Secret of the Hunchback the Priests: 90% Nice & 10% Sassy

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The Archdeacon and Brother Labas with Baby Quasimodo The Secret of the Hunchback picture image

The Archdeacon and Brother Labas with Baby Quasimodo

The Priests a.k.a unnamed Archdeacon and brother Labas (not sure of spelling), are the only people who appear to work at Notre Dame and are Quasimodo’s care givers. This means that Quasimodo has two dads.

Both of them fulfill the role of Frollo’s parental/priest roles from the book, though why there are two of them, I couldn’t tell you. If I had to venture a guess I would say it was more for comedy. The Archdeacon is more the less the straight-man to Lebas, though the aren’t exactly funny, except for the scene where Frollo is threatening the church for shinies. Other than that there was no need for Brother Lebas.

They aren’t wholly nice as they don’t give in to Frollo and the Archdeacon saves himself when he is arrested. For their roles they are fine, they are not the annoying and they don’t get in the way despite Brother Lebas being a superfluous character.

 

 

The Phantom of the Opera 1987 Cartoon

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1987 Animated cartoon Phantom of the Opera picture image

Erik, 1987 Animated cartoon Phantom of the Opera

That’s Right, my friends, In 1987 Emerald City Production made a straight to Video animated version of Phantom of the Opera riding the coat-tails of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. It’s a really good thing Disney didn’t make a Phantom in the mid-90’s because otherwise we would have gotten stuff on the line with all Hunchback knock-offs. Can you imagine a version of Phantom were he isn’t ugly, oh wait, they already did that (sort of), but enough about that, how is the animated version?

Compared to all the other versions, this version follows the book albeit really simplified, is about 40 minutes long. The character does have much development or even interest BUT Erik does get his redemptions and dies after Christine kisses him.  Though instead of just a straight-up broken heart, he plays his organ in such a way that it makes the ceiling fall and crush him.

Also this version on the technical end of this is terrible. It’s cleared they had no budget. They is A TON of receptive animation and the movement on the character is so wooden that actually wood would have moved better. That being said I would rather watch this than the majority of the Hunchback knock-offs because this version of Phantom doesn’t speak down to it’s audience.

 

It’s a cheap yet by the book versions of Phantom. Would I recommend it? If you’re a fan of the book yeah but otherwise meh. It’s not a good version but nor is so bad that one should experience.   Though it the most accurate version to Leroux’s novel.

 

A Cinderella Story Review; These kids have weak insult skills.

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A Cinderella Story 2004 picture image

A Cinderella Story

A Cinderella Story is a by the book modern telling of Cinderella. It used to be a guilty-pleasure of mine. I know it’s dumb, cliched and very early 2000’s but really there something clumsy and likable about it that I don’t dislike it,  I don’t it but this shit could be so much worst.

Hilary Duff as Sam & Chad Michael Murray as Austin A Cinderella Story 2004 picture image

Hilary Duff as Sam & Chad Michael Murray as Austin

Story follows smart, down-earth Cinderella named Samantha in this movie. Of Course, in the  trope of making her “likable,” Sam is more “guyish” as she doesn’t like fashion or girly stuff like her arch-rival, the popular bitchy mean girls, who prefer rice crackers to big macs. Anyway, she has the world bestest childhood evar, till her dad remarries and dies. She the does chores and works at a diner so she can go to Princeton, which is why she stays the awful people. Through a chat she meets the Prince character  who is the popular guy at her high school. He plays  football but also likes Lord Alfred Tennyson because it’s he is less well known than Shakespeare.  Also her mean nickname is Diner Girl, real clever kids.

It’s pretty by the book, you have the godmother, who is Sam’s kick-ass manager, a cell phone fills in as the slipper. And instead of getting “married‘ they both go off to New Jersey.

Hilary Duff as Sam and Regina King as Rhonda A Cinderella Story 2004 picture image

Hilary Duff as Sam & Regina King as Rhonda

I think the real reason I don’t dislike this movie as much as I probably know it, is the supporting cast sells the movie more than the leads. Like everyone but the leads are making the cast work, maybe because they don’t need to be likable and perfects and since Sam and Austin are bland and boring, there is nothing to work with for characterizations.  But methinks Duff isn’t the most talent actress and a better actress could have made the dialogue more natural sounding.

