At the height of the restrictive Hollywood Production Code, Preston Sturges set the bar for getting away with suggestive material in THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN’S CREEK/’43. Critic James Agee memorably noting what went over the censors’ heads: ‘the Hays office has been either hypnotized into a liberality for which it should be thanked, or has been raped in its sleep.’ And something similar happened when the MPAA gave this sex obsessed, darkly violent animated version of Victor Hugo an easy pass with a Family Friendly G-Rating. Who knew it was quite so kinky? Apparently, everyone! (LINK: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/movies/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame.html) But how’s the pic holding up? Quite well for the most part. Physically staggering, you probably need to go back to Disney’s bitter failure with SLEEPING BEAUTY/’59 to equal its production. Part of the Disney Animation Renaissance (LITTLE MERMAID/’89 to TARZAN/’99), it softens & compresses Hugo (they all do), a near stage-ready musical, very SWEENY TODD when evil Minister Frollo solos, very LES MIZ elsewhere. Kevin Kline’s sympathetic Captain (amoral in the book) & Demi Moore’s wild gypsy (period-challenged proto-feminist) get the worst of it, but most other decisions on book & character bold & workable. One day, an adaptation will be true to Hugo and kill off all the good souls in here, even that trickster goat!
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID/DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: Composer Alan Menken particularly pleased with the opening number setting up all the back-stories and situations. And with high-flying Jester Paul Kandel pulling out a high D at the end, he should be. But why no song for Quasimodo and his beloved bells? A memorable scene with Charles Laughton’s Quasimodo introducing them in the 1939 classic, an all but perfect song cue. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/05/hunchback-of-notre-dame-1939.html
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