A friendly reminder that is only a week to vote for which Hunchback movie the site will review next. At this pint in time (as I’m writing this) it looks like the 1982 version will win but not by very much . So if you haven’t voted yet please do or tell your friends to vote.

What Hunchback version should I review next?

  • The Jetlag version (29%, 6 Votes)
  • The 1956 version (24%, 5 Votes)
  • The 1982 version (24%, 5 Votes)
  • The Secret of the Hunchback (19%, 4 Votes)
  • Enchanted Tales (5%, 1 Votes)
  • Wishbone (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 21

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Federica Callori 2011-2012 Italian Esmeralda Notre Dame de Paris picture image

Federica Callori 2011-2012 Italian Esmeralda Notre Dame de Paris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a Petition to get  a DVD made for the 2012 Italian cast of Notre Dame de Paris. While it’s not my favorite cast of Notre Dame de Paris a lot people love them I’m all in favor of more DVDs of Notre Dame de Paris which mean decent recording and footage.

If you would like to sign Click here, you need to registrar. I did,

I sign it with a “^^b”

1.) You know every line from the book by heart.
2.) You’ve seen every movie and have at least heard every song from every musical adaptation.
3.) You’ve gone to visit Notre-Dame Cathedral and asked one of the priests if his name is Claude and if he knows any dancing girls.
4.) You’ve changed your name and have taken up dancing in front of random churches.
5.) Your boyfriend needs to dress up as one of the male NDDP characters to get your attention. (Or if you are a male, then your girlfriend needs to dress as an NDDP character to get your attention.)
6.) Your wallpaper in your house consists mainly of pictures of NDDP/HOND.
7.) You’re a “Fresme” fan.
8.) You know what a “Fresme” fan is.
9.) You know that in no matter what adaptation Phoebus is a jerk.
10.) If it’s movie night and your turn to choose the movie your friends all groan because they know what you have chosen.
11.) You’ve dressed as any NDDP/HOND character at least 5yrs. in a row.
12.) You base your wardrobe on your favorite NDDP character.
13.) You talk about guys or girls in this manner,”That guy was a total Quasimodo” “She was a total Fleur.”
14.) For any/all book reports or essays you have chosen NDDP and if the book report/essay had nothing to do with any themes, motives, French, French history,etc. you somehow found a way to sneak something NDDP related into the report/essay.
15.) You have turned cartoon and other adaptations where there was a VERY liberal use of artistic license into drinking games.
16.) You’ve had NDDP themed parties.
17.) You’ve written at least one “what if,” scenario involving Esmeralda and Claude Frollo.
18.) You can name at least 5 actresses who have played Esmeralda,and at least 5 actors who have played Claude Frollo,and at least 5 actors who have played Quasimodo.
19.) You sit up late at night wondering, “Who would win in a cat fight Fleur or Esme?”
20.) You have named a pet after an NDDP character.
21.) On January 6th you have an NDDP/HOND marathon.
22.) Instead of seeing a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, you see Claude Frollo on one shoulder and Jehan Frollo on the other.
23.) You know that Pierre Gringoire was based off a real person.
24.) You know where the Court of Miracles was located.
25.) When someone says “Hell” you need to follow it up with “Fire” and break out into song.
26.) You describe your feelings as characters of NDDP/HOND
Ex: “I’m feeling kinda Jehanish today.”
27.) You know exactly which character you are/are most like.
28.) You’ve posted on at least 3 fansites.
29.) You are jazzed that in KH3D there will be a HOND world.
30.) You search the internet for any information regarding the upcoming adaptations from Josh Brolin and Tim Burton and the little talked about Paramount adaptation. This is also true for searches regarding when Der Glockner Von Notre Dame will be coming to Broadway.
31.) You have a shrine devoted to your favorite character.
32.) You have painted your room with chalk board paint and scribbled odd quotes on your walls.
33.) For a science project you’ve tried alchemy.
34.) You have at least one website/bog/glog devoted to NDDP or at least a character.
35.) When you hear church bells, Quasimodo automatically comes to mind.
36.) When someone tells you they’re studying poetry or philosophy you want to ask them if they have a fondness for goats.
37.) You own a pet goat.
38.) You own a pet goat her/his name is Djali.
39.) You just refer to goats as “Djali” and no longer even call them goats.
40.) (Refers to 39.) Your friends know what you’re talking about.
41.) You own at least 2 copies of the book.
42.) You think the song “For The Holidays” should be played throughout stores during the conventional holiday season.
43.) All the questions/answers for your security questions are NDDP/HOND related.
44.) Why was 3 afraid of four? Because one four eight two. If you started laughing before that joke,’nough said.
45.) To you the events of 1492 don’t matter. After all they didn’t take place in 1482.
46.) You’ve done the math and know all the ages of the characters and somehow Fleur is older than Esmeralda.
47.) You’ve read the book so many times that you see the semi-direct connection between Quasimodo and Fleur-De-Lys.
48.) You’ve seen at least one episode of the short lived cartoon TV series, “The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo.”
49.) For some odd reason you’ve watched “The Secret of The Hunchback.” And wondered just how stoned those writers were.
50.) You’ve picked out the perfect jug for your wedding.
51.) NDDP/HOND has inspired you to find out more about the Romani culture.
52.) Everything you’ve ever learned about Catholicism is thanks to NDDP.
53.) You have created at least one work of art devoted to NDDP/HOND.
54.) (Refers to 53.) That piece of art is proudly displayed on every possible NDDP/HOND site known to man.
55.) When someone asks you to choose, you suddenly hear “La tombe ou mon lit” in your head.
1-55 is by Esmeralda Gibert