Jennifer Coolidge as Fiona, Madeline Zima as Brianna, & Andrea Avery as Gabriella A Cinderella Story 2004 picture image

Jennifer Coolidge as Fiona, Madeline Zima as Brianna, & Andrea Avery as Gabriella

The Technicals aren’t specials in any way. They feel a lot like Ella Enchanted with the cheesy styling. The camera work and editing is very basic. There isn’t much to it. This movie also seems to be ad for it’s soundtrack.

Hilary Duff as Sam & Dan Byrd as Carter A Cinderella Story 2004 picture image

Hilary Duff as Sam & Dan Byrd as Carter

A Cinderella Story is like sugar-water, it’s too sweet, sappy and doesn’t have any substance but more or less harmless. I wish I disliked more.

This movie like next week’s movie has a be your self theme, which is trite and has been done a billion times because it’s easy yet seemingly genuine, very basic.

 

Rin Plays Hunchback Of Notre Dame Games

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Happy Feast of Fools Day!

Today we have a Let’s Play video from Rin. There are lots games. Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuMHcGvHJd4

Rin has lots of Hunchback videos so be sure to subscribe, I did!

Secret of the Hunchback Goons; 50% Bad Guys & 50% Evil Minions

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Esmeralda and friends The Secret of the Hunchback picture image

Esmeralda and friends

Instead of having a Clopin character or even a desginated Court of Miracles, The Secret of the Hunchback with have three thieves/entertainers that Esmeralda hangs out with and whom she doesn’t seem to care. First we have the leader, who doesn’t have a name, a dumb fat one who is named Andre and the other one. Basically they steal and get into Lord Frollo’s gang. Frollo has them do his dirty work like kidnap Quasimodo and then has them pose as the Archdeacon.

As Far as personalities go, they are goofy and not to nice. They like stealing and work under Frollo do to him threatening them and Esmeralda. But they don’t have any sense of a moral compass, so they don’t mind doing Frollo’s work.

They do add a little bit to Esmeralda’s character, as she doesn’t like all the stealing but we don’t know how or why Esmeralda fell in with them, so it doesn’t REALLY all that much. Really these character are more for silly bad comic relief like Frollo’s other minion, who is really a Le Fou Rip-off.

Next Time – The Priests

The Archdeacon and Brother Labas with Baby Quasimodo The Secret of the Hunchback picture image

The Archdeacon and Brother Labas with Baby Quasimodo

 

The Phantom of the Opera 1925

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Lon Chaney as Erik, the Phantom and Mary Philbin as Christine Daae Phantom of the Opera, Picture image

Lon Chaney as Erik, the Phantom and Mary Philbin as Christine Daae

Despite what some people think, the 1925 version of  The Phantom of the Opera is not the first film version. There was an earlier one that now lost. This version was also reissused in  1929.

Of all the movie versions of Phantom this one is the most culturally ingrained and till Webber’s musical is one of the more seminal versions of Leroux book. It was a landmark film not only for the Universal Monster genre but sets and make-up. Like in The Hunchback of Notre Dame two years earlier, Lon Chaney did his own make-up and it was a real set-up from Quasimodo. People were terrified of Chaney’s Erik. But also the look and mood of the movie is great.

As far as the movie goes as adaptation of the novel it follows short, especially of how it COULD have been. Number one, the characters are all pretty darn simplistic. Erik just comes off as crazy; albeit with dramatic crazy in love but it doesn’t go as deep as in the book. He doesn’t even get the redemption that makes him a bittersweet figure.

Raoul is also different. He is not the whining stalker he is in the novel but more dashing and the typical lead of the time. He is also played by Norman Kerry who played Phoebus in the 1923 version. Mary Philbin’s Christine is one point but again she not a wish-washy as she is the book.

