Today Fan-art is by clayangel. It’s an adorable drawing of Gringoire and Djali.   I love that Djali and Gringoire got away to together end and had a happy ending unlike anyone else.

True Love by Clayangel

True Love by Clayangel

http://clayangel.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24#/d1lg9el

Esmeraldas of Hunchback of Notre Dame Miller, O'Hara, Lollobrigida, Down, Disney, Hayek, Segara, Thierry, Enchanted Tales

Miller, O’Hara, Lollobrigida, Down, Disney, Hayek, Segara, Thierry, Enchanted Tales

 

What Hunchback version is your favorite?

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The 1923 version of Hunchback is brimming with glorified extras. So let’s just take a moment to recognize them and their contribution to this movie.

In order of billing in the little booklet that comes with the Ultimate Edition DVD

Madame de Gondelaurier (Kate Lester) Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Madame de Gondelaurier (Kate Lester)
Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923

Madame de Gondelaurier (Kate Lester) – As Fleur de Lys’ aunt, she is Phoebus’ future aunt-in-law. She throws Phoebus a gala ball for his promotion where Phoebus declares his undying devotion for Esmeralda. But instead of casting Phoebus out she lets him stay and takes care of him when he is wounded and depressed. What a lovely door-mat she is.

Louis XI (Tully Marshall) Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Louis XI (Tully Marshall)
Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923

Louis XI (Tully Marshall) – Unlike the Louis in the 1939 version this Louis is cold and unfeeling. The only thing he does is confers a promotion on Phoebus and remarks on the rabble.

Monsieur Neufchatel (Harry Von Meter ) Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Monsieur Neufchatel (Harry Von Meter )
Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923

Monsieur Neufchatel (Harry Von Meter Harry L. Van Meter ) – This guy is like the second most important character in Notre Dame. Really the movie should have been called “The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Monsieur Neufchatel.”

Actually he is just Phoebus’ soldier friend. The most memorable this he does is tell Phoebus they have to go back to the barrack, and he gets a billing for that.

(behind the scenes fun- I had to search through the script which is in  Philip Riley book
to find this characters because the movie never says his name and the commentary was no help.

Marie; Queen of the Gypsies (Eulalie Jenson) Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Marie; Queen of the Gypsies (Eulalie Jenson) Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923

Marie; Queen of the Gypsies (Eulalie Jenson) – She is Clopin wife and a mother figure to Esmeralda, that is all. She does try to stand up to Clopin in support of Esmeralda’s affections of Phoebus but to no avail.

Fleur de Lys (Winifred Bryson) Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Fleur de Lys (Winifred Bryson) Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923

Fleur de Lys (Winifred Bryson) – Phoebus’ lovely fiancee who knows he is a ladies man but loves him anyway. Phoebus doesn’t feel much for her but she still takes care of him when he is wounded and depressed. But Phoebus doesn’t care and runs off with Esmeralda. That jerk.

Next Time – Performances

Jehan 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame Brandon Hurst picture image

Black Cloak held up to the eyes, Classic Evil Acting

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8RNMhXr2BE

Sung by Hosaka Chizu who is a musical singer.

 

Notre Dame de Paris 2012-2013 Tour picture image

Notre Dame de Paris 2012-2013 Tour

Good News! The English World Tour of Notre Dame de Paris has dates in Russia. It premires October 31 2012 the Crocus City Hall and lasts till November 4th.

When I hear more on dates and locations I’ll post them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2FLMZrXrng

Crocus City Hall 

General Entertainment Associates

 

Frollo is a Ladies' Man Hunchback of Notre Dame disney

Frollo is a Ladies’ Man

(based on the wonderful book)

  1.  Stalk her
  2. Insult her in public
  3. Accuse her of a crime that you committed
  4. Condemn her to die
  5. When she is in jail, confess your feeling but remember don’t let her talk
  6. Proposition her for sex
  7. Try to force yourself on her
  8. Give her an ultimatum; The tomb of your Bed
  9. If all else fails, weep like a child
  10. But most importantly be Persistent

 

Follow these 10 easy steps and the women will be your’s or dead, but if you can’t have her no should.

(Behind the scene factoid – The chocolates that Frollo is “holding” are Ghirardelli Valentine’s Chocolate Squares,  however I changed name of to “Gobbo” which is Italian for Hunchback)

Now I’m actually not the biggest fan of the most recent Italian cast of Notre Dame de Paris. I’ll get more in that another time when I actully start reviewing Notre Dame de Paris in earnest. However I will say this, while I’m not of fan of how the La Monture (La Cavalcatura) sequence was re-stage to make Fleur de Lys use her sexuality to get Phoebus to ensure the death a girl who is already condemned, I really do enjoy Serena Rizzetto performance. She is probably my favorite Italian Fiodaliso and I think she is better singer than either of the Esmeralda in this cast, but that is just my opinion.

