The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame  Directed by: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Review by Katie Rose

 

                I know, another Disney film! Well, in my personal life, I just moved to a foreign country (hence my lack of a post last week), and I find in times where so many things are changing, it can be helpful to go back to the familiar. Therefore, there will be Disney! So this film is the highly underrated Disney classic, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, based off the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. It takes place in the city of Paris circa 1482. It has a male protagonist, the unfortunate and deformed Quasimodo, who has been shut up his entire life due to his appearance. There are themes of race, emotional abuse, sexism, and corruption in religion in this film that make it one of the darker, and more deep films Disney has ever produced.

                The story of Quasimodo begins with the murder of his mother at the hands of Judge Claude Frollo when Quasi is just a baby. Frollo claims to be a righteous man of God, whose actions are always justified. Quasimodo’s mother was a gypsy, an extremely persecuted group of people throughout European history. Frollo is the personification of this prejudice. He makes the mistake, however, of murdering the innocent gypsy woman in front of the great cathedral Notre Dame, where he is seen by the archdeacon. The archdeacon forces Frollo to take Quasimodo in to make penance for what he has done.

                Frollo raises Quasimodo believing he is an ugly monster who must never be around other people. He makes Quasimodo fear other people and to be disgusted with himself. He also lies to Quasi, saying that his mother tried to drown him as a child and it was actually Frollo who saved him. Frollo is abusive of Quasimodo, there is no mistaking it. It is emotional and verbal abuse that is rooted in manipulation. It is one of the only example of this kind of abuse portrayed by Disney until the recent film Tangled. Despite this abuse, Quasi desires freedom. It is on his first trip ever outside the church to which Frollo confined him that he meets the beautiful Esmerelda.

                Esmerelda is the main reason this film is on my blog. She is a gypsy herself, who makes a living dancing. She is a sexy character, probably one of the outright sexiest Disney has ever made. That is one of the main focuses of the story is how her appeal affects men. However she is not demeaned for her beauty or how she makes money. She is seen not just as a beautiful dancer, but also as a person who has worth outside of that.

Esmerelda is not just a pretty face, however. She is fiercely intelligent, brave, and compassionate. She stands up against injustice and is not afraid to challenge those who persecute helpless people. She protects Quasi when no one else will, becoming his first ever friend. In the story she is tormented, chased through the city, and demonized, yet she never gives up or gives in.

Apart from Esmerelda’s plight for social justice, it is the relationships between her and the men in the story that really set her apart from other Disney heroines. Esmerelda gains the love of not only Quasi, but of another male character, Phoebus, the captain of the guard. Many people have criticized this story as being an example of, the nice guy doesn’t get the girl because he is ugly, the girl goes with the hot guy in the end. Those people would be deeply mistaken.  Quasi idolizes Esmerelda. In a lot of ways he does not see her as a real person, but as an angel. He does not see her flaws, just the perfect person he thinks she is. This is not true love, nor is it healthy. That is not to say that Quasi did not truly care about Esmerelda, but that a romantic relationship could not be possible unless he changed this view of her.  Esmerelda, spoiler alert, falls in love with Phoebus. Yes, Phoebus is attractive. More importantly though, he sees Esmerelda for who she is; an amazing woman, but also a flawed human being, and he loves her for exactly who she is. He is also a nice guy himself. He is noble, funny, and nearly loses his life to protect innocent people.

Now, this next element is why, I think, this film was not very popular when it came out. It is a dark one, but one that is extremely important for young girls and boys to see. It is a warning to young girls of what kind of men to avoid, and a message to boys of what kind of man they should not be. Frollo lusts after Esmerelda. She sparks in him a desire that he has never known and he becomes obsessed with her. He vows that she will be his or he will murder her. He tears Paris apart, murdering innocents and burning homes to the ground in pursuit of her. The situation may be exaggerated, but this is the mentality too many men have when it comes to women. These are the men who abuse the women they are with. They are the rapists of the world, the ones who view women as possessions, as less than human. I read a piece on this film about how Frollo is one of the most terrifying and realistic Disney movie villains ever made. He is a man in power, who holds both political and religious authority, who views an entire group of people as a disease that needs to be wiped out, and women as possessions for him to control. He is terrifying because he is real. He has existed a million times throughout history and continues to exist today. What this movie does is it shows that Esmerelda is not at fault for how he treats her. It is not her fault Frollo becomes obsessed with her. It is not her fault he kills so many people in pursuit of her. It is not her fault, it is his, and he is evil.

Like I said, this movie goes into some pretty deep stuff. I kind of glossed over it, but there are also elements of religious corruption. Frollo claims to be a man of God, but it is painfully obvious he is not. The archdeacon is really Frollo’s foil. An actual man of God, he is compassionate and accepting of all. There is also a rather stunning and gorgeous scene where Esmerelda is praying in Notre Dame. Around her all the “Christians” are praying for superficial things, such as wealth or fame. Esmerelda does not pray for herself, she prays for those who need help more than she. She prays to protect her people, and to help those who cannot provide for themselves.

I have kind of described this movie as kind of dark, haven’t I? Well in a lot of ways it is I suppose, but it is also a lot of fun. It is funny, charming, and seriously has some of the best music in any Disney movie ever. The scenery is also incredible. It is one of the most visually stunning Disney films as well. Even thinking about some of the imagery is giving my goose bumps.

Final recommendation? Watch it now. Watch it with your kids. Just watch it. When it first came out it was not very well liked, and it may be because it made people uncomfortable. Since then it has grown on my generation and has gained recognition as one of the best Disney films ever. It has a lot of themes in it that can be difficult to swallow, it is definitely not as light hearted and childish as many other kids’ films, but that is why I think it is one of the most important films Disney has ever made.