A few days ago I was making a list of the best sequences in the novel of "Les Misérables." My list, which I'll put below, was heavy on actions taken by Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert, and one item stood out: Eponine barring her father and his thugs from entering the house where Cosette and … Continue reading Eponine and Sonya Alone
I've been watching a lot of "Les Misérables" adaptations since finishing the novel. I've watched the usual suspects, and I'll list them below (slight spoilers), but I have to start with one of the very best, only 10 minutes long, that I found entirely by chance. Click on the photo for Inspector's Javert's vlog, or … Continue reading Other Les Misérables films
My son recently told me that Napoleon -- you know, France's short Emperor -- was "poggers." Now, definitions may be in order for those who, unlike my son, are not avid video gamers. Poggers: Originating from an emote on the streaming platform Twitch, poggers or pog is an Internet slang term used to express enthusiasm, … Continue reading Napoleon was poggers, says Le Miz
Only hours after the death of Mikhail Gorbachev yesterday, I came up to these lines in "Les Misérables": Although aware of the corrosive power of the light on privileges, he left his throne exposed to the light. History will recognize him for this honesty. (translation by Christine Donougher) Victor Hugo is referring to Louis Philippe … Continue reading Les Misérables – Mikhail Gorbachev
My blog is new, so I've never picked out favorite books for a year, but here we go. My ten faves for 2021, fiction and nonfiction, out of the 66 books I read: 1. New Testament -- the recent translation by David Bentley Hart 2. Notre Dame de Paris Translated by Alban Krailsheimer 3. Lonesome … Continue reading Favorite books of 2021 (and 2020)
Below I've made a listing of all the changes made to Victor Hugo’s novel in these movie adaptations. 1923 Quasimodo - Lon Chaney Esmeralda - Patsy Ruth Miller Frollo - Brandon Hurst https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh20p-GvCl0 1939 Quasimodo - Charles Laughton Esmeralda - Maureen O'Hara Frollo - Sir Cedric Hardwicke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_p8khzyK-E 1956 Anthony Quinn as Quasimodo Esmeralda - … Continue reading All Hunchback of Notre Dame movies
Lately this movie seems to be featured in a lot of YouTube videos describing it as surprisingly dark, or as Disney’s darkest animated movie. And it may well be those things. But I’m watching it after seeing a series of Hunchback adaptations that have been dark, grim and glum; and next to those, Disney’s version … Continue reading Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame
I recently saw an adaptation of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" set in the modern day. It's a French-language film, a black comedy/satire known as Quasimodo d’El Paris. It's set in 1999 or thereabouts in an unnamed place, in a city called El Paris. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy8KIUCGSAA&list=PLGuUJt6IB8_ET1gFct-hHQO62Dkqx90Lm&index=23 It is strange and over-the-top, but funny and charming. It … Continue reading Quasimodo d’El Paris
If you want to hear Victor Hugo's story in French, check out this version from 1956: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL178C3C3F3342FBB0 This is Gina Lollobrigida’s movie in many ways, but I like Anthony Quinn here. The one thing I don't like is the implication that Quasimodo is mentally impaired. But then again, that’s not entirely different from Hugo, who … Continue reading Anthony Quinn’s Hunchback
Below is the full text of the chapter "This Will Kill That" (Book V, Chapter 2), from "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame", with links and photographs added. When reading "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame," I found myself pausing for long periods to argue with the author, particularly around the middle of the book. Here Hugo has a … Continue reading This Will Kill That
