"You can lie to yourself and your minions" "You can claim that you haven't a qualm" "But you NEVER can run from or hide what you've done from the eyes....." "the very eyes of Notre DAAAAAAAAME" I get chills every time.
+TopGunPaintballer My thoughts exactly. The initial answer would be Frollo as the man and Quasimodo as the monster. That is until you see both characters for who they really are. Then, it would be the other way around or Frollo as both.
+TopGunPaintballer I think I might have been a more perceptive kid because of my upbringing, but I immediately saw Frollo as the monster and Quasimodo as the man. Even as a child, I knew that by Frollo killing Quasimodo's innocent mother that it made him evil, and despite Quasimodo's deformities, he was far more pure of heart and morally straight that Frollo ever could be.
And it's not even a thing where halfway through the movie where you just go "Oh! Frollo's the monster." It's a change you don't notice until, again, they mention a monster and a man again, and it dawns on you.
+MsNick126 its not a matter of perception,it was in purpose done this way so that kids realise who is the bad guy from start.It's not like it was a hidden riddle for smart or grown up people,Disney did everything in their power to give the message to kids that the one who seems righteous and good is not always what it seems,that's why the opening with killing his mother.
DeadlyRiffs I'm not saying that its a matter of perception and that it's only something that grown adults and smart people can figure out. What I mean is that sometimes children don't always see the meaning behind particularly horrible act and that it signifies that the person who committed it is monster and a bad person. But there are a lot of children that d understand that and this movie really helps teach children this concept
they shouldn't really make a dark movie like this again... Remember Black Cauldron?? It was a failure... The only thing that saved this movie was the music from Alan Menken... Else, it would be a failure too.. And still, you see that today Disney does not give a lot of attention to this movie... That's justified though... The movie is way too dark for little kids and it's not really as powerful as other Disney films like, say, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, Mulan, Tarzan, Tangled or Frozen...
TRIMC95 That's a joke, right? I mean, I know they don't give this movie attention, but this movie is by far better than those you listed, except perhaps Beauty and the Beast. The ending of that one never sat right with me though.
Rayder2341 I'll give you that it's better than Lion King(since I think that Lion King is the most overrated Disney movie ever made).. But this movie being better than the others?? Nah, I really don't think so.. But that's of course my opinion. I respect yours.
Based on the Merriam-Webster definition of 'Monster' or 'something monstrous'; "a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty" There is no man only monsters.
In case anyone was wondering, the thing they're yelling in the background (Kyrie Eleison) is a Latin phrase used in Catholic masses meaning "Lord have mercy". Makes sense for a song about a man who ruthlessly kills others and claims he's a man of God.
Brendan West It's not Latin. It's Greek. And yes it does mean "Lord have mercy". It is used in orthodox masses. I think they use it in catholic masses too, even though I have no idea why they use Greek instead of Latin like the rest.
That final note that Clopin nails never fails to give me goosebumps, especially with the visuals from the movie. Such a beautiful and stirring opening to the most under-rated films of the Disney Renaissance.
I feel the same way! I was hesitant about watching it when it came out,because I don't normally like musicals,but that amazing voice drew me in,and I'm *so* glad I watched it. I'd be hacking up a lung if I tried to hold a note like that,and I greatly admire anyone who can.It's one of my favorite movies,too. Though they *really* diverted from Hugo's work to make it kid friendly.
proud2bpagan Kid friendly?! I cant imagine what Hugos original work was like! I hadnt seen this movie in a while and watched it for the nostalgia and realized that this movie is DARK. A beautiful and moving movie but dark nonetheless
proud2bpagan well don't know about her age, but frollo was clearly between lust and hate. When Phoebus and Esmeralda were about to have a night stand (because he was engaged, but convinced her that he had feelings for her), Frollo stabbed him in the back out of jealousy (wounding him badly, but not fatally), and when Esmeralda refused to have the same for Frollo, he actually got her hanged (right in front of Phoebus, who watched indifferently at his WIFE's side). Quasimodo is dreaded by this, pushes Frollo off of Notre Dame's tower, and holds Esmeralda's corpse until he dies of starvation. And yeah, watching after more than a decade makes you realize how strong is the adult context in the movie. It is beautiful and dark because the original work is A LOT darker, but Disney adapted many of these plot points (the stabbing, the hanging, Frollo as the sole casualty) to a happy ending.
