The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Director: Gary Trousdale
Cast: Tom Hulce, Tony Jay, Demi Moore, Kevin Kline.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of Disney’s darkest and most emotionally powerful films. Falling in the middle of the Disney Renaissance, this movie imparts a significantly different legacy from other installments in the Era because it addresses some of the darkest and most controversial themes in Disney animation in a way that is universally understood. The story centers on a gentle but misunderstood bell ringer named Quasimodo and a beautiful gypsy name Esmeralda who must overcome the persecution of Paris and show the world the true worth of the human heart.
The most significant theme in The Hunchback of Notre Dame is learning to recognize an individual’s true worth without the predisposition of positive physical appearance. Physical appearance plays a contradictory role in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, particularly in the cases of the three principal characters: Quasimodo, Esmeralda, and Frollo. Quasimodo (Tom Hulce) is a hunchback who is judged by his surrogate father, Frollo, and the general populace of Paris to be a monster because he fails to conform to the established standard of what is deemed acceptable. His appearance differs from theirs, so therefore, he is rejected. In truth, Quasimodo is a man of compassion and integrity, who is grossly misunderstood. His compassion is demonstrated when he overcomes the shackles of public persecution to become Esmeralda’s protector and ultimately rescues her from the fiery wrath of his master, Frollo. Quasimodo’s triumph occurs when he overcomes the discrimination of his master and steps from the darkness of persecution to finally be recognized and accepted as human.
Judge Claude Frollo (Tony Jay) is meant to be reflected as a positive character,and yet he is the very essence of darkness and evil. He is portrayed as Quasimodo’s guardian – a man who is supposed to love and protect Quasimodo, and yet from the genesis of their relationship he demonstrates nothing but contempt and cruelty towards his young charge – to the point of absolute torture. He attempts to murder Quasimodo as a baby because he is repulsed by his physical appearance and Quasimodo’s life is only spared because of divine intervention. When Frollo visits his adopted son in the bell tower, his initial purpose seems harmless enough until Quasimodo inadvertently reveals that he wishes to attend the Festival of Fools, and then the visit dissolves into what can only be described as brainwashing and psychological torture when Frollo sings Quasimodo a cruel song illustrating how Quasimodo lacks humanity. This sequence is heartbreaking because not only does Quasimodo believe what his master is telling him to be the truth, he also thinks his master is the only positive thing in his world. When Quasimodo attends the festival and is crowned the King of Fools, his brief moment of acceptance is shattered when the crowd realizes the truth of his identity and proceeds to torture him while Frollo does nothing to defend him – he actually turns away when his son pleads for mercy.
Esmeralda (Demi Moore) is an advocate for justice and a voice for the silenced victims who fall into the snare of persecution.While her persecution stems from the fact that she is a gypsy and thus despised by Frollo and most of the Parisian citizenry, in truth Esmeralda is one of the most honorable characters in the movie. In the wake of Quasimodo’s persecution at the Festival of Fools, she boldly defends him when Frollo and the Parisian citizenry attack Quasimodo. When she is imprisoned in the Notre Dame cathedral, Esmeralda prays for God to have mercy on her people while the other parishioners plead for wealth and glory. She rescues Phoebus after he is cast into the river by Frollo for defending an innocent family after Frollo burns their home. Ultimately, it is Esmeralda who encourages Quasimodo to step out of the darkness of persecution and into the light where he is finally accepted as being human.
There is an odd love story which connects the characters of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The catalyst of the “love square” is Esmeralda. The men who want for her love have unique ways of expressing their love for her, and in the end, only one man will ultimately win her heart. Frollo’s expression of love is a dark and twisted obsession for Esmeralda which spirals into him forcing her to choose between submitting to his lustful advances or surrendering her life to the fire. It is ironic to me that Frollo's obsessive lust was over a woman that thoroughly repulsed him.Quasimodo loves Esmeralda, but I believe his love for her stems from the fact that she is the only soul to ever show him true compassion. He loves her, but it’s more of an admiration and a friendship rooted in the fact that they share a common bond of persecution rather than a romance. Phoebus (Kevin Kline) is ultimately the one who wins Esmeralda’s heart. While at first he fails to impress the beautiful Esmeralda, his integrity and courage allow her to see the true nature of his character and allows her to finally accept his love.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a film that the audience will either love or despise. While it is definitely one of the darker films that Disney has created, there are elements woven into its matrix which make it a worthy addition to the Disney canon. The story is one of the most powerful that Disney has ever created and accompanied by a marriage of an exceptional musical score and incredible casting allow the movie’s message to be conveyed in a manner that invoke both laughter and tears. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves Disney animation at its best.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Gary Trousdale
Cast: Tom Hulce, Tony Jay, Demi Moore, Kevin Kline.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of Disney’s darkest and most emotionally powerful films. Falling in the middle of the Disney Renaissance, this movie imparts a significantly different legacy from other installments in the Era because it addresses some of the darkest and most controversial themes in Disney animation in a way that is universally understood. The story centers on a gentle but misunderstood bell ringer named Quasimodo and a beautiful gypsy name Esmeralda who must overcome the persecution of Paris and show the world the true worth of the human heart.
