representation of
corruption at its worst. Case in point, his relationship with Quasimodo. The way those two characters interact is
downright uncomfortable for the audience watch.
Frollo twists his words to make it seem like he is doing a kindness to
Quasimodo for locking him in a bell tower, not allowing him any other human
contact whatsoever, and frequently reminding him of his ugliness. The audience spends a great amount of time
shouting at the screen, “He murdered your mother, Quasi!”
He’s also a
lecherous bigot. Frollo spends the
entirety of the film so disdainful of the gypsies that his sudden obsession
with a particularly beautiful gypsy woman created quite the war within himself. His fixation on finding Esmeralda is not just
founded on the fact that she is beautiful: Esmeralda got under Frollo’s skin
because she defied him, something not many people have accomplished and lived
to tell the tale. He’s not entirely sure
if he wants her dead or if he simply wants her.
One thing is certain: Frollo is most definitely not in love with Esmeralda. Given the manner in which he smelled her
hair, stroked her neck, and imagined a fire spirit version of her as he
caressed his cheek with her veil, I would venture to say that “romance” is the
polite phrase for what Frollo wants from Esmeralda.
When he belts “Be
mine or you will / burn,” Frollo is not claiming her as “mine” in the sense
that he wants to take Esmeralda for long walks on the beach. Frollo is the first villain to all but state
that his interest in the heroine doesn’t extend beyond a sexual nature. The fact that she’s a gypsy adds a forbidden
nature to his desire for her. The fact
that Frollo considers himself such a pious individual not plagued by the sinful
temptations of ordinary men makes his blatant sexual desire for her becomes
even more twisted.
Nowhere is
Frollo’s religious hypocrisy better illustrated than in “The Bells of Notre
Dame.” He’s so convinced that the ends
justify his means that he sees murdering an innocent woman and drowning her
baby as completely rational courses of action.
An obvious foil to Frollo is the Archdeacon, who is also introduced in
this scene. The Archdeacon is probably
my favorite character in The Hunchback of
Notre Dame. Whereas Frollo has
twisted the lessons taught in Christianity to suit his own purposes, the
Archdeacon stands as an incorruptible pillar of the good that can come out of
Christianity. It’s not a coincidence
that the Archdeacon is the only character who is able to stop Frollo from
committing various atrocities during the early half of the film.
The Archdeacon’s
verse in “The Bells of Notre Dame” never fails to give me chills, especially the
line “But you never can run from / nor hide what you’ve done from the eyes /
the eyes of Notre Dame!” The Archdeacon
truly is a righteous man doing God’s work, in stark contrast to Frollo’s rather
suspect ways. The fact that David Ogden
Stiers voiced the Archdeacon gives him that extra dose of depth a character
like him needs. In a not so surprising
twist since Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale directed this film, David Ogden Stiers
and Tony Jay – the voice of Frollo – both had roles in Beauty and the Beast, though they did not appear in any scenes
together then.
Frollo’s powerful
twisted-ness comes in thanks to two people: his supervising animator, Kathy
Zielinski , and his voice actor, Tony Jay.
Zielinski outdid herself with Frollo’s performance, especially during
his close-ups in “Hellfire.” Of course,
Frollo would not be nearly as effective were it not for the ultra-deep,
elegant, yet menacing pipes of Tony Jay.
Upon hearing Jay’s voice when he played Monsieur D’Arque in Beauty and the Beast, Wise and Trousdale
loved his voice so much that they cast him as the main villain in their next
film. Tony Jay’s voice has a quality in
common with Eleanor Audley: with pipes like those, there’s no way he could ever
play a good guy.
All bad guys meet their comeuppance in Disney
movies (except for
Pinocchio), and Frollo is no
different. His comeuppance is a standout
moment in the film for being especially horrifying. Visually, it’s clear that Frollo is
unraveling from a psychological standpoint since the usually so composed judge
looks so frazzled without his hat and his white hair a mess. Particularly chilling is the yellow tint the
whites of his eyes and teeth take on when he raises his sword, with the orange
heat of the fire and smoke rising behind him.
It’s an image that’s positively demonic looking and one that an audience
member will not soon forget.