For the most part, scene per scene, beat by beat the movie plays out close to the book while streamline things that is TILL the ending. In this movie Christine agrees to marry Erik and instead of him dying a alone of a broken-hearted, he grabs Christine and is chased and killed by a mob. Which is ridiculous. Chaney didn’t care for this ending but it tested better with audiences. The original ending that was shot, is more faithful, with Erik’s redemption of letting Christine go and dying at his organ.  They also shot the scene where Erik plays the violin at the graveyard. So the movie could have been more like the book. Though the chase does go by Notre Dame.

All in all, the 1925 isn’t a bad movie and is a fairly good version of book. But I would say watch it more for this movie’s importance and not for the story and the characters.

 

 

 

New Years Resolutions for 2016

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Well this has been a thing for the last few years so why stop now?

Quasimodo – Start Online Dating.
Esmeralda – Start a Youtube Channel dedicated to dancing, being wonderful, and all things pretty.
Frollo – Stalk her more through Social Media!
Phoebus – Join Tinder,
Gringoire – Start a VlOG channel dedicate to my genius and poetic proses!
Clopin –  Start an Internet Scams.
Fleur de Lys – Start a Youtube Channel  about how to be fashionable, graceful and the classiest way to break up with men who are scum.
Jehan – Learn how to get money with no work or effort.
Djali –  Learn Python.
Sister Gudule –  Post more pictures of my baby on Facebook.
Notre Dame –  Join Myspace

 

 

Past Years ;

https://www.thehunchblog.com/2015/01/2015-hunchback-new-year-resolutions/
https://www.thehunchblog.com/2014/01/hunchback-resolutions-2014/
https://www.thehunchblog.com/2013/01/new-years-resolution/

Hunchback News of 2015

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There has actually been some decent amount of Hunchback related stuff that popped up in 2015 opposed the last few years where there has been much other that Josh Brolin popping up to say something about his movie that will never be I’m guessing.

So 2015 started off with the sad news. On October 24th 2015 Maureen O’Hara, who played Esmeralda in the 1939 movie version of Hunchback passed away at the age of  95.  The 1939 version is considered to be one of the best Hunchback version. It was also O’Hara’s American debut.

Musicals next; The Notre Dame de Paris 10 year anniversary tour in Korea which was French language. Notre Dame de Paris in Asian isn’t anything new but this was the first time in a while for a French Production to be presented.  There also a new Italian cast the uses member from the original cast. But that is set not next year, but this cast has been catching my attention and just recently did that cast come out so yeah, I’m including it here.

There was also the Disney Hunchback musical at the Paper mills Play house in March and April. Since it didn’t go to broadway there will more local productions so keep an ear out if one should be performed near you and it still might go to broadway someday, never say die. Also the cast recording of the Paper Mills and Lo Jolla casting is coming out next month so preorder here.

Also in April, Josh Groban did a cover of Le Temps de Cathedral on his Stages album. I wouldn’t say it did much to help Notre Dame de Paris’ popularity but people who didn’t know might have heard it so that is great.

Let’s what else. Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling named their baby Esmeralda which they directly sited Hunchback as being a favorite novel of their. First is a little funning because I a while ago I was looking up Celebrities and their favorite books and Hunchback never came up. Les Mis did. I sort of abandoned the idea due to how pretentious and/or how self severing their picks were, so I’m glad some actors liked the book.

But the BIGGEST news of the year is that there are 2, not one but 2 Hunchback movies in the works. One has been in the works for a while and is a independent movie from some actor who was in the second Sex and the City movie, Max Ryan. This version I don’t even know what to say. Everyt ime I try to make sense of it I’m reminded that there is a giant and a figment in the cast list and The Mask directors is going to direct so my expectations for this movie are low to hoping ti hilariously bad, but we’ll see maybe we’ll be surprised and it will be a really good version. Strangers things happen.

The second movie seems to be an off-shot of an idea for Once Upon a Time from 2013, a movie for Esmeralda’s POV, which I’m excited about. There hasn’t been a Esmeralda centric Hunchback version since the 1950’s and that was mostly a French movie. For Hollywood there has been a Hunchback version focusing on Esmeralda since Theda Bara’s 1917 movie The Darling of Paris. Not much is known about this movie other than it’s being spearhead by Peter Cherin and will focus on Esmeralda. I hope this movie is good and happens, you never know with movies.

Let’s hope 2016 has more Hunchback stuff!