It’s Cyber Monday, a day where people buy stuff online, like Hunchback stuff;
Season 2 episode 10 of The Nanny entitled “The Whine Cellar” has a Hunchback reference. Fran Fine is throwing a party for her mother and when Margaret asks if they’ll be any boys her age there, Fran’s mother suggests they set her up with Cousin Irving who is “a nice boy with a wonderful personality.” Fran retorts with ” is he still ringing the bell at Notre dame?”
Watch the full episode here, reference starts at 1:42.
The 1923 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is fondly remember for launching Lon Chaney’s career and for helping to change the way films were made but the movie is viewed with rose-colored glasses. Viewers often watch this movie as the First major Hunchback movie, as a classic universal monster movie or as Lon Chaney’s star vehicle. Judging by the audio commentator of the DVD this film gets critical pass but the movie is on the boring side and none of the character are fleshed out. It’s just dull on the story front. Speaking on the DVD commentary or in this case the Audio Essay (*cough* Pretentious *cough*), while there is a lot of good information the guy (Michael F. Blake) can not pronounce Quasimodo, Esmeralda or Phoebus. He says Quasimodo like Qua-SAY-Mo-do and Esmeralda like Esme-RAUL-da and really murders Phoebus’ name.
If your interested the DVD comes with ;
– Optional audio essay by Michael F. Blake
– Lon Chaney on the set
– Alias and Alack (excerpt)
– Gallery of promotional shots and advertising material
– 20-page liner notes booklet with images featuring essay and reproduction of original souvenir program.
– And 3-D Glasses with no earpiece so you can’t keep it on. It’s for the Gallery of 3-D stills.They 3d enough just to make you feel slightly dizzy.
Click here to get the DVD along with all these features
Now let’s move anyway from the super remembered 1923 version to the not at all remember Jetlag version. With a studio name like that they have to put out high quality cartoons that are exciting, right?
Oh….. well Next time the Jetlag version (which was selected by a vote)
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”
Disney started releasing Direct to video(DVD) movies in 1994 with The Return of Jafar. Disney continued to bastardized their theatrical releases till 2007 with a prequel to The Little Mermaid called Ariel’s Beginning. Since then they just release TinkerBell movies.
A handful of the film are decent but many are just crap including the March 19 2002 release of the sequel of The Hunchback of Notre Dame . It features some of the same characters (excluding Frollo because if got lucky and was killed off in the first film). Quasimodo, Clopin, Esmeralda, Phoebus, Djali, Achilles and the annoying ones are back in drab colors but with the original voice actors. There also three new dull as toast characters. Plus shit for music, art design and animation.
If you haven’t figured out it I think this movie is crap.
Next Time – The Crapastic Plot
All in all Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame is good movie. Is it the best Hunchback adaptation? No, but it’s far from the worst. It’s kind of the worst of best and best of worst. I think when it comes down to it to fully appreciate this movie, just forget everything you know about the original novel. They are two different stories. The best thing about the Disney version is at least it introduced people to the story and gets people to want to read even if it just to find how divergent Disney is from Victor Hugo.
Another good point is Frollo, who is one the best Disney villain. The worst part are those horrible, insipid gargoyles. They were not funny and they were weak. But at least they are worst part that is associated with Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame. I mean it’s not like they did one of those Direct to DVD sequels with Hunchback. They gave the movie some dignity.
Damn. they did! Well it is Disney after all….
Next Time – Hunchback of Notre Dame II; The Quest for More Money or as my computer labels it “Tambourine”