The Biblical
sounding quote he spouts (“And he shall smite the wicked and plunge them into
the fiery pit”) is not an actual quote from the Bible, but I believe it is a
paraphrase of Isaiah 11:4: “But with righteousness He will judge the poor, /
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; / And He will strike
the earth with the rod of His mouth, / And with the breath of His lips He will
slay the wicked.” Though there are some
common terms, no fiery pit is mentioned so the two quotes are not saying the
same thing at all. The fact that Frollo
does not say an actual Bible passage is very indicative of the person he
is. He twists the lessons of
Christianity around to suit his own agendas, just like he selected certain
things from the Bible to justify his actions.
His final words
are appropriate though, since he (a wicked man) is himself plunged quite
suddenly into a fiery pit. There have
been quite a few Disney villains who plummeted to their deaths, but Frollo’s
plummet is arguably the most chilling.
He takes a rather slow moving plummet into a blazing inferno is symbolic
enough on its own, but the filmmakers also added him hallucinating that the
gargoyle he was gripping for dear life was really a snarling demon. The demon gargoyle, the shot of him
plummeting almost resembling a force other than gravity pulling him downward, the
blazing inferno filling the screen, all work in tandem to create a true glimpse
of Hell. The audience isn’t just being
shown Frollo’s death; we’re seeing exactly where he’s going afterwards.
Considering the
large role that Christianity plays in The
Hunchback of Notre Dame, it is not surprising that the ending is reminiscent
of a very famous Bible verse. If I may
draw your attention to Isaiah 11:6: “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, /
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, / And the calf and the young
lion and the fatling together; / And a little child will lead them.” The verse describes the kind of peace that
the world will experience with the Messiah, but appropriately enough, it fits
with the final moments of Hunchback. It’s possible to interpret the verse as
beings radically different overcoming all that divides them and actually
achieving peace with one another. When
viewed that way, the verse touches on one of the key themes of The Hunchback of Notre Dame: the
citizens of Paris must learn to overlook Quasimodo’s appearance to see the man
he really is. What drew my attention to
this verse and its relevance to The
Hunchback of Notre Dame was the final line:
“And a little child will lead them.”
The idea of
children being uncorrupted by societal standards is a literary convention that
has been employed numerous times across several mediums. It was actually a theme established early on
in Hunchback, during Phoebus and Esmeralda’s
introductory scene: a mother and her daughter are walking together when the
little girl becomes delighted by the dancing Djali’s antics. The mother all too loudly states: “Stay away,
child. They’re gypsies! They’ll steal us blind.” This lets the audience know that the mother is
a representation of the kind of prejudice the gypsies of Paris endure. The little girl, though, seems to not even
hear her as she continues to look excitedly at Djali. That little girl didn’t see thieves; all she
saw were people (and a dancing goat!) making music for the delight of
others.
It comes as no
shock to the audience that it is yet another young girl to be the first one who
accepts Quasimodo. The little girl
approaches him with some skepticism but does not look at all afraid. That emotion is reserved for Quasimodo who
all but winces when she reaches for his face.
Obviously, he feared some sort of violent reaction from her since that’s
all he seemed to receive from the townsfolk for almost ninety minutes of film time. When he realizes that she only wants to
examine his face up-close, he relaxes and practically melts into her
embrace. She reciprocates the affection
with a warm smile and a soothing stroke through his hair, practically adopting
a maternal quality for a moment. Notice
though that when she eagerly guides him into the crowd that the majority of the
onlookers still part to get out of his way.
It is only when Clopin yells “Three cheers for Quasimodo” does the
remainder of the crowd cheer and embrace Quasimodo. It is only through the combined efforts of
the little girl and Clopin that the rest of society finally accepts Quasimodo. This is not so surprising since the
filmmakers had already established that the little girl and Clopin have a
connection to each other: she was one of the children enraptured with Clopin’s
puppet show during the Prologue, and that is why she and Clopin appear together
in Clopin’s “curtain call.”
