The Hunchback is a 1997 TV film adaptation of Victor Hugo's famous novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, directed by Peter Medak and starring Mandy Patinkin in the title role of Quasimodo, Richard Harris as Frollo, Salma Hayek as Esmeralda and Jim Dale as Clopin.
This film contains examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: Gringoire displays more bravery in this version than in the original novel; he joins Quasimodo in trying to protect Esmeralda from being kidnapped, and at the end, he helps Esmeralda to haul Quasimodo to safety when he is in danger of falling to his death.
- Adaptational Heroism:
- In this version, Quasimodo does not try to kidnap Esmeralda; on the contrary, he and Gringoire try to protect her by fighting off the guards Frollo paid to kidnap her. Unfortunately, the other guards think he's to blame when they arrive on the scene.
- By extension, Frollo has a minor case of this too, from a certain point of view. In this version, it was not Quasimodo he tried to enlist to kidnap Esmeralda, which makes the fact that he lets Quasimodo take the fall slightly less reprehensible than in the original novel.
- Age Lift: Quasimodo and Frollo are both older in this adaptation. While Quasimodo was 16-20 and Frollo 36, though he looked older, they are now 25 and, going by Richard Harris' age at the time, 67 respectively.
- Ambiguous Situation: Due to Esmeralda's age never being brought up, it is unclear if she is still 16-20 or has also been subject to an Age Lift like Quasimodo, thus making her 25. Salma Hayek having been 31 at the time suggests the latter, but it is entirely possible
Dawson Casting is in effect. - Badass Bookworm: Quasimodo is displayed as one, being strong enough to operate the massive bells of the cathedral while being incredibly literate for his time, having read every book and scripture stored in the cathedral during his twenty years of life. He even seeks to write a 600 page book one day, which is startling considering hardly any at the time had even seen a book at all thanks to the Church.
- Chronic Villainy: After being forced to publicly confess and being forgiven by Quasimodo, a newly reformed Frollo relapses into homicidal madness upon seeing Esmeralda.
- Comfort the Dying: Esmeralda and Gringoire stay by Quasimodo's bedside while he is dying, and set his beloved bells in motion to ring for him.Esmeralda: Your friends will sing for you.
- Condescending Compassion: Clopin mocks Gringoire as showing this trope, proclaiming to care about the plight of the Gypsies while showing no effort to actually help them or understand their troubles. For this Clopin tries to have him killed.Clopin: You want to help us, hm? Speak out in our defense? What do you know of us? You're worse than the nobles! You are an intellectual! They treat us like cattle! You make us into causes! Neither puts bread on the table! You have entered the kingdom of the downtrodden without being trod upon!
- Culture Police: Frollo is one for the Church, suppressing any foreign knowledge or books and stamping out any hint of witchcraft or sacrilege in Paris. Interesting enough, the ruling authorities of Paris hate him for this as a Grumpy Old Man stuck in his backwards ways and what they feel to be keeping France from a better future.
- Dark Is Evil: Main antagonist Claude Frollo is clad in black robes.
- Decomposite Character: Due to Phoebus being demoted as a character, his role as Frollo's victim goes to Minister Gauchere.
- Demoted to Extra: Phoebus is just a guard with no plot significance in this version. Minister Gauchére takes his original role of being stabbed by Frollo, who then frames Esmeralda for the crime.
- Despair Event Horizon: Frollo seems to cross this line when he comes face-to-face with Esmeralda again, after reconciling with Quasimodo and believing himself to have gained absolution by publicly confessing. In this moment, it seems to hit him that he can never find redemption or be truly free of his sinful lust toward Esmeralda.Frollo: (picking up a dagger and shaking his head hopelessly) I must... rid myself of her.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: In this version, Quasimodo is killed in a moment of madness by Frollo while trying to stop him from killing Esmeralda.
- Frame-Up: Frollo effectively does this to Esmerelda by using her knife to stab Minister Gauchére and letting her take the fall.
- Help Mistaken for Attack: Quasimodo fights off the men Frollo hires to kidnap Esmeralda. Unfortunately, he does this before the soldiers arrive, so they believe that he's the one at fault and refuse to listen when Gringoire tells them that Quasimodo is innocent.
- High-Altitude Interrogation: Quasimodo holds Frollo over the edge of Notre Dame, in order to make him confess to the murder for which Esmeralda was blamed.
- Hope Spot: Quasimodo forgives Frollo, and reconciles with him, after forcing him to publicly admit his guilt for killing Minister Gauchére, thus clearing Esmeralda's name. Unfortunately Frollo's apparent reformation is short-lived, as Esmeralda has come to the cathedral to thank Quasi for saving her, and the sight of her sends Frollo right back into a state of murderous insanity.
- Kick the Dog: Near the end of the film, Frollo whips Quasimodo and cruelly insults him.
- Lust: An overlying theme and a fatal flaw of many characters. This is notable with Frollo, a pious reclusive clergyman whose personal lust for Esmeralda ruins his sanity. He also lusts for knowledge, containing vast and old quantities of knowledge and a Gutenberg Printing Press in the church to keep knowledge away from the masses and suppress any information outside of biblical scripture from the church in Paris in an effort to keep knowledge valuable through privacy.
- Murder by Mistake: Frollo picks up a dagger and rushes forward to kill Esmeralda, but Quasi intervenes and is accidentally and fatally stabbed as a result.
- Mutual Kill: Quasimodo throws Frollo to his death, before succumbing to a fatal stab wound inflicted by him.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Frollo has this reaction after accidentally stabbing Quasimodo.
- Not What It Looks Like: Quasi is blamed for attempting to kidnap Esmeralda, when he was actually fighting off the real kidnappers.
- The Penance: Frollo whips himself severely for having lustful thoughts about Esmerelda.
- Promoted to Love Interest: Gringoire is Esmeralda's main love interest in this version.
- Soapbox Sadie: Gringoire is shown as one in the beginning, handing out flyers and standing on a platform, decrying the church and the government of France for cloistering away all written knowledge for itself and keeping the masses pious and ignorant. He's mocked by Gypsies and poor Parisians alike for being an ineffectual idealist.
- Setting Update: The prologue is set in 1480, two years before the main setting for the original story, with the film's main story being set in 1505.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Esmeralda lives in this version, as she is saved by Quasimodo forcing Frollo to confess to the murder of Minister Gauchére and thus clear her name.
- Spiteful Spit: Esmeralda delivers one to her accuser as she is on the gallows about to be hanged.
- Take My Hand!: Esmeralda to Quasi when he is hanging from the edge of the tower; she holds onto him until Gringoire arrives to help her haul him back up.
