A great break down of what makes this song so great! This is very thought provoking video! I would want to add to Frollo's "relatability" that besides presenting evil that hits close to home to many people, his hypocrisy is something that people see everywhere and might even recognize in themselves. I would argue that even good, ordinary people have been hypocritical about something. It's not like you only relate to the good parts of a character, you might also relate to their flaws to certain degree. Another thing is that during Hellfire we see Frollo trying to deny and repress a part of himself. In this case, Frollo has never come in terms with his sexuality probably because of the heavily religious views he holds. (This denial, besides Frollo being a sexist jerk, might also serve as fuel for his obsession over Esmeralda) We all have bad traits we would rather deny and get rid of. Maybe you would want to be more productive but laziness always takes the best of you, or maybe you get easily jealous but try to be happy for your neighbour having something you don't have. We are always fighting to be the best version of ourselves but still sometimes give in for anger, pride and greed because we are humans, and humans are a mixture of good and bad. People will not see themselves as Frollo, but maybe they "understand" his struggle of denying something that is in his nature. Something he can never truly get rid of. One could say that we are interested in villains because they give in for the evil's temptation we all might sometimes experience, but unlike villains, we choose to ignore it in order to be better people and listen to our conscience. So in Hunchback of Notre Dame, we have a villain serving as a really twisted and extreme example for how important it is to be honest with yourself and admit your flaws so you will not turn into a prideful hypocritical monster like Frollo.
very well written and discoursed I would like to include a quote of how Frollo’s voice actor described the character ‘Everything he does in a wicked sense is understandable but not excusable.’ (not very relevant to the comment, but it made me think of it)
@@LootGoblinGaming When mentioning the details about how he's dark, unless someone looks deeply enough into history at least two of the "criteria" could be used in describing anyone; Hitler for example used religious and genocidal persecution to destroy both the gypsies and Jews, and throughout history there have been multiple people who used religious bigotry for treating others as an "other." The "it's not relatable" argument is merely a surface-level way of dismissing the character
To throw it out there, in the original book Frollo willing took on Quasimodo out of pity and raised him along with his owm little brother. So he didn't start as just a straight out evil guy either. I don't think without it he's unrealistic, but I like that it adds a little to his downfall when his black and white morality vs his own lust tears him apart because he starts as Quasimodo's savior
It's a strawman argument. It's unrealistic because he's so open about his evil. his evil, of it was so open, would be stopped by the people around him. This is exactly why we see less catholic kiddie diddlers now, now we know that's something that can happen, it's in the open, so people are looking for it to stamp it out when they find it. If Frollo just hid his evil a tiny bit more, he'd be perfect.
To be fair, schafrillas, who this video refers to as an example of this particular argument, didn't in fact say that Frollo was unrealistic in a general sense (as far as I remember. I might of course be wrong.) What Schafrillas meant in his particular video about Frollo, was that Frollo from the Hunchback movie was overly evil in comparison with Frollo from the disney play (And to add to this point, both Frollos are far more evil than the Frollo from the book, who is more of a tragic villain than a purely evil one.) Schafrillas doesn't seem to like the trope of particularly evil villains all that much unless they're very very camp. Frollo on the other hand is played very seriously, like, well, a real person. And that's fine, it's his preference after all. In that sense, having Frollo from the PLAY be more of a realistic portrayal of both a good person and a deeply deeply flawed one, eventually turning him to the path of evil, seems to resonate more with Schafrillas, because it's more "interesting" as far as character arcs go. Again, that's really just up for preference, but it certainly has merit as far as arguments go. I don't think I've ever actually heard a person say that Frollo's general attitude and behavior in the movie is unrealistic in a broader sense. Yes, absolutely, people like Frollo have existed and continue to exist to this day. (I find it quite odd that the simple fact that there is a freaking book written by Victor Hugo with the literal character in it, is almost always ignored by most reviewers. Wouldn't that be the first logical choice for a comparison in characters? The book does a fantastic job at describing HOW Frollo became the way he is in the plot.) However, realistic or not, the real debate is whether or not you feel like villains that go for a "realistic" angle should also be portrayed as wholly evil, which is what Frollo in the movie certainly is. Not because of the angle of realism, but because of what a person sees as quality story-writing. Some people like "relatable" villains for instance, whereas others like campy over the top villainy. Both are equally great in my opinion, and I enjoy them both in their own way.
