The movie I'm about to review is "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", the Disney animated film.
(front image of the audio cassette)
For those who never heard of it before, the movie is based on a novel with the same title by Victor Hugo. Of course, as a movie (especially a disney's animated), the film won't be too faithful to the novel.
This movie is the second disney animated movie I watched in a movie theatre, the first one being the Lion King. I watched it my sister, when I was in Junior High. I still remember there were two girls from my school who also watch the movie at the same time, Yoana & Wiena. They sat several rows above/behind us.
Like any disney animated, it's a musical, and we liked the movie so much that we bought the original score (Music by Alan Menken and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz), in a audio cassette form. I played those so many times that I memorized most of the parts.
The plot started like this :
A gypsy family was hunted down by the authorities, they carried a package that the pursuers (headed by the minister Frollo) thought was stolen goods. But then after he killed the women carrying the package, he found out that it was a baby, which was badly deformed.The minister cried out "A Monster", and originally tried to dispose of the baby, which was then stopped by the archdeacon.
Archdeacon :
See there the innocent blood you have spilt
On the steps of Notre Dame
Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt
On the steps of Notre Dame
You can lie to yourself and your minions.
You can claim that you haven't a qualm
But you never can run from
Nor hide what you've done from the eyes
The very eyes of Notre Dame
That last part was kinda creepy, when on screen was shown many statues of the Notre Dame, as if judging the minister. I would tremble in fear if I were in his position (which he did). And the choir sing out loud Kyrie Eleison! (Lord have mercy)
Chorus :
Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy)
Narrator (we found out later that his name is Clopin) :
And for one time in his life
Of Power and Control
Chorus :
Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy)
Clopin :
Frollo felt a twinge of fear
For his immortal soul
And after that, Frollo changed his mind, he would let the baby live, on one condition. The baby must be kept hidden in that place (the Cathedral of Notre Dame, to be specific: the bell tower),
Frollo :
Just so he's kept locked away
Where no one else can see
Even this foul creature may
Yet prove one day to be
Of use to me
And thus the baby was given a name, Quasimodo (meaning half-formed). And then Clopin sang the piece which later he will sing again on the last part of the movie (reprise), the very central theme of the movie :
Clopin :
Now here is a riddle to guess if you can
Sing the bells of Notre Dame
Who is the monster who and who is the man ?
I could go on and on and tell all about the movie, but to be fair, you people should try to watch the movie yourselves, and hopefully able to experience the full range of emotions that this animated movie has to offer (yes, the theme is actually quite heavy for a kids movie, I would give it a rating of PG13)
Anyway, the most touching part of the story (for me), is how Quasimodo had to feel as an outcast, something that must stay hidden because the society wouldn't accept something so grotesque in appearance. He sang about his hopes to be normal, to be like everybody else, in the song "Out There", and after he coincidentally met Esmeralda (the beautiful gypsy girl who became the 'damsel in distress' of the movie), he sang about his wish about being loved in the song "Heaven's Light/Hellfire". This part bring tears to my eyes :
Quasimodo(vocals by Tom Hulce):
So many times out there
I've watched a happy pair
Of lovers walking in the night
They had a kind of glow around them
It almost looked like heaven's light
I knew I'd never know
That warm and loving glow
Though I might wish with all my might
No face as hideous as my face
was ever meant for heaven's light
Oh yeah, in case you wondered, why the song was called "Heaven's Light/Hellfire", because several verses after that, came the part when Frollo sings, where he admits to have lusted for Esmeralda, but refuses to back down (he even blamed God!), and forces his will that Esmeralda will have to choose him or she will be burned.
Another song which is also my favorite is the song "God Help The Outcasts", sang by Esmeralda (vocals by Heidi Mollenhauer), there is another version of it, sang by Bette Middler, where references of gypsies were removed. (probably because it's not very relevant to sing about gypsies outside the main plot). But I liked the first one better.
Esmeralda (sings in front of a statue of Jesus/Mother Mary. For the record, I don't think she's a christian/catholic):
I don't know if You can hear me
Or if You're even there
I don't know
If You would listen
To a gypsy's prayer
Yes I know I'm
Just an outcast
I shouldn't speak to You
Still I see Your face
And wonder
Were you once an outcast too
God help the outcasts
Hungry from birth
Show them the mercy
They don't find on earth
God help my people
We look to you still
God help the outcasts
Or nobody will
Parishioners (the common folk who was also in the church).
I ask for wealth
I ask for fame
I ask for glory to
shine on my name
I ask for love I can possess
I ask for God and His angels
to bless me.
And then came the verse that until now, I'm unable to sing (there's a little voice in my head said : don't be a hypocrite, you know you're not like that, you still pray mostly for your own good)
Esmeralda :
I ask for nothing
I can get by
But I know so many
Less lucky than I
Please help my people
The poor and downtrod
I thought we all were
The children of God
God help the outcasts
Children of God
I mean, this part should be contemplated by a lot of us who said we are the children of God.
Here we have a non christian/catholic, who thought she's not allowed (she was hiding) inside the church, and when other people who claimed they are believers, prays for their own (selfish) interests, she prayed that God should help other people instead of her. It's rather contradictive, isn't it ?
Anyway, this post is getting too long, so I would ended it right away. Let's just say, that in the end, Quasimodo didn't get the girl (it would be too unrealistic if he did), but he's accepted by the society, who were initially afraid of him because of his appearance (he is The Hunchback in the title), and Minister Frollo's (the man claimed to be a Man Of God) scheme was foiled.
In the end, the narrator Clopin, sings again the question he sang in the intro :
Clopin:
So here is a riddle to guess if you can
Sing the bells of Notre Dame
What makes a monster and what makes a man ?
No comments:
Post a Comment