I don’t really enjoy the singing or the performance that much, Tony Jay is just infinitely cooler as Frollo (see I did a thing there). However I enjoy the lyric (here is another video with the French lyrics and translation) Then I had a thought, how cool would it be if Daniel Lavoie (Frollo in Notre Dame de Paris) sang a cover of Hellfire in either English or French? That would be sooo awesome ^^ Anyway enjoy “Infernal”
Follow thehunchblogThis is my 300th post. Enjoy this humble comic in honor of it entitled Frollo and the Forbidden Fruit.
Frollo and the Forbidden Fruit
Comic made me.
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Don’t let the title fool you, Princess Tutu 
The Spider and the Butterfly caught in the web
The first is to Frollo’s imagery of the fly and the spider both caught in the web (though it;s a butterfly here). While I don’t believe this imaginary to be native to Hugo but he made it well known. Though to be fair this reference comes a promo trailer for Princess Tutu which you can watch here. But moreover Princess Tutu also deals with the characters fighting cruel fates and although this contrasts with Hunchback where the characters give in to fate I thought it was worth a mention.
Mute and the Willis Princess Tutu
The second reference is to the Ballet Giselle. Like I said Princess Tutu uses ballets for the basis of episode’s story lines and the show does this really well. Episode 4 uses the Giselle as story reference. The story of Giselle uses Hugo’s poem Fantômes as one of its’ inspiration for the. The ghostly dancer or Willis are from Fantômes. In Fantômes a girl dances to death but if you read the poem which was published before Hunchback you would see a proto Esmeralda. For instance in the poem there is a young Spanish girl who is 15 years old and enjoys dancing. Hugo likens her to a bumblebee and she too wear s blue with spangles.
You can read Fantômes in french here (I used Google Translate)
I realize these references are a bit of stretch so thank you for indulging me.
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Gringoire (Raymond Hatton) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Gringoire wears many hats in the realm of Hunchback adaptations. Sometimes he the hero, sometimes the narrator, sometimes he is the comic relief and sometimes he is not even there. In the 1923 version in addition to being comic relief, Gringoire is Phoebus’s side kick. That’s right in order to justify Gringoire being in the movie they made him more or less Phoebus’ sidekick. As Gringoire spends more screen time with Phoebus and doesn’t even speak to Esmeralda.
Gringoire (Raymond Hatton) & Phoebus (Norman Kerry) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Gringoire’s only function in the movie is acting as a liaison between Phoebus and Esmeralda. Gringoire’s introduction is thrown in during the feast of Fools and all he really does is make does reaction shots to Quasimodo. The next time we see him is when he gets in trouble with the Court of Miracles. In this version no marriage takes place instead Esmeralda orders the Court to let him go. After that Gringoire starts acting as the middle man for Esmeralda and Phoebus. In one scene he delivers a message to Phoebus from Esmeralda. Phoebus then awards him with food but Phoebus’ constant joy keeps preventing Gringoire from eating. The scene is enjoyable and funny and it is unfortunately Grigoire most memorable scene. After that he tells Phoebus Esmeralda is in Notre Dame and didn’t hang and we see him at the end where is happy that everything worked out for the lovers.
Gringoire (Raymond Hatton) & Phoebus (Norman Kerry) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Beyond his comic/sidekick role, Gringoire doesn’t have much of personality. He is a poet, he likes food and hates to die. So I guess in this capacity he like the book version. Unfortunately I think this role could have been easy removed from the movie. If there is no marriage their is little point to the Court of Miracle scene. That scene and Gringoire were only in the movie because they tried very hard to maintain the book and even when the movie went in a different direction they still tried and still and more less failed.
Gringoire (Raymond Hatton) & Dom Claude (Nigel de Brulier) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
If Gringoire wasn’t Phoebus‘ sidekick there would be nothing for him to do and the movie tries to keep almost detrimentally close to the book. The film good have eliminated him and it really wouldn’t have made much of a difference.
Gringoire (Raymond Hatton) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Next Time – Dom Claude
Dom Claude (Nigel de Brulier) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Josh Brolin Interview for Men in Black
While promoting Men in Black III, Josh Brolin gave a short interview for Collider.com. The last question was about the upcoming Hunchback movie. He seems very excited about the project and thinks that filming will take place in either France or England. While I’m all about filming on location, Hunchback films are better when filmed on a set. Sets enable the production to create a more accurate Notre Dame as it looked in the 15th century. Both the 1923 and the 1939 were films on sets and they had amazing set design. Also regardless of enthusiasm, I don’t see Brolin as Quasimodo. He just seems wrong in type. While I want to say I’ll hold off judgement till I at least see a trailer, I probably won’t. I will say this though, if Megan Fox comes anywhere near this project I will boycott it.
What do you think; Josh Brolin as Quasimodo, Yay or Nay?
Follow thehunchblogHe Rings the Bells by Day and deals with Aliens by Night
Quasimodo, Hunchback in Black
He is Quasimodo, The Hunchback of The Men in Black
Follow thehunchbloghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJCkYF7qQKY
As fan of Hellfire and the Phantom of the Opera this video fills me with joy. I also think that the Phantom is more like Frollo than Quasimodo but that is an article for another day.
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Phoebus (Norman Kerry) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Phoebus in the 1923 version of The Hunchback Notre dame is one of the few Phoebus that gets a bit of a character arc like in the book. In the book after getting stab he more or less gives up his cheating ways and dedicates himself to his Fiancée Fleur de Lys and submits to the tragedy of marriage.
Phoebus (Norman Kerry) revealing Esmeralda’s bare shoulder (Patsy Ruth Miller) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
In this version, Phoebus, after saving Esmeralda from the kidnapping attempt tries to seduce her but he is moved by her sweetness and innocence that his desire turns to true love. And with that Phoebus becomes the romantic hero who tries to marry her even though she is not in he same social class as him.
Phoebus (Norman Kerry) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Besides being in love and getting stab by Not-Frollo (Jehan), Phoebus doesn’t do that much within the overall plot. He does reinforce that whole class system which the movie makes into a sub-plot but he himself is not bothered by it, so it’s not issue for him as a character. He does have a few amusing scenes with Gringoire and some overdramatic bits but other than he’s pretty dull.
Phoebus (Norman Kerry) and Esmeralda (Patsy Ruth Miller) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Really his biggest purpose in the film is getting stab and giving Esmeralda a happy ending. Much like Not-Frollo, Phoebus is pretty dull when he turns into a romantic hero, he was was more interesting when he was being smarmy.
Phoebus (Norman Kerry) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Next Time – Clopin
Clopin (Ernest Torrence) 1923 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Mystery Science Theatre 3000 meets Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame
The quote is from Season 2 episode 24 of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 where the crtique a movie called “Samson vs the Vampire Women.”
Follow thehunchblogWhen I read this passage in Hunchback of Notre Dame “All at once the head of Phoebus she saw another head, – a livid, green, convulsed face, with the look of a soul in torment;” it always brings to mind one immortal face; The Grinch
The Grinch as Frollo