Hellfire is still to this day, the darkest Disney song ever. It has many taboos in it like sin, hell, lust, religion and religious chanting. Disney nowadays wouldn't even think about doing a song like this.
to me what makes Frollo work over the movie he had moments to really redeemed himself but never did when he saw Quasimodo being treated poorly and made a fool out of by the towns people he had a moment to step in and stop it but wanted to teach him a lesson and a moment that i think was important from the start when He was giving to Quasimodo as a way to help make him a better person he had a moment to give him to a farmer or a fishermen family but wanted to hide the child as well as admitting he be of some use to him showing how in real life people have moments to redeemed themeselfs but always avoid it or see the other ways of what they think is right
Frollo had two chances at redemption, IMO. The first came when he received the care of Quasimodo. He could have learned love and kindness and humanity from that experience. He didn't. The other came when he met Esmeralda. He could have accepted that he was human, fallible, and imperfect. He sought to destroy her instead. Both chances to find salvation passed unused... so while Frollo's body fell over 100 feet, his soul fell much farther.
I think you missed that heaven’s light/hellfire represent two extremes of love for Esmerelda it ultimately explains why Quasimodo doesn’t end up with her. Putting her on a pedestal and viewing her as an angel just because she was the first person to ever be kind to him wasn’t real love for her just like Frollo’s lust for her. But unlike Frollo Quasimodo didn’t feel the need to possess her, he returned her kindness in being accepting of her true feelings.
This is also why it was extremely important that he survive the end of the film (unlike in the novel). Because it was important to show this part of Quasimodo's character and the ultimate result of his respect for Esmeralda's choices. And it's not like she has to stop being his friend just because she hooks up with Phoebus.
@@LegendStormcrow Well to expand on it. From Esmerelda’s side she didn’t love Quasi because she was selfless. All the nice things he did was to help her while all the nice things Phoebus did was to help others so she was more drawn to him. You could see that when Quasi and Phoebus were alone he didn’t want to help the gypsies just Esmerelda.
Well... it is love, just not romantic love. Quasimodo feels a sort of platonic love for Esmerelda. Obviously, this is amplified by the fact that she's on an incredibly short list of people who have ever been nice to him, which is why he confuses it for romantic love.
"Frollo is unrealistic." Excuse me? People have done what he has done, time and time again. He's a dime a dozen in history. I whole heartedly believe a character like him.
When I heard that, I almost spat out my tea. To me, he's a conglomerate of any/all causes of religious trauma in a single individual which I genuinely believe was the intent. His hypocrisy, the way he treats women, the way he treats minorities, and then justifies it through a twisting of religion is literally happening in modern times as we speak. Even if he wasn't "realistic" as an individual, the people who say that as a genuine critique are only looking for surface level characterization as opposed to what he is supposed to represent as a whole.
Frollo makes my skin crawl for the very reason that he is realistic. Serial killers, abusive spouses, clergy members who assault their congrigates, cult leaders, misogynists, incels, etc, etc. All these people are real and dangerous! That's who frollo is! He's the evil that lives next door.
I believe the Frollo problem comes from the idea that villains who don’t have a tragic backstory aren’t well written.and unrealistic which is disingenuous because ultimately some people are just evil. This idea that characters who are good and evil can’t be interesting and three dimensional is really stupid
100% agree. A character being 3 dimensional simply means they are fleshed out -- every motivation of theirs has a reason and depth behind it. That depth doesn't have to involve a tragic backstory or some sort of pitiful or sympathy-inducing experience. It could simply be something like Frollo's cognitive dissonance and his ability to justify his own actions with a twisted sense of "morality". That is fleshed out, but it doesn't inspire pity. That's totally fine -- we shouldn't feel pity for oppressors in power anyways.
@@dialecticsjunkie7653 characters such as Avatar Aang, Mark Grayson/Invincible and Izuku “Deku” Midoriya come to mind as they are very selfless, compassionate and altruistic people, but in turn that doesn’t negate the fact that that they are 3-Dimensional characters.
I plan on writing characters when I create anime. I want to create characters that are 3 dimensional and realistic. I have so many stories and character ideas the first villain I thought has a tragic stories and the second but that helps them with their motivation. I’m trying to write a villain with no tragic background but complex. I hope I do a good job. Frollo is an inspiration from that
I absolutely agree. I think the danger to with abusers like Frollo isbthey really do view their actions as justified, ESPECIALLY if they have a hard backstory, and if they can't justify it they play victim just like how Frollo blames literally everyone else even though HE'S the one who needs to take responsibility.
