Goodness? Goodness!

I was surfing the tv last night during prime time and not a thing caught my interest... until the animated Disney version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

I think I mentioned when I was reading this book about two months ago that I am kind of intrigued as to how this kind of story will be made into a movie by Disney Pictures.  And I was glad that I saw it yesterday.  So, I tuned in and started to watch.  The part that I came upon was when Quasimodo and Esmeralda were talking and later on, Quasimodo took Esmeralda to a 'trip' around Notre Dame.  More later,  one of the men [didn't know who] was almost begging Quasimodo to let him down.

Quasimodo and Esmeralda talking and taking a trip around Paris?  How can they talk in the first place?  How can Quasimodo understand Esmeralda?

As I read through the last parts of the story in the book, the thought of this being a Disney movie always come upon me.   How can you make an ending to such a story?  And how can you turn it into an animated movie having such a plot, such an ending?

I didn't finish the movie.  All because I know that it would be totally different from the original story.  All I know is that they tried to circle the story around the goodness of Quasimodo; whitewashing everything to make it look good on the eyes of child; on the eyes of those who haven't read the story.  But if they wanted something to bank on the goodness of Quasimodo, I think they could come up with someone else in the likeness of Quasimodo with their army of artistic imaginative people.

Goodness!

The Good, The Bad and The Gypsy

The occasions made me a little busy though I should have been busier if not for the operation.  So, this means less time to read and more time with a lot of other things.  But I get to finish the book just a while ago.  I am kind of affected by the way things went on the last book.

This is in fact one of the most tragic books I have read by far.  This means that from the books I have read this year alone, and all those books I have read since I can remember.  I thought this was something fairy-tale-ish, since the thought that comes to me whenever I hear the title is those drawings made by Walt Disney.  Right now, I am still wondering what is the movie all about, considering what I have just read.

I am kinda sad because Quasimodo's life was never happy.  As it said in the book:

He mused on the wretched lot that providence had meted out to him - how woman, and the joys of love, were destined to pass under his eye without his ever being more than a witness to the happiness of others.

Everyone in that town sees him as a monster.  But with his actions, he never was to me.  Claude Frollo, on the other hand, was the good in the story.  Or, was he really?

Now, who really is the good?  Who is the bad?

The twist is that they both fell in love.  I was really quite surprised by the way each of them handled their emotions.  Not to mention the actions they took just to be closed to the one they love.

The mystery of the pink shoe was revealed but I must say that I had the idea of what this was all about at some point in the story.

The good, the bad and the gypsy all died.  Something that makes me wonder how the Walt Disney people presented this in the story, if they ever did at all.

As with Victor Hugo's style, I find it that, sometimes, due to the profoundness of the though of one of his characters, I feel that it was almost totally detached from the story.  That it looks far too perfect to be a part of the story and that it can be distinguished as the thought of the writer himself, and not the ordinary common character.

Some quotes:

I would rather be the head of the fly than the tail of a lion.

For, though one believes in nothing, there are moments in life when one accepts the religion of the temple nearest at hand.

It's often our best friends who make us fall.

There are two sides to every human act.  One man gets praised for what another gets blamed for.

Memory is the tormentor of jealousy.

The Cake And The Little Pink Shoes

I am now halfway through the story, but I tell you, this is the first time that I really got engaged with the story.  To tell you the truth, earlier today I almost went through my unread books, thinking of stopping reading The Hunchback and switch to a new one.  But I held on, because I really know want to know what the whole story is all about.

The temptation to stop started when Victor started talking about the streets of Paris and the architecture.  As I have written on my previous post, I think he overdid talking about the architecture of the country and how architecture was killed by printing.  You might find this a little disconnected as I had but if you want to know why printing killed architecture, I suggest you read the book.

Perseverance got me through.  But I must admit that even if he talked a lot about Paris and its architecture, there were a lot of things that I didn't grasp.  I was looking forward for the story.  I AM looking forward to the story.

The Story of the Cake is a chapter somewhere in the middle of the story.  I was actually confused as to its connection with Quasimodo or Esmeralda or Gringo.  But I think my determination to finish the story held on.  The chapter was a little bit off-beat somehow, but I believe there would be a connection and it would be explained later on.  The cake touched me less than the pair of little pink shoes.  Paquette was in recluse, with the pink little shoes, and was offered the cake.  She refused the cake, asking for black bread; refused the cloak, asked for a sack; refused the hippocras, asking for water instead.

Now, I have another thing to think about...  Because little Agnes has been introduced, I wonder if her story will be finished, or will it just be left that way?  Not to think that I am thinking if this is really about Quasimodo and Esmeralda, or is it really about Esmeralda and Gringoire, or is it really about Gringoire and Quasimodo?  Yes, I haven't read nor watch anything about The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.  Earlier today, I was also actually tempted to just watch the movie.  But I held on... to finishing the book.

The next chapter would be "A Tear for a Drop of Water."  Would this be the reason why Paquette refused the hipocrass?  Will this give at least a lead as to what happened to Agnes?

I only have to go on to find out.

Quasi

A hundred or so days, several books. 

I am finally back in my home country, for good.  I had an operation which will make me stay at home at least for about three months.  A good opportunity to dwell on books.  I have read several since "The Godfather." "Three Cups of Tea" by David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortansen,"Stardust" by Neil Gaiman, "Bag of Bones" by Stephen King, "The Great Gatsby" F. Scott Fitzgerald, " 'Tis " by Frank Mc Court.  I couldn't post entries because access to the internet here is not as easy as when I was still in Dubai.  But finally, I managed to have an internet connection which will enable me to post regularly again.  With regard to the other books I mentioned,  I will just try t make something like I did with "Blaze" in the days to come.

Currently, I am reading Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." I began as soon as I could after being discharged from the hospital.  Four days at the hospital didn't give me an opportunity to read.  But somehow, I started as soon as I am home and could spare a few hours each day.

As far as I have gone, I have only caught a few parts of the story.  After about a third of the book's pages, it's like much has been revealed about Paris and architecture more than the story itself.  Victor Hugo tends to sidetrack away from the story most of the time.  I've read so much about the changes of Paris' architecture and how architecture was the expression of one's genius at some point in history.

Though this really bored me, I chose to persevere and go on.  I, then, tried focusing in his style and what he's trying to say so that I can go far.  If I didn't do this, I was on point of giving up and getting another book.  He seems to want to discuss Architecture very much and how it transformed the face of Paris.  He wrote so much about the streets and houses and churches and cathedrals in so much detail.  Not that this is irrelevant.  But I just find it too much away from the story.  Though I know this might be very insightful if you are looking for something about Paris' architectural history [at least from the way I see it.]

Just to quote one of the phrases I like, the story began on "the day of the king and the feast of the fools."

And... some of my favorite quotes:

If  I exist, can this be? 

If this be so, do I exist?

Time is the architect, the nation is the builder.

He armed himself with the weapons that had wounded him.

It was, however, these same bells that had made him deaf; but a mother often loves best of all the child who has made her suffer most.

Medicine is the daughter of dreams.

Isolation magnifies everything.