The most significant theme in The Hunchback of Notre Dame is learning to recognize an individual’s true worth without the predisposition of positive physical appearance. Physical appearance plays a contradictory role in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, particularly in the cases of the three principal characters: Quasimodo, Esmeralda, and Frollo. Quasimodo (Tom Hulce) is a hunchback who is judged by his surrogate father, Frollo, and the general populace of Paris to be a monster because he fails to conform to the established standard of what is deemed acceptable. His appearance differs from theirs, so therefore, he is rejected. In truth, Quasimodo is a man of compassion and integrity, who is grossly misunderstood. His compassion is demonstrated when he overcomes the shackles of public persecution to become Esmeralda’s protector and ultimately rescues her from the fiery wrath of his master, Frollo. Quasimodo’s triumph occurs when he overcomes the discrimination of his master and steps from the darkness of persecution to finally be recognized and accepted as human.
Judge Claude Frollo (Tony Jay) is meant to be reflected as a positive character,and yet he is the very essence of darkness and evil. He is portrayed as Quasimodo’s guardian – a man who is supposed to love and protect Quasimodo, and yet from the genesis of their relationship he demonstrates nothing but contempt and cruelty towards his young charge – to the point of absolute torture. He attempts to murder Quasimodo as a baby because he is repulsed by his physical appearance and Quasimodo’s life is only spared because of divine intervention. When Frollo visits his adopted son in the bell tower, his initial purpose seems harmless enough until Quasimodo inadvertently reveals that he wishes to attend the Festival of Fools, and then the visit dissolves into what can only be described as brainwashing and psychological torture when Frollo sings Quasimodo a cruel song illustrating how Quasimodo lacks humanity. This sequence is heartbreaking because not only does Quasimodo believe what his master is telling him to be the truth, he also thinks his master is the only positive thing in his world. When Quasimodo attends the festival and is crowned the King of Fools, his brief moment of acceptance is shattered when the crowd realizes the truth of his identity and proceeds to torture him while Frollo does nothing to defend him – he actually turns away when his son pleads for mercy.
Esmeralda (Demi Moore) is an advocate for justice and a voice for the silenced victims who fall into the snare of persecution.While her persecution stems from the fact that she is a gypsy and thus despised by Frollo and most of the Parisian citizenry, in truth Esmeralda is one of the most honorable characters in the movie. In the wake of Quasimodo’s persecution at the Festival of Fools, she boldly defends him when Frollo and the Parisian citizenry attack Quasimodo. When she is imprisoned in the Notre Dame cathedral, Esmeralda prays for God to have mercy on her people while the other parishioners plead for wealth and glory. She rescues Phoebus after he is cast into the river by Frollo for defending an innocent family after Frollo burns their home. Ultimately, it is Esmeralda who encourages Quasimodo to step out of the darkness of persecution and into the light where he is finally accepted as being human.
There is an odd love story which connects the characters of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The catalyst of the “love square” is Esmeralda. The men who want for her love have unique ways of expressing their love for her, and in the end, only one man will ultimately win her heart. Frollo’s expression of love is a dark and twisted obsession for Esmeralda which spirals into him forcing her to choose between submitting to his lustful advances or surrendering her life to the fire. It is ironic to me that Frollo's obsessive lust was over a woman that thoroughly repulsed him.Quasimodo loves Esmeralda, but I believe his love for her stems from the fact that she is the only soul to ever show him true compassion. He loves her, but it’s more of an admiration and a friendship rooted in the fact that they share a common bond of persecution rather than a romance. Phoebus (Kevin Kline) is ultimately the one who wins Esmeralda’s heart. While at first he fails to impress the beautiful Esmeralda, his integrity and courage allow her to see the true nature of his character and allows her to finally accept his love.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a film that the audience will either love or despise. While it is definitely one of the darker films that Disney has created, there are elements woven into its matrix which make it a worthy addition to the Disney canon. The story is one of the most powerful that Disney has ever created and accompanied by a marriage of an exceptional musical score and incredible casting allow the movie’s message to be conveyed in a manner that invoke both laughter and tears. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves Disney animation at its best.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.