Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame is considered a literary classic - and arguably the most well-known work of the prolific French writer. Since it's a recognizable title in the public domain, the book has inspired many film adaptations over the last century from the likes of Universal and Disney. Heck, I can even remember a hunchbacked villain that the Marvel Comics premiere family supergroup The Fantastic Four faced off against called Quasimodo.

Out of nowhere, Sony has just released this 1982 television movie version of the legendary story - fueled no doubt by its noteworthy cast. It was nonetheless odd to see this relative obscurity get a home video release, especially since I don't see an immediate tie-in with something else going on in popular culture at the moment.

Still, seeing this movie get a release is a welcomed occurrence, even if it fails to deliver on all counts.

In this film, future Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins plays Quasimodo, a 25-year-old deformed hunchback who was abandoned in 15th Century France and raised by the archdeacon of the cathedral (Derek Jacobi, who recently appeared in Underworld: Evolution). Esmeralda (Lesley Anne-Downe), a dancing gypsy girl, catches the archdeacon's eyes, as well as the eyes of just about every other character in this movie, including a poet and a military captain (the latter played by Robert Powell of Dark Forces). Arrested for sorcery and then later for murder (of which both she is innocent), Esmeralda gains the sympathy of Quasimodo, with whom she has received sanctuary in Notre Dame's cathedral.

Given the excellent cast that also includes David Suchet and John Gielgud, I expected more out of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I was perfectly willing to accept the limitations of a television production nearly three decades old, and the acting is indeed good. However, there's an overall dreary lifelessness to the proceedings that makes this production acceptable but perfunctory. The video quality (discussed in greater length below) influences the overall impact of the story negatively. Action sequences are awkwardly staged at times, limiting the drama's import. This was especially true early in the film when the archdeacon inexplicably sends Quasimodo after Esmeralda. The chase scene looks completely unreal.

However, Hopkins is quite fun in the titular role, even if his makeup is underwhelming. The other castmembers are also good. I'd imagine the audience who would really want to see this is limited, but if you're interested, it's worth a look despite its faults. Rent it.

The DVD

Video:

Sony gives The Hunchback of Notre Dame a full screen presentation with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio that I'm sure represents its original television broadcast format. This is an overall dark movie - even in outdoors daytime scenes, colors seem drab and lifeless. Whether this was intentional or a limitation of the production (or both) is hard to discern. Details are soft, and occasional blemishes are noticeable. The overall video quality here is disappointing.

Sound:

Two audio tracks are available on this disc: English and French. Both are in Dolby Digital 2.0. The English track is the default and the one I listened to. It's a fairly unimpressive mix, though given its time period and television distribution, I suppose that's to be expected. Dialogue is usually clear, except for some crowd scenes where ambient cheering drowns out central dialogue.

Optional subtitles are available in English and French.

Extras:

The only extra present on this disc is a Previews option in the menu system that provides access to four trailers: Fireproof, The Note, Facing the Giants, and God Grew Tired of Us.

Final Thoughts:

Dark and talk-heavy, this 1982 made-for-television adaptation of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame has the novelty of a good cast, especially Anthony Hopkins in the title role. With no significant extras, however, I don't see much repeat value in this DVD. Rent it, if you're curious.

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