I agree it is very underrated, but to be honest, it for some reason lacked impact after my first viewing. I really didn't have particularly strong feelings when I first watched the movie in 1996 when I was 8. Perhaps the subject matter was just too advanced for its target audience, as I didn't even really understand the story until I revisited this movie years later, more out of curiosity than anything else, only to realize how good it actually was.
Hassen Peterson I think Jon means the "renaissance" of Disney movies that took place during 1989-1996 or so, not the actual time period of the Renaissance. (Many fans would disagree on exactly when the Disney Renaissance ENDED. IMO, this is the last--until Enchanted--of the truly great Alan Menken scores.)
Clopin in the prelude: "It is a tale. A tale of a man..and a monster" Clopin after telling the story of a disfigured/grotesque child and a/an (average looking) man: "Who is the monster and who is the man?" Clopin at the END of the movie, when Quasimodo saves the town: "What makes a monster, and what makes a man?" ARGH. This song is powerful beyond belief, especially in it's choice of words (well this entire movie just has breathtaking lyrics). I can't believe it took me so long to piece things together, but I had never really paid attention to this movie as a child, and now it's been my favorite for years. :')
Freaking high D for the last note. Absolutely insane for something like that to be written into a musical piece, yet the Soprano 1s in the choir hit it perfectly. Truly remarkable.
meytisss It was rated very vell, actually. I was 7 when it came out and there is no one in my generation who didn't see and enjoy it - plus, include our parents who watched it witch us, in the cinema and later on VHS. Everyone loved it and it aged well. It is remembered as one of the best classics of Disney. What I particularly love in classic Disney - in retrospect - that it treated us kids the same way it treated adults: it didn't treat us like little idiots, but rather found the courage to introduce us to a darker tone and atmosphere (the same reason why we loved the original Wrner Bros. Batman animated series). The story, the characters, the message were complex and it offered just as much to kids as to adults. In fact, to fully understand a movie like this one, one has to watch it also as an adult. And about your request to Disney: if the atmosphere/tone themselves did not come back, the complexity you can find in aDisney (Pixar) movie surely are, eg. Up!, Wall-E, Inside Out. But that's just my opinion.
+Evey Kano Fun fact: the type of chanting in the beginning has a special name. It's called Gregorian chant, and it's different because unlike most music today, there are no bar lines, numbered measures, or time measurements (2/4 or 4/4 time). It's all just sung fluidly and naturally with no restrictions.
YES! IT'S LITERALLY THE BEST PART! He has such range. I wish they would've animated the character singing that bit in the movie. I love that nameless guy just because of his voice!
Hmmmm every time Capile dang that note I start singing with him hehe when music was ballsy in the Disney films like don't get me wrong Disney does amazing when makeing musicals but this is just... Choirs and loud Oprea like signing.. that's amazing to hear like in Moana the music is beautiful but conoare to this... Nothing...
I love this whole movie and mythos so much. I love David Ogden Stiers' role, especially how strong, bold, and just pious he sounds when he says, "You can lie to yourself and your minions." When he says he can never lie to The Eyes, I just get chills. Such a wonderful song
Everyone commenting on how dark this movie is just baffles me. Has nobody here ever considered that The Hunchback of Notre Dame was originally a book written by the same man who wrote Les Miserables? Of course it's gonna be dark.
+puppie406 It has less to do with the source material and more to do with who actually made the movie. Nowadays, with the kinds of kid-friendly animated films Disney is known for, of course something like this would be surprising to people seeing this for the first time.
''Here's a riddle to guess if you can, sing the bells of Notre-Dame, who is the *monster* and who is the _man_...?'' I love this part so much. Really makes you think. Is the one who _looks_ like a monster the monster, and is the man who _looks_ like a man the man?
In the italian version it says “chi è brutto dentro o chi è brutto a veder?” It means literally “is the one that is ugly inside or the one that is ugly outside?
But is Frollo really a monster or just a really shitty person? Did Quasimodo have to call on the powers of the Grid to bring Frollo down or was gravity enough?