I think it's his lack of a tragic backstory that makes him so good as a villain. He's the embodiment of this calculating, gaslighting entitlement we see nowadays. He's gotten just about everything he's ever wanted and been able to do it without question because of his status, so the minute he can't have his way he literally tries to burn everything down.
I think what's great about Hellfire is it is an "I am" song. Villians like Gaston also get an "I am" song, but it's "I am great. I am handsome. I am the best." Here it's "I am lustful. I am flawed. I am *damned".* You mentioned how people can relate to being victims of abuse or manipulative people, but how about being victims of themselves. Frollo had the chance to let Esmeralda go and just move on like you said; and instead he *doubles down.* His pride and hypocrisy will not allow it. A latin choir doesn't hurt either.
I've seen from a RUclips comment that "using the Lord's name in vain" is actually people doing terrible things in the name of God, not actually saying Oh My God and all that stuff.
I remember seeing a comment in another analysis video that the light and color choice was essentially a representation of heaven/hell and that the bright blue light behind the guard was essentially a representation of the heavenly aid Frollo had asked for. The fact that as mentioned in the video Frollo gets the help and chance to move on but "doubles down" as he replies; "I'll find her, I'll find her if I have to burn down all of Paris" rather than ignore it and move onto something else
We see Frollo come within inches of self-awareness and a tipping point where he is able to see himself for what he is and actually become a better person... And then we watch his pride drag him away from the light and destroy him utterly. This song is not merely a condemnation of Frollo. It is a condemnation of the sin of pride, and a demonstration of how it can crush any good that might be in a person utterly, until all that remains is evil.
This isn’t related to Hellfire, but an earlier scene... When Frollo is singing “Out There,” he brushes aside the statues that Quasimodo made and places his basket where they once stood. He is dismissing everything that Quasimodo made and placing his “charity” above the boy’s work and possessions.
There have been many young woman and girls who where victims of harassment and abuse. For example, remember Larry Nassar? He was a doctor sexually harrassed and abused hundreds of women.
@@4shame What about Jeffery Epstein and R. Kelly? They both where well known people who abused woman. And there all those police officer who used their power to kill people.
I of course know that many women are victims of sexual and physical abuse and that is obviously awful but it happens to men too. The fact that it isn't talked about nearly as much just shows the extreme double standards of our society. Keep in mind that i am a woman myself. Nobody and i mean NOBODY deserves to be treated in such a way regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or any other differentiating factor.
You describe Quasimodo as a Romani child, which isn’t inaccurate. But it’s important to know that back then, Romani would adopt children who had been abandoned to die by their parents (in part to widen their gene pool but also compassion, of course). In Medieval times, parents of deformed children, or parents who didn’t have enough food, would often leave their kids to die. This is almost certainly the case with Quasimodo. He’s deformed, and he’s white while his adoptive parents aren’t. This means that when Frollo tells Quasi that his mother abandoned him for his deformity, he’s telling half of the truth. Quasi’s biological mother did abandon him.
In the stage adaptation (which is closer to the book) Quasimodo is the result of Frollo’s brother’s entanglement with a Romani girl, which would make him half Romani.
@@4shame I don't know if you're aware of this but here in YT you can find concept art videos for "Bells of Notre Dame" and "Hellfire" In first video Frollo looks scary (Like, HELLA scary!) but during the Hellfire he looks kinda pitiful and scared. My best guess is that this scene was originally suppouse to show us that behind his stone- cold demeanor and dark robes, there is just old scared desperate man in brick madness. But as we all know, they changed Frollo little bit more stone faced and less cartooney in the end.
I honestly love both the movie and the theater adaptation of this film. That said, Disney's Frollo isn't unrealistic because he's "too evil". Disney's Frollo is frighteningly real like you say in this video. Thanks for shedding light on this. Characters, even characters who are supposed to be religious and good, can commit genocide, be abusive, and do unspeakably horrible things. Human history is full of such figures. Many of us have been the victims of such people. This is why Hellfire is my favourite Disney villain song. He is a true villain - one we know from our own lives.