The
one thing that always sits odd with me when it comes to Hunchback is that tonally the film does not feel cohesive. While there are moments of extreme darkness
littered throughout, there are moments of extreme slapstick also present. In theory, these lighthearted moments were
included to balance the overall somber mood that permeates The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Quasimodo’s torture at the hands of
the merciless crowd is followed immediately by Esmeralda’s frantic and thorough
beat down of Frollo’s guards, Frollo’s relentless and cruel campaign to find
Esmeralda is followed by the gargoyles singing “A Guy Like You,” and the
gargoyles antics throughout the final battle are all very cartoony in contrast
to the rest of Hunchback. Though it is hard to criticize the
filmmakers’ instincts to leaven the story in any way that they could, said
scenes and the like exist in complete opposite ends of the tonal spectrum that
they never really fuse together in a satisfying way. That is not to say that they are bad; “mon
sewer” always gets a chuckle out of me, and all three of the gargoyles are performed
well (voicing Laverne was Mary Wickes’ final role before her passing), though
their inclusion is most obviously little more than to serve as comic relief
characters.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame was well
received by critics and audiences alike, as it grossed over three hundred and
twenty five million dollars total. As
far as the love Hunchback gets beyond
the film goes, there’s not a whole lot to talk about. The film doesn’t have very much of a theme
park presence, which is not so surprising considering that this one is not
quite as kid friendly as previous Disney offerings. The one character from The Hunchback of Notre Dame that does pop up from time to time is –
funnily enough – Frollo. Since he is a
member of the Disney Villains line, his face character can be seen walking
occasionally with his fellow villains in parades.
The lack of Hunchback in the theme parks was not
always the status quo. When I was
younger, I distinctly remember seeing a live stage show version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame performed at
Disney’s Hollywood Studios back when it was called Disney’s MGM Studios. The attraction was most likely used as a
means of promoting the film at the time of its release. If you didn’t believe me before about my
theory that Disney uses the theme park shows as a proving ground to see how the
story would do as a more elaborate Broadway style stage production, then may I
draw your attention to Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, or - literally
translated from German - The Bellringer
of Notre Dame. It was a musical
based on the animated film that premiered in Berlin, Germany in 1999 and ran for
three years, making it one of the longest running musicals in Berlin’s
history. It featured an extended
soundtrack written by Menken and Schwartz and was able to include some songs
originally intended for the film.
There are always
going to be differences from the film when it is adapted for the stage, but Der Glöckner
von Notre Dame is especially different because it chose a more somber, melancholic
tone than its animated counterpart. The
play is actually a closer adaptation to Victor Hugo’s original novel than the
animated film was. I don’t want to give
away some of the twists within the theatrical version, seeing as how some of us
may actually get to see this play in the near future. Schwartz has been hinting since 2008 that the
States would see an English language revival of Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, and
Menken confirmed in 2010 that they were hard at work on the American
production.
Looking back on Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I have to say that the general mood of
the Disney Animation Studio must have been quite somber and serious from all of
1995 to 1996. It’s strange that Disney
chose to release two dramatic, more adult oriented films in a row. The last time Disney attempted something
similar was when The Fox and the Hound
preceded The Black Cauldron, and we
all know how that worked out. It could
be said that with the success of increasingly thematically sophisticated films
(Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King) Disney felt that their
audience had matured beyond mere cartoony kids’ fare. Natural instinct dictated that the studio would
attempt to see how far they could venture into the other direction, by crafting
two dramatic films, the latter of which threw out most conventions associated
with wholesome family entertainment.
Whether or not this was a successful experiment for the studio is
debatable. One thing is certain: The Hunchback of Notre Dame is in my
mind the most daring film created by Disney since Fantasia. The overall
quality of the film is mixed at best, but the filmmakers should be praised for
having the audacity to adapt the famous Victor Hugo novel into a Disney
animated classic. The Hunchback of Notre Dame conveyed that Don Hahn, Gary Trousdale,
and Kirk Wise were the kind of filmmakers that were fearless, undaunted, and –
most of all – ballsy.
Once again, I find
myself apologizing to my ultra-fabulous readers for the longest Waking Snow
White delay yet. Guys, I swear that it’s
not that I don’t love you all, I do. I hope
most of you are still with me because your comments and support give me the
motivation to keep going. I could say
that life got in the way of posting Hunchback,
but that would only be partially true.