56.) You know every world of Belle in French but you can’t say “Hello.”
57.) You complain that Esmeralda wears red too much.
58.) You Notice the doors on the pillars in Notre Dame de Paris
59.) You Judge EVERY Hunchback by the jail scene
60.) You only date, Poets, Soldiers, Jugglers, Bell-ringers
56-60 by Me

A Big Thanks to Esme Gibert for putting this together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woWmWrSZr2M

I really enjoyed this, I liked the fire motif but what is Esmeralda wearing? At least it’s not Red ^_~

 

This video was taken from the Frequenstar episode on Notre Dame de Paris. It features  It includes Julie Zenatti and Nadia Bel singing La Sorcière, Patrick Fiori reveals a mistake he made and Garou singing Un Matin Tu Dansais.

I think Notre Dame de Paris was totally missed cast Julie Zenatti should have played Frollo. Her rendition of  La Sorcière was brilliant. I’m joking of course though it would be cool if they did a mixed up concert where the roles are shuffled around.

The yellow text was done by me  but other than fades and the text/subtitles, the clip wasn’t edited.

I really love their chemistry, it so cute.

 

It’s Time for My Little Pony. This time it’s everybodies’ conflicted priest; Frollo. I created this by using the Ponymaker game on the hub website but I did change his eyes with photoshop to make him look scary.

Frollo inspired Pony My Little Pony Friendship is magic

Frollo inspired Pony

Sofia Essaïdi picture image

Sofia Essaïdi

In a post on Notre Dame de Paris Fans, there was note from a tumblr blog called  Passing Dreams that had a list of who they thought  would be the ideal casting choices for Esmeralda, Quaismodo and Frollo if there was a French revival of Notre Dame de Paris. Just got to say that a new French cast would be awesome. The Show hasn’t been performed as a musical in France since 2005. Anyway so I’m going to look at these people and first up is Sofia Essaïdi  for Esmeralda.

Sofia Essaïdi picture image

Sofia Essaïdi

 

Sofia Essaïdi is half French and half Moroccan so there is no denying that she has a the right look for Esmeralda and she is very beautiful. She was on the third season of France’s Star Academy (2004) which she came in second.  On Star Academy she performed Vivre (see video at the bottom of the page) . She has also released an album in 2005 called Mon Cabaret (see video to hear Mon Cabaret). She was also on the French version of Dancing with the Stars were she came in  second.  She also played Cleopatra in the 2009 French musical Cléopâtre, la Dernière Reine d’Égypte

Sofia Essaïdi as Cleopatra from Cléopâtre, la Dernière Reine d'Égypte picture image

Sofia Essaïdi as Cleopatra from Cléopâtre, la Dernière Reine d’Égypte

 

Essaïdi would make a great Esmeralda, she can sing and she dances very well. I just happen to not be overly fond of her voice, it’s not that it’s bad, it just doesn’t resonate with me. I also didn’t care for her rendition of Vivre but I think a musical director could help if she was cast (plus those hamster-ball people wouldn’t be there either). However I did like her as Cleopatra.

Sofia Essaïdi picture image

Sofia Essaïdi

 

I think if she were to play Esmeralda it would be would be a great casting choice.

 

Sofia Essaïdi picture image

Sofia Essaïdi

Videos of Sofia Essaïdi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byo5UhCOMhw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIaHuvT_FUI
Christopher Stills would make a good Phoebus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Shoiw8Xp08
click here to buy the song

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda with Eulalie Jenson as Marie 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda with Eulalie Jenson as Marie 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Costumes in the 1923 version of Hunchback are for the most part good. They look appropriate to fashions of the late middle ages. However with the exceptions of Chaney’s make-up for Quasimodo the costumes are not spectacular. There is no one costume that stands out and is memorable. They are just nice and appropriate to both the characters and the times. However there are two costumes I would like to discuss in addition to Chaney’s make-up since Chaney is the main selling point of the film.