And the thing with villains like this is - they're rare, as humans go. I would argue rarer than heroes. But, where such villains exist, their impact is disproportionate. But because they're rare, it's easy for a lot of people to go their whole lives without a single personal encounter of a villain like that. Hence them judging such people as "unrealistic" - as in, I don't know anyone like that personally, therefore they must not exist. FYI, villains who don't make good storybook villains (i.e. Hans from Frozen) are also a real type of person, and often they're glossed over in a similar fashion (except with Hans types, it's easier to focus on the "good" they do because they have much better veneers than the Frollos and Jafars of the world - and yes, I definitely think they dropped the ball on Jafar with the remake, there were much better directions they could go with a man who has the power to hypnotize a sultan and force him to pass whatever law he wants).
@@lsmmoore1 He's unrealistic not because he commits evil, but because it's too open. Evil either hides or masks itself more as good, apologizing and making arguments for how their evil is actually good. We see this from everyone, progressives do it, conservatives do it, but no one is open about their evil because it gets crushed to easily that way.
@@SeanWinters Some of those folks are open about their evil, though, especially in the more authoritarian circles. And the circle depicted in that movie is one where the ordinary people could do little about it, so someone like Frollo doesn't have to hide as much.
This Berlin version is FAR Superior. What the American Version SHOULD HAVE BEEN. Damn shame Patrick Page's talent was wasted. THIS IS THE FROLLO HE SHOULD HAVE PLAYED! THE AMERICAN VERSION IS AN OVERRATED PIECE OF CRAP! Schafrillas is an idiot who has no idea what he's talking about. ruclips.net/video/xP8cM6QRkA4/видео.html
Judge Frollo terrifies me to this day, I know it sounds dumb but hear me out: if you're a young woman you've probably have been sexually harassed/abused by creepy old men, and he's SO WELL WRITTEN, and everytime I watch that scene in where he smells Esmeralda's hair and grabs her by the neck my skin crawls. I think that's why I kinda love how he's written in some way, he makes you feel like a villain is supposed to make you feel. PD: I also noticed that when the guard told Frollo Esmeralda had escaped, Frollo literally turns his back to Heaven and chooses Hell, which kinda shows that he doomed himself.
I feel like the god have mercy on her line represents the last bit of his humanity praying to God to not punish her in hell if he ends up killing her due to his obsession.
I think Frollo, on some level, knows that what he’s doing is wrong, but is too prideful to admit it. He seems to know that his lust for Esmeralda is wrong, but rather than admitting it, he’d rather destroy her or make her his own. He’d rather deny or give into his lust, rather than admit to it, due to his pride.
@@4shame Yeah. Pride was a key reason for Frollo being so evil. He was so convinced of the righteousness of his actions that he didn’t stop to think about what he was doing.
Plus his immediate next line, "God have mercy on me." Frollo is appealing to God, for the last time in his life, for mercy upon his soul, as, he is implied to realize, his future actions, discarding his religious self-righteousness to indulge in his sexual obsession for Esmeralda, will damn him to literal hellfire.
Him and Scar's (Lion King) personality (obviously he's a talking lion). People will definitely step on and destroy others to achieve their own ends, especially in lusts for power.
For me The Hunchback of Notre Dame is Disney's darkest, most mature and adult movie that they've ever released!! Which is the main reason why it's one of Disney's most acclaimed masterpieces. As both kids and adults can watch and relate to the movie's very dark themes of racism, genocide, religion, lust, corruption of power, and being a social outcast. The best animated movies are the ones where both children and adults can watch and enjoy together.
Quick question why does everyone seem to think in this comment section that religion is a super dark topic? I maybe looking too much into it but it just makes me wonder
@@conneraldeqn9751 Because discussing religion is a controversial topic. Especially in a historical context! People have committed heinous acts through out history e.g Taliban, Crusades in the name of religion.
@@conneraldeqn9751 Religion is viewed today as very dark, very dark, a thing that ranges from neutral to evil, never good, at most it is inconsequential at worst it is pure evil. Take in to account that with religion i mean all and any religion not specifically christianity, religions in general are seen as overall bad stuff today. The problem is that they promise an afterlife for righteouness and that is bad, because all people fancy themselves as righteouss in practically all situations, specially bad people, and this only gives them an excuse to act on their evils and to drag other people in to it if they are charismatic enough.