At this point I feel like that’s a cop-out excuse, and I believe that
y’all deserve honesty from me. While
life did get in the way of my writing somewhat, the truth is that working on Pocahontas and Hunchback back to back proved to be a little more difficult than I
anticipated. Why? Because it never really occurred to me that I
would be working on two total downer films in a row. I don’t think Disney has done two films in a
row with ultra-serious subject matter since Pocahontas
and Hunchback. Given my total lack of enthusiasm when it
came to repeat viewings of either of these films, I can only imagine the mood
Disney Animation was in after spending multiple years on not one, but two
somber films. It’s no wonder the next
film Disney Animation worked on was so light-hearted; after these, they needed
to laugh again!
If anyone is
scared that I will go another five months without posting again, then have no
fear. I worked out a deal with my editor
that I would only post this piece if the next one was finished, that way the
posts could begin to come out in a timely manner. My editor?
Oh yeah, I need to mention that this is the first post written under the
supervision of Waking Snow White’s new chief editor: my sister, Ginger. Her title is officially editor, but I prefer
to think of her as a really peppy drill sergeant. Every day since she moved back home: “Did you
work on Hunchback? Did you finish Hunchback? Are you going to work on Hunchback today?” Safe to say, posts will
be coming out in a more timely manner from here on out.
On another note of
housekeeping, I would really like to figure out a logo that’s more appropriate
for the tone Waking Snow White tries to set.
Sadly, I am about as design illiterate as one can get. If any one of you guys happen to be quite
computer savvy and wouldn’t mind designing a logo for the website, please let
me know if you are interested and I will give you full permanent credit on the
page for logo design. My only request is
that the logo avoids Disney lettering.
While classic, I think it would be just a bit too obvious for a Disney
blog.
Before we part
ways this time, I have a little trivia question for you all: given what you
have learned about me from the thirty or so blog pieces I have written about
Disney, what would you say is my all-time favorite Disney soundtrack? I’ll give you a hint: it is an Alan Menken
soundtrack, but it is not one that would immediately come to mind when one
thinks of Alan Menken. Take your time,
I’ll wait.
…
…
… Beauty and the Beast? While it is a beautiful soundtrack, my
favorite Alan Menken soundtrack was made after Howard Ashman had passed away,
so that rules out Beauty and the Beast,
The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin.
Try again.
…
…
… Tangled?
That’s too far ahead. My favorite
Disney soundtrack is considered to be a part of the Disney Renaissance, so that
rules out both Tangled and Home On The Range. Guess again.
…
…
… Pocahontas? Getting warmer. The
Hunchback of Notre Dame? Oh, so
close. My all-time favorite Disney
soundtrack is actually Disney’s thirty-fifth animated classic, Hercules, a film that also happens to be
the subject of the next entry of Waking Snow White. It’s not a film that immediately comes to
mind when one thinks of classic Disney soundtracks, I know, but every time one
of its songs pop up on my iTunes, I have to sing along. I love all but one of the songs created for Hercules, and I will focus a great
amount of attention on its wonderful music in my next piece, so get excited
because I am. Thanks so much for reading
and your comments are always greatly appreciated.
P.S. You
all have gotten your Lady and the Tramp
blu-rays like good little Disney fanatics, right? Did you page through the little booklet
advertising upcoming Disney releases?
Holy crap, there are a lot of Disney animated classics coming to blu-ray
this year! The Aristocats, The Rescuers
and The Rescuers Down Under, Pocahontas, Treasure Planet, and Home on the Range are all being released this summer, and finally Cinderella is going to be released this fall! If my math is right, nineteen films from
Disney Animation are available on blu-ray, so with these new titles that will bring
the Disney Animation blu-ray collection up to twenty-six. That’s more than half of the Disney animation
library. My wish list for future blu-ray releases: a
collection of the package films together with an extended documentary on Disney
Animation during the war years, a Robin
Hood blu-ray finally showing the film the love it deserves, and an uncut,
unrated, re-edited edition of The Black
Cauldron. Thoughts and comments,
folks?