It’s like Beaumont’s Belle y la Bete the original fairytale was very different. Beaumont and Villeneuve were two different Frenchwomen so modern English lit majors and let’s be honest women of the former British empire get offended by French literature. Mary Shelly Jane Austen the Bronte sisters were considered British and Americanas love that tradition. Jekyll and Hyde was by a Scottish author and Dracula was by an Irish author. They think it’s racist if you bring that up or something. I guess because Hitler used the Brothers Grimm and the Icelandic Sagas to fuel his propaganda. Tolkien was a linguist and an academic he created his legacy and it’s amazing but no one even wants to understand his legacy. Michael Moorcock made Elric of Melnibone Sapkowski made the Witcher Ursula ke la Guinne made earth sea Madeleine de Engle made a Wrinkle in Time Charles Perrault wrote fairytales, the tale of tales was another saga from Italy. All Disney did was rip off great literature and English speaking Americans actually believed that it was ‘theirs’ or something. I guess that’s what happens when you don’t listen in school and go play video games like Mario Cart. I swear everyone deserves to cherish their own child hood but learn to allow kids under the age of twenty to enjoy their child hood. If you hurt children then you will be cursed or have bad karma or something. It’s in every recorded religion. But some people only pretend to care about kids that’s what you have to learn. Mi abuelitos called it the evil eye it’s a superstition but one that I have actually experienced. Anyways I wish I had majored in English maybe I’ll write a book someday. Maybe not who knows it just feels like I’m in an echo chamber. Blessed be on los hijos.
Here Are The Links To All The Latin Sections Of The Song With The Words In Latin And English Translation: 00:00 - 0:29: Olim Olim Deus Accelere Hoc Saeculum Splendium Accelere Fiat Venire Olim - Someday Someday God Speed This Bright Millennium Let It Come Someday 2:35 - 2:38: Kyrie Eleison Kyrie Eleison - Lord Have Mercy Lord Have Mercy 3:03 - 3:22 Dies Iræ Dies Illa Solvet Sæclum In Favilla Teste David Cum Sibylla Quantus Tremor Est Futurus Quando Judex Est Venturus Cuncta Stricte Discussurus! - The Day Of Wrath That Day Will Dissolve The World In Ashes As Foretold By David And The Sibyl How Much Tremor There Will Be When The Judge Will Come Investigating Everything Strictly!
M. Cloak Thank you!! This is the reason a Disney movie is my favorite musically of all time - amid all the horribly un-Christian things going on throughout the story, the score is constantly making use of these Latin chants, as if to remind everyone, "this is what they're supposed to be saying". It's brilliance.
"How much tremor there will be, when the Judge will come". I just noticed the double meaning in that line, and that explains why it's repeated at 3:29 - right when Judge Claude Frollo kills Quasimodo's mother.
I volunteer helping with the upkeep of a really old Catholic Church near where I live. My job is to take care of the bell and ring it before the start of each mass and at the end. I climbed up into the bell tower one day to find three teenage boys up there singing this song, and I joined in. Scared the heck out of them. We all have a good laugh about it now, though. ; )
dracothedrangonful Two lines you can say to any religious person who is being unreasonable and watch them completely flip within a day exist within this song. "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 of your own God.". Scared the hell out of a bishop from my local church when I said that to him. I don't know why it scared him but it did. It also helps if you hold up a holy symbol of some sort while saying it, such as the bible or crucifix.
DragonEye I do believe it's because you destroyed his illusion of surety, and doubts about his trip to the afterlife. It can be a powerful thing, I know from personal experience.
Kids don't have the intelligence to think for themselves. They need to be taught to live their lives the right way. Wait for them to get older to try to say "Think for yourself". When they have the brains to think straight.
+Alex F This dude was gonna kill a baby (even on holy ground). Abused a young man his whole life. *skip ahead in the movie* He said Esmeralda should either be with him (essentially sleep with him) or go to hell. I think (sadly) he might win in the villain department.
For those wondering the translation for the Latin part, it's as follows Dies irae, dies illa (Day of wrath, that day) Solvet saeclum in favilla (Shall consume the world in ashes) Teste David cum sibylla (As prophesied by David and the sibyl) Quantus tremor est futurus (What trembling is to be) Quando Judex est venturus (When the Judge is come) Pretty dark if i must say
Just the RHYMES in the song are genius! Particularly anything before they sing the title: "A figure whose clutches were iron as much as the bells..." etc. Aah, so good!
