Walt Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame is moody, provocative, controversial, dark, and disturbing, and I love it! Certainly it did nothing but alienate those wanting a fun and familial Disney movie, maybe like the early Renaissance films, ballsy but wholesome. However for the sheer audacity to tackle themes of piety, hypocrisy, religion, genocide, and lust in a Disney movie with this grand a scope, and to do so well while also handling a more traditional theme and story of acceptance, I really can’t help but feel this is one of Disney’s most impressive accomplishments!
Set in post-medieval Paris, Judge Claude Frollo in penance for murdering a gypsy, raises her deformed son as the bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral. The grown up Quasimodo longs to leave the bell tower and become an accepted part of society. During a disastrous escape, he encounters sympathy from Esmerelda, a gypsy whom he subsequently falls for. Also infatuated with her are Phoebus a kind Captain of the Guard, and Frollo who justifies this lecherous desire, as well as his intentions of genocide through his authoritarian hypocrisy and religious piousness. Esmerelda looks to Quasimodo to help save her and her people before Frollo burns Paris in his persistence to capture her.
As I said, though Disney-fied to some degree, this is a startlingly faithful adaptation; within the first five minutes we’re privy to a pretty brutal death and attempted infanticide! And while some significant changes are made such as Quasimodo being able to speak and Frollo being a corrupt judicial minister rather than an archdeacon, there are scenes that really capture the spirit of Victor Hugo’s original novel. Particularly the humiliation and plundering of Quasimodo at the Feast of Fools though less violent, Esmerelda’s defence of him on the platform looked right out of a classic illustration, Quasimodo’s rescue of Esmerelda, and just the entirety of Frollo’s appearances -but more on that later. Of course the focus on Quasimodo’s longing for acceptance in the outside world is very much a Disney choice as are other plot elements like Clopin’s antics and Phoebus’ heroism at the miller’s house (after a daunting Nazi-esque scene). But these elements were all incorporated very well, and for each one of them there was a darker subtext.
The darkness also stems from the look of Notre Dame, which is terrifically grand in scale. Not only does it look accurate to a tee, the architecture rich and stained glass radiant, but it towers over Paris with great intimidation and feels like a world unto itself. You get this impression right from the beginning, this opening being second only to The Lion King in epic grandeur. It’s a great song -a backstory that sets the tone perfectly, and a culmination both musically and visually to the title that’s impossible not to get swept up in. The animation on a whole is really top notch which is no surprise for Disney at this point really, but I still can’t helping noticing the beauty and awe of many scenes. The facial contortions on Quasimodo and Frollo especially are captivating and I wonder if special attention was paid to the song choreography in a few places, because it looks amazing as well. I really think Hunchback is up there as one of the best looking Disney movies!
And looks aren’t just important for the animation. Because of the effect she has on Frollo, Esmerelda may be the first Disney leading lady designed to be sexy (not counting Jessica Rabbit of course). She’s a pretty fun character overall even if she doesn’t leave the strongest of impressions. She’s got a sense of sympathy, loyalty, and humour that’s very enjoyable though and her relationship with Quasimodo is the heart of the film. Her goat’s got a nice design too. Demi Moore does a very good job with the role, but despite being the biggest star (and highest paid voice actress at the time), she’s never the most engaging performer in a scene. More often than not, Quasimodo is. He’s a typical underdog with a good heart yes, but is really interesting too. I credit the little touches in his character: his conditioned fear of upsetting his master as well as his dedicated craftsmanship and relationship with his sanctuary-prison. He was also another unattractive hero I related to when I first saw the film (something that made me kinda sad that the handsome guy got the girl). And maybe it’s his design which is pretty good, but you really feel his joy when something wonderful happens to him. He’s voiced by Tom Hulce who’s perfect in the part, as he was in Amadeus playing a polar opposite character! Rounding out the love triangle is Phoebus who’s noble, snappy, and funny. He makes for a good foil to Quasimodo and Frollo, is even something of a believable love interest for Esmerelda, and being voiced by Kevin Kline I couldn’t help but keep recalling his similar voice role in The Road to El Dorado (a highly underrated movie!). The love triangle I actually don’t mind as it’s not dwelt on a whole lot and its clear the filmmakers would have wanted to end it another way if it weren’t for the importance of Quasimodo’s unrequited love in the novel. The film ending for Quasimodo though is really earned and wonderful. David Ogden Stiers after his bout in Pocahontas is back in a role more suited for him as the Archdeacon, and though Clopin is annoying at times, he’s good at delivering a prologue as well as having a very memorable costume. For all the greatness of this movie though, there has to be one Disney-ism that hurts it significantly: the comic relief. This was not a story that should have had Timon and Pumbaa wannabes in the form of three gargoyles called Victor, Hugo (get it!), and Laverne. In addition to being a complete waste of Jason Alexander, they drag the film down every time they appear (Charles Kimbrough and Mary Wickes provide the other voices). Perhaps if they’d just been figments of Quasimodo’s imagination, side effects of living alone his whole life, it could work, but a few scenes show they’re clearly magical and it really takes you out of the movie. This is an instance where they needed the Pocahontas type of side characters: unspeaking animals like pigeons or rats for Quasimodo to talk to. Instead we got one-liners from a failed Seinfeld script.