Lon Chaney as Quasimodo 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Lon Chaney as Quasimodo 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame

Lon Chaney was a genius with make-up. It’s not wonder that he has been dubbed the “Man of a Thousand Faces.” His most memorable transformations of his own face in his film career were the Phantom and Quasimodo.

For Quasimodo, Chaney looked at illustrations  by Hugo to get an accurate look. For his cheeks Chaney used cotton and colodium. Colodium is a skin sealer. What he would do is paint spirit gum, which is an adhesive, apply a wad of cotton to it and then cover it with colodium. The process was repeated to build up the cheeks to the desire look. This also allowed Chaney to reuse the cheeks for a few day with minimal effort. For the hunch he wore a 15-20 pound plaster hump. The hump was held in place by a leather harness that attract at the waist. It also had straps at the shoulders that attached to the belt to keep Chaney in a hunch position.

He also wore a rubber suit over the harness in the pillory scene. He covered it with hair to give Quasimodo an animal-like look. Early in the film he had hair on his knuckles but he did away with that as the filming went one. Chaney also employed false teeth and a wig.

Lon Chaney as Quasimodo 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Lon Chaney as Quasimodo 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame

I don’t think the Quasimodo’s look has aged as well as  the Phantom’s make-up but Chaney did help solidify movie make-up and set a precedent for the look of future Quasimodos so I do give kudos to the make-up in this version.

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame

So there are a few  costumes I want to discuss, three of Esmeralda’s and  Marie’s costumes. Esmeralda has four costume changes but I want to look at three, her normal outfit, prison dress and her robe. The Costumes were  supervised by Gordon Magee, that they only costume credit I found.

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame

Esmeralda’s normal gypsy costume is based on a 1891 illustration. You can see it in the vest, short sleeves, the shoes and the mid calf hem line. While I like this costume as a whole it is inaccurate to the Romani convention that ankles should not be expose but their is another force at work in Esmeralda’s costume; the 1920’s.

Esmeralda’s costume has a more shapeless silhouette, long beaded necklaces and the sleeves look straighter and look more like modern t-shirt.

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame

However Esmeralda’s prison dress and her robe look more like a product of the 20’s. Her prison dress has a shapeless silhouette and the way it cinches in at the waist and puffs over is very 20s. Plus the short hemline. Hemlines that hit mid-calf was the style in 1923 for hem.

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame

However the robe is the worse offender of Esmeralda’s costumes. In a deleted scene from the movie, Quasimodo trades candles for clothing for Esmeralda to wear. He gets a robe or a “dressing gown” that has a fur trim and looks to be made of velvet with a satin belt.

Number 1; robes didn’t not exist at this time in Europe.. Robe/dressing gown came in to fashion in the 18th century  because orientism was fashionable. Number 2; given the materials, fur, satin and velvet, it’s doubtful that a mere chest of candles could be traded for a garment made from these materials. Beside those  issues, the robe features  the signature 1923 hemline and the shoes. The shoes that Esmeralda wears with the robe are flats with a flower detail. Clearly not shoes wore in the middle ages.

Eulalie Jenson as Marie 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Eulalie Jenson as Marie 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame

However the worse offender of the 1920 style in a costume is Marie’s. Marie is Clopin’s wife. Marie actually has two costumes but they’re very similar.  Both are very shapeless dresses that flattened out her chest which is  the classic 1920 silhouette.

Eulalie Jenson as Marie 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Eulalie Jenson as Marie 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame

One  has almost kimono-esque sleeves that have a scallops detail at the edge. Both hemlines hit at the ankles but one it’s a handkerchief hem, so the longest point hit the ankle.

Handkerchief hems were popular in the 1910-1920’s and it was seen in Ancient Greece.  While it was used in Antiquity it was not at all popular in 1482. The other one is pointed with a scallop edge which makes it appear shorter. While Esmeralda’s costumes harken to the 20’s, Marie’s flaunts it to the point that it looks really out of place.

Eulalie Jenson as Marie 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Eulalie Jenson as Marie 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame

The costumes are appropriately medieval for the men and the women’s costumes are mixed with the style of the 1920 to make they look more stylish regardless of period appropriateness.

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame

Pictures came from the Philip J Riley Book

Next Time – The Sets

Notre Dame de Paris set from the 1923 version of Hunchback picture image

Notre Dame de Paris Set from the 1923 version of Hunchback

Ab fab or Absolutely Fabulous is one of my favorite television shows ever. It’s a comedy show from England. It’s about two middle-aged  women who think they are hip and trendy. And the main character’s daughter is their unfashionable, mature foil. The show is very funny and blends physical comedy with wit.

Anyway in season 4 episode 3, entitled Paris, they all go to Paris and there is a reference to Notre Dame de Paris the musical albeit, the London cast.

Watch the video for the full reference. Enjoy