The main characters in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" are for the most part flat, one-dimensional representations of forces and emotions. I was reminded of old English morality plays, such as "Everyman, " where the roles are representations of a single human emotion or spirit. They are as devoid of actual personality as Prince Charming or Goldilocks, and within the story structure, serve the same function.
Phoebus represents order, Clopin the beggar stands for chaos, Jehan and his brother Dom Claude are respectively the forces of evil and of good. Esmerelda represents desire; neither Phoebus nor Jehan needs a reason to want her, her mere existence is enough. This is not oversight but inherent to the story. One should no more expect them to be fully realized than one should expect complex psychology from the Three Little Pigs. The characters are incapable of growth; rather they blindly fulfill their allegorical natures.
Standing in bas-relief to the rest of the characters is Quasimodo the monster. Misshapen and deformed, he is the only character capable of personal growth and change, and represents the full range of human emotion and action. Over the course of the film, as he grows to know pain and betrayal, joy and love, loyalty and faith, the hunchback represents all of mankind; in fact, the monster is the only real human in the story.
The movie opens with Quasimodo perching on the cathedral mocking the revelers below, both despising and envying their joy and normality. He does not hate, however. He wants to be part of the human pageant, rather than cast alone. He longs for human contact, even in the person of the despicable Jehan, who uses and betrays him in an attempt to kidnap Esmerelda. The ill-fated crime ends with Quasimodo chained and whipped in the town square. As he begs for someone to aid in slaking his thirst, he is brought water by Esmerelda herself, and learns the meaning of loyalty and true kindness.
Quasimodo's actions always stem from a sense of self. When he rescues Esmerelda from hanging by the King's agents, he is not casting his lot with chaos, but protecting kindess and beauty. When he attacks the rioting peasants in the movie's climax, he is not showing respect for order, but protecting his home. He alone among the characters is a fully realized human, showing anger, jealousy, kindness, faith and love.
Lon Chaney may not have been the finest actor of all time, but I can't name a better one. With a gesture or an expression (even hidden under pounds of appliances and makeup), he could convey worlds of meaning. The silent film medium did nothing to lessen his talent; dialog was superfluous to his ability. Here he gives one of his best performances, imbuing Quasimodo with the most divine and monstrous of all possible characteristics: that of humanity.
Phoebus represents order, Clopin the beggar stands for chaos, Jehan and his brother Dom Claude are respectively the forces of evil and of good. Esmerelda represents desire; neither Phoebus nor Jehan needs a reason to want her, her mere existence is enough. This is not oversight but inherent to the story. One should no more expect them to be fully realized than one should expect complex psychology from the Three Little Pigs. The characters are incapable of growth; rather they blindly fulfill their allegorical natures.
Standing in bas-relief to the rest of the characters is Quasimodo the monster. Misshapen and deformed, he is the only character capable of personal growth and change, and represents the full range of human emotion and action. Over the course of the film, as he grows to know pain and betrayal, joy and love, loyalty and faith, the hunchback represents all of mankind; in fact, the monster is the only real human in the story.
The movie opens with Quasimodo perching on the cathedral mocking the revelers below, both despising and envying their joy and normality. He does not hate, however. He wants to be part of the human pageant, rather than cast alone. He longs for human contact, even in the person of the despicable Jehan, who uses and betrays him in an attempt to kidnap Esmerelda. The ill-fated crime ends with Quasimodo chained and whipped in the town square. As he begs for someone to aid in slaking his thirst, he is brought water by Esmerelda herself, and learns the meaning of loyalty and true kindness.
Quasimodo's actions always stem from a sense of self. When he rescues Esmerelda from hanging by the King's agents, he is not casting his lot with chaos, but protecting kindess and beauty. When he attacks the rioting peasants in the movie's climax, he is not showing respect for order, but protecting his home. He alone among the characters is a fully realized human, showing anger, jealousy, kindness, faith and love.
Lon Chaney may not have been the finest actor of all time, but I can't name a better one. With a gesture or an expression (even hidden under pounds of appliances and makeup), he could convey worlds of meaning. The silent film medium did nothing to lessen his talent; dialog was superfluous to his ability. Here he gives one of his best performances, imbuing Quasimodo with the most divine and monstrous of all possible characteristics: that of humanity.