 

Today’s Fan-Art is by Nezma and it was inspired by the song Temps des Cathedrales from Notre Dame de Paris. Not only is this a beautiful work of art, it really captures the mood of the song perfectly.

Temps des Cathedrales by Nezma

Temps des Cathedrales by Nezma

Be sure to visit Nezma ‘s devianart page and check out her check out her art blog!

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923

In my Gringoire review, I said that the 1923 version of Hunchback adhere too much to the book that is it is detrimental to the film  and while it’s true with Gringoire, it’s even more true with the addition of Sister Gudule. Her being in this movie makes not sense to anything and it doesn’t add anything to the story.

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) with young Esmeralda Hunchback Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) with young Esmeralda Hunchback Notre Dame 1923

 

Ok, if you have read the book you would know who Gudule is. She is Esmeralda’s biological mother and is a french women from Rheims. She is in very few versions of Hunchback since she takes some of Esmeralda’s mystery away. However, in the story Gudule is part of the whole dark/tragic destiny theme. In the 1923 version she adds nothing.

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) showing the necklace to Esmeralda Hunchback Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) showing the necklace to Esmeralda Hunchback Notre Dame 1923

So what does Sister Gudule do in this movie apart from nothing?  Like in the book she is a recluse who lives in a basement. She hates Esmeralda and yells at her through a window. Shortly after she is introduced we’re are given her backstory about how her beloved little daughter was stolen by gypsies and how she prays for her child’s return while her child’s little shoe to comfort her. Unlike in the book, Gudule was a noble and gave Esmeralda a necklace which Esmeralda still wears. So Esmeralda is really a noble this whole time.

 

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923

The next time we see her she is yelling at Esmeralda while Quasimodo is being whipped and we see Esmeralda is afraid of her. She tells Esmeralda that she should be whip instead of Quasimodo.

 

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923

 

The last time we Gudule is when Esmeralda is being taken to be hanged. She runs up to the wagon and grabs her and manages to pull of Esmeralda’s necklace. She then realizes that it is the same necklace and instead of thinking that the gypsies stole off her daughter and gave it to another little girl she just happens to know that Esmeralda is her daughter. She tries to help by walking a few paces but then dies. And that’s it.

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923

The mere fact that Esmeralda is never made aware of  her mother makes Gudule pointless to  the story. It’s all build up for a necklace and a scene where a woman dies. More than that Gudule scenes can be edited out so easily. If you look at the Gudule part during the pillory scene, Esmeralda walks in and Gudule yell at  her. Esmeralda walks off in a panic but in the very next shot Esmeralda is calm, like whole interaction never occurred. Maybe Gudule yelling made her empathic to Quasimodo but she was empathic already as evident by her saving Gringoire.

 

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923

So she does nothing. She just pads out the movies. If the movie had a more tragic tone she might have worked but the movie isn’t tragic. To be fair maybe in 1923 this film was a considered a tragedy which would justify Gudule but it’s also considered a horror so  I guess this movie has some genre confusion. Either way Gudule was wasted.

 

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Sister Gudule (Gladys Brockwell) Hunchback Notre Dame 1923

Next Time; The Others

Fleur de Lys (Winifred Bryson) Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 picture image

Fleur de Lys (Winifred Bryson) Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923

Richard Armitage picture image

Richard Armitage

As a possible movie (or mini-series) Frollo I would suggest Richard Armitage for the role. While Armiatge is younger and more attractive than Frollo is meant to be, he has a talent for playing brooding and complex characters.

Richard Armitage as John Thornton from the BBC of North & South picture image

Richard Armitage as John Thornton from the BBC of North & South

Armitage’s biggest roles have been playing John Thornton in the 2004 BBC version of North & South (which is one the best period pieces I ever seen), Guy of Gisborne in the BBC version of Robin Hood (which was a fun series), and he playing Thorin Oakenshield in the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.

Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne from the BBC version of Robin Hood picture image

Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne from the BBC version of Robin Hood

Armitage is a very versatile actor. I think he pull off the descent into insanity very effectively. I know Armitage could give Frollo the complexity he has in the book but is lacking from other film versions.

Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield from The Hobbit picture image

Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield from The Hobbit

As for his looks, yeah Armitage would be a handsomer and younger Frollo but his looks work with the character. He is tall and lean which would enhance Frollo’s austere look. With the right costume and make-up he could be made up to look like the ideal Frollo.

Richard Armitage picture image

Richard Armitage

Tell me what do you think. Do you like Richard Armitage would make a good Frollo or do someone else is the perfect Frollo?

Bonus – Armitage was also in Captain America as Heinz Kruger and in Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace as Naboo Fighter Pilot (he was uncredited)

Richard Armitage as Heinz Kruger in Captain America picture image

Richard Armitage as Heinz Kruger in Captain America

Richard Armitage as a Naboo Fighter Pilot with Natalie Portman as Padme Amidala Star Wars; The Phantom Menace Episode I Picture image

Richard Armitage as a Naboo Fighter Pilot Star Wars; The Phantom Menace