Shining Armor Not really. They both use the same medley. The reprise to this is the song at the end of the movie when the crowd carries Quasimodo through the city, called the Bells of Notre Dame Reprise (shocker)
It isn't. The Latin at the beginning of this song is: "Olim, olim, Deus accelere (Someday, someday, God speed) Hoc sæculum splendium (This bright millenium) Accelere fiat venire olim (Let it come someday)" While in Hellfire, it's; "Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti (I confess to God almighty) Beatae Mariae semper Virgini (To blessed Mary ever Virgin) Beato Michaeli archangel (To the blessed archangel Michael) Sanctis apostolis omnibus sanctis (To the holy apostles, to all the saints)"
That build up at the end always gives me goosebumps; WHOO! I love this movie, by far one of the darker Disney movies. I wish they would make more of them like this (The gravity in certain scenes is so satisfying (and no, not the force that keeps us in contact with the planet's surface, among other things))
The ending with the big chorus "beeeeelllls oooooofff NoooOOOOTTRRREEEEEEEE DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEE!!!!!!" HO!!!! Gives me chills EVERY TIME!!!!
Lyrics Translation: Dies irae, dies illa (Day of wrath, that day) Solvet saeclum in favilla (Shall consume the world in ashes) Teste David cum sibylla (As prophesied by David and the sibyl) Quantus tremor est futurus (What trembling is to be) Quando Judex est venturus (When the Judge is come) Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy)
I was in Paris recently and got to visit Notre Dame, this place is beautiful i went inside because they do give tours humming this song to myself though i got several looks because i was singing in English (Sorry my french sucks when it comes to singing) I had a very old man smile and begin singing with me then tell the little kids in our group that when you sing the song the mysterious bell ringer will ring the bells. We had maybe ten little kids all singing and the bells rang making all of them smile. (It was just signally the time but they didn't care)
Beg to differ. Read this ----> www.buzzfeed.com/adamellis/super-dark-origins-behind-your-favorite-disney-movies Behold, the origins of the Disney movies.
Clopin is my favorite character in this movie. It's hard not to love the quirky narrator character! I wish there was more about him in this, there's a lot of potential there. The movie is still brilliant on its own though.
4:19 🎵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🎵 Best part, I swear! I get chills every time!
these and i can go the distance from hercules. 90s Disney music is amazing. can you believe we got like broadway level music for our childhood cartoon movies?
The Latin in the beginning translates to: "Day is a day of wrath, that day Will dissolve the world in ashes, as foretold by David and the Sibyll, how great a tremor is to be, when the judge shall come To [Sanctuary, please give us sanctuary!]"
I did that with other movies too! I loved the songs in The lady and the tramp 2, but I didn't have any way to look up the songs, so I just played the movie to listen to them.
Tried singing along. Hit everything but that last note. I technically got the pitch but I couldn't even hold it for a full second. I need to learn to breath when I sing...
just gotta love how Ratcliffe accuses Frollo of sin lol (The Archdeacon/Ratcliffe is played by David Ogden Stiers who also happens to play Cogsworth and Jumba)
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🔥🔥🔥
Intros like this are how you know the movie you're about to watch is going to be fucking epic. XD (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, and my personal favorite, Prince of Egypt, are shining examples of this. :D)
_The Bells of Notre Dame_ still makes me tear up every now and again when I listen to it. If Disney did stuff this powerful still, I might not dislike them as much as I do...
"See there the innocent blood you have spilt (...)" "I am guiltless. She ran, I pursued (...) My conscience is clear" Now why does this sound so eerily familiar, I wonder?
Authority absolves the killer of everything in their own mind. The soldier, the doctor, the police, the executioner. But if there is such a thing as God, they will answer for their monstrous actions one day.
My favorite part is 05:53 - I love how you can hear the bells in the background. In the actual scene you can hear them much clearer and for some reason I find that one of my favorite parts of the film!
I didn't watch this movie until only a couple months ago, and it's now one of my favorites. I don't know why I kept slipping over it. I'm glad my curiosity won me over!
Man, I can guarantee that those who watched this movie as a kid always knew the meaning behind "Who is the Monster and who is the man." but me as i kid, i was the one who assumed that the hunchback was in fact the monster they were talking about. until my mother told me "The hint was given from the very beginning of the story before you sang the 'Bells" of notre dame." Turns out it sadly took me like a couple of years to realize the riddle behind "The Man, and The Monster."
My absolute favorite Disney movie, and one of my favorite movies and soundtracks of all time. Also, I have to say that I love the use of the Dies Irae from Gregorian chant!! The music in this film is so carefully crafted and so intricate. Hunchback is not talked about nearly as much as it should be.
Hitting that last note as a man must have taken a lot of practice and he must be a counter tenor be able to reach that note. For a woman that is a soprano and with a lot of range to get that high an octave higher. Being a soprano myself, that note is very high.
"And for one time in his life of power and control Frollo felt a twinge of fear for his immortal soul." That line gives me chills every time. Right to the core.