The Hunchback is a 1997 made-for-television romantic drama film based on Victor Hugo's iconic 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, directed by Peter Medak and produced by Stephane Reichel. It stars Richard Harris as Claude Frollo, Salma Hayek as Esmeralda and Mandy Patinkin as Quasimodo, the titular hunchback of Notre Dame. The film premiered on March 16, 1997, on TNT.
| The Hunchback | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | John Fasano |
| Directed by | Peter Medak |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Edward Shearmur |
| Countries of origin | United States Hungary Canada Czech Republic |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Stephane Reichel |
| Cinematography | Elemér Ragályi |
| Editor | Jay Cassidy |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Production companies | Adelson-Baumgarten Productions Alliance Communications Corporation Stillking Films Transatlantic Media Associates TriStar Television Turner Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | TNT |
| Release | March 16, 1997 |
Plot
editIn the city of Paris in 1480 Dom Claude Frollo finds a baby who has been left alone on the steps of Notre Dame. This baby is deformed. Dom Claude Frollo decides to raise this baby as his son. He names the baby Quasimodo.
Twenty-five years go by. It is time for the Feast of Fools. Quasimodo is chosen to be the King of Fools. There is a woman named Esmeralda. She is a Romani. Esmeralda dances in the street. She is very beautiful. Dom Claude Frollo and a man named Gringoire watch her dance. They are both captivated by Esmeralda. Then Dom Claude Frollo stops the dance. He tells Quasimodo that he should never leave Notre Dame again.
Dom Claude Frollo has feelings for Esmeralda. He wants her badly. He pays some guards to kidnap Esmeralda. Gringoire and Quasimodo do not want this to happen. They try to stop the guards. Quasimodo gets into trouble. He is arrested. Gringoire is in trouble too. The Roma try to hang him. Esmeralda saves Gringoire. She agrees to marry him. On Dom Claude Frollo is very mean to Quasimodo. He lets the people whip Quasimodo. The king at that time is King Louis XII. He does not stop the punishment. The people are very cruel to Quasimodo. They mock him. Then Esmeralda gives Quasimodo some water. This makes Quasimodo fall in love with Esmeralda.
Esmeralda and Gringoire are married. At first it is not a marriage. Then they start to love each other. Dom Claude Frollo is jealous. He tells Esmeralda that he loves her. Esmeralda does not love him. She runs away from him. Dom Claude Frollo is very angry. He kills a man named Minister Gauchére. He says that Esmeralda did it. Esmeralda is in trouble. She is tortured. The people think she is guilty. They say she should be hanged. Dom Claude Frollo tells Esmeralda that he will save her if she loves him. Esmeralda does not want to love him. She says no. Quasimodo saves Esmeralda. He takes her to Notre Dame. He says that she is safe there.
Esmeralda and Quasimodo become friends. Quasimodo does things for Esmeralda. He gets her goat from the Court of Miracles. He gives his book to Gringoire. Then Esmeralda is gone. Dom Claude Frollo tells Quasimodo that he handed Esmeralda over to the guards. He whips Quasimodo. He tells Quasimodo that he is not his son. Quasimodo is very sad. Then he stands up to Dom Claude Frollo.
The people want to hang Esmeralda. The Gypsies do not want this to happen. They rebel. Quasimodo makes Dom Claude Frollo tell the truth. This saves Esmeralda. Dom Claude Frollo tries to kill Esmeralda. Quasimodo stops him. Quasimodo gets hurt. Dom Claude Frollo falls to his death.
Quasimodo is dying. He tells Esmeralda that he is in much pain. He dies peacefully. Gringoire and Esmeralda are very sad. They ring the bells of Notre Dame to honor Quasimodo.
Cast
edit- Mandy Patinkin as Quasimodo
- Richard Harris as Dom Claude Frollo
- Salma Hayek as Esmeralda
- Edward Atterton as Gringoire
- Benedick Blythe as Phoebus
- Nigel Terry as King Louis XII
- Jim Dale as Clopin
- Trevor Baxter as Chief Lawyer
- Vernon Dobtcheff as Father Michel
- Nickolas Grace as Minister Gauchére
- Matthew Sim as Crippled Man
- Cassie Stuart as Colette
- Gabriella Fon as Queen Anne
Production
editThe filming locations were Budapest, Prague, and Rouen from July through September 1996. This television film was released a year after Disney's animated musical version. Mandy Patinkin had been cast as Quasimodo in Disney's version, but left the role when he clashed with producers over the portrayal.[1]
"I wanted to play Quasimodo for real," says Patinkin, who won a Tony for "Evita" and an Emmy for CBS' "Chicago Hope." But the producers wanted something different. "They had their own Disney needs," he explains. "I just right there at the audition said, 'I can't do this.' "[1]
Reception
editThe movie got different opinions from critics. Howard Rosenberg from the Los Angeles Times said the TV version was well-produced but called it not very good and mostly badly done compared to Victor Hugo's book. He liked Richard Harris's strong acting and thought Salma Hayek was attractive, but he didn’t think Mandy Patinkin did a good job as Quasimodo, saying his performance wasn’t as touching as Charles Laughton's in the 1939 movie[2]
People watching the film also had mixed feelings.
On Rotten Tomatoes, some liked the actors but didn’t like how fast the story moved. Some said the plot was too quick, while others thought the movie dug deeper into Frollo's inner thoughts than earlier versions.[3]
Differences from the novel
editReferences
edit- 1 2 King, Susan (16 March 1997). "The Hunchback From Hope". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ↑ "TNT's 'Hunchback' Changed to Suit the Cable Audience". Los Angeles Times. 15 March 1997. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
- ↑ "The Hunchback | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
External links
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