Just about everything controversial in this film revolves around one character. I already covered him in my Top Ten Most Enjoyably Hateable Villains list, but regardless Claude Frollo is a cruel, manipulative, self-righteous, violent, lascivious creeper, and easily Disney’s best villain! Through him, the film examines corruption, fear of damnation, and lust, and for the character to be a pretty clear religious zealot, Christian audiences are bound to be a little upset. But his hypocrisy is an essential part of his character too. Particularly his sexual feelings and advances on Esmerelda stick out, and a few scenes where he manages to be alone with her are legitimately unsettling. I don’t think any other Disney villain makes your skin crawl quite like Frollo. And a good deal of that comes from the vocal performance. The late great Tony Jay steals every moment of screen-time with his deep, smooth malevolent voice. Though he had just the one voice, it really was one of the most enjoyable to listen to. Here he gets to spew plenty of dogmatic and well-versed dialogue (including an awesome final line) and also shows he can sing damn well too! Perhaps the thing that solidifies Frollo’s status is his song “Hellfire” which is the film’s most notorious. The pinnacle of villain songs, it’s a deep and layered exploration of his inner battle against giving in to lustful temptation and being damned. It calls on a lot of religious imagery, doctrinal diction, and chanting in Latin. But it’s his conclusion that’s most shocking as somehow he resolves “she will be his or she will burn”. His reasoning that Esmerelda’s only hope is to sleep with him makes him all the more despicable, and the fact that he has the power to carry this or his extermination of the gypsy people out, makes him absolutely vile ...and one of my all time favourite movie villains!
“Hellfire” as well as the other songs were written once again by Alan Menken and again, on most he hits bullseyes. “Hellfire” may pack the biggest punch (the sequence too with glorious animation and shadowy figures is amazing), but there are other greats, such as its own parallel and immediate precedence “Heaven’s Light” which is a beaut of a little song about Quasimodo’s hope and love of Esmerelda’s kindness. Indeed Hulce’s songs are great! “Out There” is stupendous in both composition and visuals. “The Bells of Notre Dame” though mostly a prologue is great too as I mentioned before. And “God Help the Outcasts” is a really smart and lovely addition. They knew this film because of Frollo might alienate (and let’s be honest, did) the devoutly religious public, but they make an effort to show the selfless faithful, and include a song espousing virtues of humility. And many of these songs incorporate bells which is both a great central tie-in as well as audial delight. Unfortunately this awesome track record is spoilt by the gargoyles and their song “A Guy Like You” which is really awful. And though “Topsy Turvy Day” sung mostly by Clopin is fun, his later song “The Court of Miracles” is just uninteresting.
To be honest, the only thing that keeps The Hunchback of Notre Dame from being one of the greatest animated films in my opinion, are the gargoyles. They’re a pretty bad addition, but are possible to overcome. And so much else in this film is so incredible! It even gets in a few good jokes every so often. Was it the wisest decision of Disney’s in terms of being a great financial success, no. But the risks it took and attempts to further its art and storytelling by delving into subject matter almost entirely avoided in its medium by that time, makes it really outstanding! Disney purists and Victor Hugo purists probably won’t like it; but for us in between who’ve been looking for an animated Gothic story, with brilliant visuals, themes, characters, songs, and one of the greatest movie villains, it’s almost the same must-see experience as the Notre Dame herself.
Next Week: Hercules (1997)
Comments
Post a Comment