Film
Having already embarked on the path of more mature themes with Pocahontas, with the 34th Classic Disney decided to bring the story of Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris to the big screen. The story of a deformed and tormented Quasimodo, segregated by Judge Claude Frollo in the most famous cathedral in Paris, of his impossible love for the beautiful Esmeralda and of Frollo's own persecution of the gypsy community. One of the least successful of the films of this decade, but one that was widely distinguished for its Gothic atmospheres and mature themes such as lust, damnation, infanticide. Or again, the theme of diversity already addressed in Dumbo is explored here with the deformity of Quasimodo, just as that of xenophobia addressed the previous year with Pocahontas is coloured by racism. The risk of trivialising all these themes in order to make them accessible to a wide audience was obviously very great, but the immensity of The Hunchback of Notre Dame lies precisely in the absolutely natural way of dealing with them: without hypocrisy, aiming straight at the heart.
Art
Disney's interpretation of the story of Notre Dame de Paris (1831) is a decidedly more romantic version of Victor Hugo's novel, sweetening the ending and also several central passages in the story. A key influence on the aesthetics of this adaptation was the painter Gustave Doré, whose aesthetic is echoed in the atmospheres. However, it was one painting in particular that inspired the tension in the opening scene: Sister of Charity Saving a Child - An Incident During the Siege of Paris. Here, the urgency of the woman portrayed by the artist mirrors the desperation of the gypsy woman, Quasimodo's mother, to save her son in the animated film. The empty street and the shadows speak of the danger that presumably follows her as she runs to the cathedral, away from the streets of Paris to save the child she holds in her arms, and this dark scene renders the Church as a state in its own right, with its own laws, establishing the cathedral as the space of refuge that later became the sanctuary of Quasimodo's childhood.
This sanctuary, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, was actually supposed to be a little different. In the film we see it in its modern version, that of today's Paris, although since the story is set in the Middle Ages we should have seen an early version. In fact, the construction of the cathedral spanned several centuries, some 200 years, involving numerous architects, builders and craftsmen who modified it in the different stages of its formation. In the first phase, begun in 1163 under the direction of Bishop Maurice de Sully, construction included the choir, apse and transept, which were completed by 1182. The second phase (1182-1225) focused on the construction of the nave and west façade, modifying the original plan by enlarging the cathedral with two additional bays in the central section. The third phase (1225-1250) saw the completion of the western façade with the addition of the two towers. The south tower was completed first, followed by the north tower. The fourth phase (1250-1345) then saw the addition of several elements, including the rose windows, kings' gallery and spire. Finally, there was a fifth phase in the 19th century, during which the cathedral underwent major restoration work under the direction of architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. The restoration work included replacing the spire, adding new sculptures and repairing various parts of the cathedral.
Even the gargoyles Laverne, Victor and Hugo, sincere friends who provide comic relief in a film laden with impending tragedy, should not have been there: our story is set in 1482, while the statues were only added with the restorations between 1843 and 1864. Laverne, Victor and Hugo do not belong to the medieval era, as do the cathedral's exterior sculptures, but to the distant past, to the medieval image invented and perpetrated by Disney to create a representation somewhere between the historical and the fantastic. The Middle Ages are often portrayed with these hints of magic, but with the gargoyles, Disney also inserts a sidekick for Quasimodo, making them his friends and supporters. In Hugo's novel, however, it is Quasimodo who protects the cathedral and, metaphorically, is himself a gargoyle, the 'monster' on the streets of Paris. The human monster who violates both social and natural laws: the former because he is the son of gypsies, the latter because he breaks the established rules of beauty.
Balancing the historical accuracy (which has always characterised, where more and where less, the Disney Classics) is Quasimodo's model of the cathedral, made with the features consistent with the historical context in which it was placed, and the majestic and poetic rose window. The latter was built in the 13th century on the western façade of the cathedral and is considered one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture. It measures about 10 metres in diameter and contains intricate stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Bible and other Christian figures. Unfortunately, during the fire that occurred at Notre-Dame de Paris on 15 April 2019, the rose window was damaged, but restoration work is already underway to repair and preserve this iconic piece of art and history.
External Links
Watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame on Disney +
Painting:
Comments