Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) dances, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) dances, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame

The 1956 version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame is a disappointment. It had a great set-up with its concept making a Hunchback movie that was almost accurate to the book. We had Ananke as a theme, Frollo is a Priest, Esmeralda dying and the Quasimodo lying down beside Esmeralda to die at the end.

The Ending of the 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame , picture image

The Ending of the 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame

But the movie is plagued by bad execution on almost everything. The actors seem to be not into it, the script boring, the music is nonexistent, the camera work in a sea of flat angles, it lacks directional style, the set are fake looking , etc.

Frollo (Alain Cuny) and Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida), 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame, picture image

Frollo (Alain Cuny) and Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida), 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame

This is a seems to be a problem with Hunchback movie. Either you get a movie that is really good but way off from the book OR you get something that is really close to the book but the execution sucks. I think this film has a fair regard with some Hunchback fans because of its accuracies but give them a well executed movie that is also accurate to the book and this version fade from memory.

Anaykh craved on the wall, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Anaykh craved on the wall, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame

Next Time – we’re going to look at the Wishbone version

Wishbone as Quasimodo, picture image

Wishbone as Quasimodo

The last time I spoke about the movie Hotel Transylvania I admitted I hadn’t seen it (read here). But now I have. So I took the time out my busy schedule of sitting down to sit down and watch this movie.

Hotel Transylvania picture image

Hotel Transylvania

So the movie of a whole was “meh-to-bad.”  It’s a pretty standard premise and homaging the universal monsters isn’t a new thing. Plus humans in the monster world isn’t anything new The pop-cultural reference were very annoying but I did enjoy the atmosphere.  BUT we’re here to talk about Quasimodo and his depicted in this film or lack there of.

Quasimodo & Esmeralda from Hotel Transylvania Game picture image

Quasimodo & Esmeralda from Hotel Transylvania Game

So after I watched Hotel Transylvania and re-reading my previous post I will say I was wrong. Esmeralda is a mouse. She is not a rat. I’m sorry.

Quasimodo in Hotel Transylvania picture image

Quasimodo in Hotel Transylvania

However Quasimodo’s depiction is just really mind boggling. First he’s the key antagonist as he gives Jonathan, the token human, the out. But why? Why is Quasimodo even at the hotel. Why is he a chef? Why does he want to eat a human? So since Quasimodo is a human himself he has cannibal tendencies? I still see this role as a plug in. They had a a villain chef who has a mouse to copy Ratatouille and they needed one of the Monsters to fill in  and since who ever wrote this didn’t care much for the source materials, as none of the monster  bare much in common with their original movies, the just used Quasimodo as he is French and French chef is a nice little trope. From there the just gave him acrobatics to do since it looks cool. Really, the most Quasimodo-ish thing he does is he kidnaps someone but that is it.

Not-Quasimodo Wilson, Jonathan the Human and Adam Sandler Hotel Transylvania picture image

Not-Quasimodo Wilson, Jonathan the Human and Adam Sandler Hotel Transylvania

Now I had read that they designed the Monsters after the people voicing them. But Quasimodo doesn’t look much like Jon Lovitz nor does he look like Quaismodo. I mean sure he has a hunch and one eye is slightly smaller but geez is this most bland Quasimodo depiction. Quasimodo is his look you can’t separate that accept out. The legging and shoes look the most like Quasimodo and that is because they copy that from the Disney movie.

Art of Quasimodo, Esmeralda the Rat and Jonathan by Pete Oswald Hotel Transylvania picture image

Art of Quasimodo, Esmeralda the Mouse and Jonathan by Pete Oswald Hotel Transylvania

I won’t say that this couldn’t have worked. Had Quasimodo made a villain speech about how he was cast out his beloved home after the love of his life left and he found comfort in cooking and meet his pet mouse.  Or had he just called the kitchen his “Sanctuary” it would have been something. With references to original character instead nothing it would have better but instead of paying  homage the Universal Monsters which was kind of the point  the movies  references to LMFAO and other insipid pop-culture stuff. But that is the main problem with the movie it doesn’t have any character development except Dracula who has to learn to let his child go which same lesson as King Triton in The Little Mermaid.  The movie is more concerned with trying to convince its audience that’s its fun instead of having fun characters.

Also Why Wilson? Why is that his last name? Is it because all the monsters got normal names?  I mean he didn’t need a last name only Mavis got a last name. But why Wilson ? It doesn’t make sense and it’s not silly. So why????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnsT4ACzyKE

This version was performed in 2010 and 2011 (I think). This video is an interview a few clips of the cast rehearsing.

Cast:
Quasimodo – Marcin KoÅ‚aczkowski
Esmeralda – Edyta KrzemieÅ„
Gringoire- Michał Rudaś
Febus – Janusz KruciÅ„ski
Clopin – Marcin MroziÅ„ski
Frollo – PaweÅ‚ Tucholski
Fleur de Lys – Patricia Kazadi

 

A brief Hunchback of Notre Dame reference that may  go unnoticed is in the 1999 film Runaway Bride.

 

Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts) rings a church bell, Runaway Bride, Picture image

Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts) rings a church bell, Runaway Bride

During Maggie Carpenter’s (Julia Roberts) wedding rehearsal rings the church bell to which  Ike Graham says “Sanctuary.” Twice!

 

Ike Graham (Richard Gere) says "Sanctuary," Runaway Bride picture image

Ike Graham (Richard Gere) says “Sanctuary,” Runaway Bride

A mixed-up reference as Quasimodo don’t say Sanctuary when he is ringing the bells but whatever. Bells and uttering “Sanctuary” is a recipe for a Quasimodo reference.

This one mistake I have noticed, I’m sure there is more. This occurs during the attack on Notre Dame at about the 1 hour 39 minute mark in the version English. Esmeralda is sitting in her room and she hears the attack and goes to check it out. Between her hearing the attack and leaving her room she changes her costume.

Long Shot of Esmeralda wearing a second white chemise, 1956  The Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

Long Shot of Esmeralda wearing a second white chemise, 1956 The Hunchback of Notre Dame

In the long shot on Esmeralda in her room she wearing a white chemise with short sleeves and a rope tied around her bodice. It has a Grecian vibe. However in the very next shot she is back in her normal long sleeve white chemise.

The shot after the long shot and Esmeralda is back in her standard white chemise, 1956 The Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

The shot after the long shot and Esmeralda is back in her standard white chemise, 1956 The Hunchback of Notre Dame

It’s jarring but not a big deal but this means there is another costume that they either cut or the replaced. Which costume do you prefer. I like the style of the mistake costume but her standard one is more in keeping with novel.

Next 1956 post- Conclusion

Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida), 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida), 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame

From this you can get the scope the of the first act. The sets are very well done with lots of levels. I will say I’m a bit disappointed in the costumes but this production has lot of people to dress and chorus and dancer I’m sure have several costume changes so I’m will let that go.

This really does seem like an English version of Der Glockner von Notre Dame.  They have Zuflcht (Sanctuary), Hoch uber der Welf (High above the World), and Esmeralda. I can’t help wondering what changes were made from Glockner to this musical version  as this show was called collaboration between the school and Disney. So I while I’m not against an straight version I do hope that this version has its own spin to it.