| The Hunchback |
| Information from the Internet Movie Database Directed by: Peter Medak Screenplay by: John Fasano Produced by: Tristar Television Distributed through Turner Network Television |
| Mandy Patrinkin ......Quasimodo Richard Harris ......Dom Claude Frollo Salma Hayek ......La Esmeralda Edward Atterton ......Pierre Gringoire Jim Dale (I) ......Clopin Benedick Blythe .......Phoebus de Chateaupers Nigel Terry .......King Louis XI Vernon Dobtcheff ........Father Michel Nickolas Grace .......Gauchere |
| You'll have to forgive me, I must comment as I write. I just can't write a synopsis without criticism. Not saying this is a bad version (after all, Gringoire was actually semi-cool), but I must criticize anyhow. It's the bitterness at the whole world talking. The movie begins with a small little prologue...thing...I don't know what they call them. Imagine Star Wars or Superman, except without the sickening angle-thing going on. Anyhow, it opens by stating that it's Paris, 1480. It's a time of turmoil...some other things. It talks about the oppression of the truth. At this point, you don't know what the truth is, but it's obviously very important, because the prologue ends on that word. The last word is always very important. It cuts to a rainy day in Paris. Some guards....priests....somebody breaks down the door of this room, and a priest enters. Someone shouts "Dom Frollo!" And that scene ends, now showing that same priest, Frollo, in front of Notre Dame, walking with this large wrapped thing. If you've seen the movie or know anything about it, you can figure out this is a printing press. But I don't think you're supposed to know this at the time. They're walking somewhere, but Frollo hears this crying. He turns around, moving back to the church steps, where he sees a crying infant. The camera moves back to him, and cue the title, "The Hunchback." Then 20 years later, on the Feast of Fools. I don't know if that means this is the year 1500, or if the previous scene was in 1460. Accurately, it's supposed to be 1482. So unless they made a REAL big continuity error and typo'd the "20 years later" scene, I'm guessing they mean 1500. Anyhow, it opens on a fun, japing scene. People are milling and having a good time, partying. It looks like they filmed a Renn Faire. So a kid runs through the square, being chased by a man on horseback, screaming "Theif!" (they never tell you, but this is our dear Phoebus). The kid runs up to Notre-Dame, shouting "Sanctuary!" and a priest allows him in, stepping in front of Phoebus as he tries to ride in on his horse. Alright, I should state right now, Phoebus NEVER gets off his horse. I don't know if this is supposed to be some sort of symbolism, but he rides just about everywhere on that horse. Including into a few buildings. Anyhow, so the priest stops him from coming in ("Look, I really don't care about sanctuary rights, I'm just not gonna let you in on a horse!") , which ticks Phoebus off, so he rides off, declaring the kid has to come out sometime. More scenes of this great day, the Feast of Fools. Then we see a young man standing in front of a crowd of, oh, five. He is waving sheets of paper in the air and stating that the Parisians must be told the truth. The king and the government had been supressing the truth from them for too long, and they must be allowed to know. I'm not exactly sure what they were supposed to know ("We have been visited..!"). Then a scraggly-bearded man comes up and asks one of the onlookers what's going on. He explains. Nice quote at this point " 'A populist?' 'No, worse. An idealist.' " Then this scraggly-bearded man, who I'll reveal now to be Clopin, goes up to Gringoire (the young idealist) and makes fun of him. Which draws a bigger crowd by far. Then Clopin directs their attention to Esmeralda, who comes into the square and stands on what appears to be the ruins of Delphi. She starts to dance for the crowd. Now we get to see a bald man in a scriptorium (place where they write books) trying to pray. He gets up and goes to the window, to see what the commotion is about. And he sees....Esmeralda! I'll reveal at this point that this is 20-year-later Archdeacon Frollo. Then there's a brief scene in a dark place, which happens to be the belltower (??), where 20-year-later Quasimodo looks up. He also goes to look...somehow gets down there and hides behind a wagon...I don't know. Clopin jumps up on the stage as Esme finishes and declares they must choose a King of Fools. He drops down a cloth backdrop and people stick their heads through it. But Clopin sees from the corner of his eye a most hideous face hiding behind the wheel of a wagon. He gets some men to drag him out (forget Quasi's superhuman strength) and put his head through the little hole. They declare him king and they make Esme come with the crown. She doesn't want to get near him, but Clopin coerces her into it. Finally, she puts the crown on his head and Quasi's now king! Oh, and I don't feel it's very important to mention it, but the movie seems to think so. It's shown that King Louis is over to the side, watching the entire spectacle. They talk about ugliness and such. The scene trying to get the crown on Quasi's head takes forever, because they're all terrified of him. And I suppose it's obvious to Quasi that they're all making fun of him, but he seems to enjoy the attention. Anyhow, they put him on a litter and carry him to the steps of Notre Dame. Esme gets on top of the landing in front of Notre Dame and begins to dance. And just when everyone's at the peak of excitement, and Quasi's howling in delight, Frollo steps out of the cathedral and screams for them to stop. Quasi continues howling because he's looking behind him, but finally he catches on to the shocked and horrified expressions of the crowd, and he looks back to Frollo. Realizing that this scene might not look good, he gets out of the litter and goes into the cathedral, with Frollo. Funny quote at this time: "He can't take away our king!" "He just did". Clopin and his friends get all the good lines... Inside the cathedral, Quasi is stopped by Frollo, who explains to him that he was put in the care of the church for a reason, because he's going straight to heaven. With a blatant camera shot of Frollo's mouth, we the audience learn Quasi must read lips in order to understand. The scene continues with Frollo explaining that if Quasi leaves the cathedral again, it's without the protection of God. Quasi makes a semi-defiant gesture and lumbers off. I can't remember exactly what happens next, but it's nothing very important. Quasi rings his bells and Frollo beats himself with a whip. And, no, I don't think this would even turn on masochists. Quite a bloody scene I think the movie could have done without. But, anyhow... Quasi goes to a balcony looking down on the nave (big area) of the cathedral and sees Frollo paying two grizzly man. Somehow, he gets the idea this means bad news (I have no earthly idea why) and follows the grizzly man. Outside, it's started to rain (I think...) and the last few entertainers of the festival are starting to disperse. Gringoire stands over to the side, where he sees Esmeralda start to walk away with his goat. He follows. Esme walks around a corner after...well, some walking, and finds herself suddenly attacked by those two same grizzly men. Gringoire sees the attack and calls for the guards as he runs to protect her. Of course, he doesn't do any good. Quasi jumps out of nowhere, though, and saves the day. Just in time for Phoebus and his archer guard to show up. Phoebus rescues Esme and the others try to arrest Quasi, while Gringoire attempts to explain that Quasi was trying to help. What do they do? They knock out Gringoire. Esme runs off and Quasi gets arrested. Gringoire wakes up to find himself surrounded by beggars. They start begging and he pushes them away, yelling at them. However, they suddenly grab him and drag him into the Court of Miracles. To be continued (duh duh duh)... |
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