It's funny cause Frollo lately has reminded me of too many people these days, the sanctimonious ones who do horrible things under the guise of a moral that everyone can sympathize, yet like the actor said, give no excuse for their behavior. I think this is why we are seeing a lot of people trying to look at those who promote self discipline and self responsibility because we are having way too many Frollos in our world taking charge for their selfish reasons. Frollo has managed to commit almost every sin to avoid facing his dark character, thus he was a coward and why he fear God instead of having a balanced relationship with the religion.
I think unfortunately, though, that more often than not the ones preaching about "self discipline/responsibility" *are* the same sanctimonious people who try to justify their inhumanity under the guise of morality. "What's that? Can't pay your astronomically high medical bills? Well, forget about us voting to pass universal health care, you shouldda been more responsible with your health." "You say you ended up pregnant and now you can't afford to raise your child in a good environment? Well, don't expect *our* help, you made the mistake, so you deal with it." Well, it sucks that you're addicted to drugs and need help, but after all no one else *forced* you to try them in the first place, did they?" Labeling people as "lazy" or "irresponsible" is just their way of justifying their coldness and lack of compassion towards people in need of real help. It's not their responsibility so they get to wash their hands of any moralistic obligation they might otherwise feel towards others, an "every man for himself" mentality. Maybe some of them even believe they *are* helping others learn responsibility this way, but it just comes off to me as needlessly heartless. If Frollo was real and alive today I'm sure he'd be telling the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the struggling families to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" and chalking up their misfortune up to their own personal failings rather than admitting that sometimes, through no fault of their own, people just suffer from circumstances brought on by bad luck or systemic injustice. The guy who can't pay his medical bills? Maybe he simply had a genetic condition. The woman who got pregnant? Maybe her husband died suddenly. The drug addict? Maybe they were in an accident and got hooked on the pain pills. There are so many X factors and unfairly rigged systems at play that the "personal responsibility" crowd never considers, but also we're all just *human,* and humans are far from perfect beings. So now when I hear someone touting the "personal responsibility" sentiment I tend to be wary of *why* they're saying it. Just to be clear I *do* think people should be responsible to the best of their ability, especially when it's an internal conflict like the "don't be a creepy stalker" conflict Frollo wrestles with (lol), but I also believe in kindness and simple decency towards our fellow human beings, and that maybe our lives shouldn't be completely ruined nor should our characters be condemned for a few little mistakes that we might've been able to overcome if someone had only given us a helping hand.
This ain't a newer Kearns this been going on before social media before the internet people were like that even the biblical times too as long as people existed that's been this is nothing new
People think pure evil means "evil for the sake of evil". Just because villains think they're the good guy or believe what they're doing is right, doesn't mean they are sympathetic nor redeemable. Examples: Lex Luthor. From his point of Clark Kent/Superman is the bad guy and Lex Luthor is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego. Norman Osborn/Green Goblin: From his point of view Peter Parker/Spider-Man is the bad guy and Norman Osborn/Green Goblin is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego. Judge Claude Frollo: From is point of view Esmeralda, gypsies and anyone who opposes him are the bad guys and Judge Claude Frollo is racist unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego. Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious: From his point of view the Jedi, Republic and the Rebel Alliances are the bad guys and Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego. Palpatine/Sidious even says "Good Is From A Point of View" in Revenge of The Sith. Doctor Doom: From his point of view the Fantastic Four are the bad guy and Doctor Doom is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego. Darkseid: From his point of view humans are the bad guys and Darkseid is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego. Apocalypse: From his point of view The X-Men and humans are the bad guys and Apocalypse is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego, unlike Magneto. People who are pure evil exist. I.E. Adolf Hitler, Richard Nixon, Saddam Hussein and Josef Stalin have no redeeming qualities what so ever. Pure Evil does not mean they are evil for the sake of being evil. Just because a villain thinks they are the good guy doesn’t mean they are tragic, sympathetic nor does it mean they have redeemed qualities. Some people are just selfish narcissistic sociopaths with a massive ego.
Have another couple pieces of trivia: •The creative team thought that censors and Disney execs would push back against all the dark, intense imagery of "Hellfire," so they went all-out when presenting their concept. They were pleasantly surprised when they received zero negative feedback. •Realizing the precious gift of being given _carte blanche_ on this song, the animators of this scene went over *every single frame* of the fire/smoke Esmeralda to ensure she was always depicted fully clothed.
I think why Frolo is such a good villain and why this song resonates with me so much more as an adult is because, and please don’t think I’m a crazy person, he’s relatable. Think about it: How many times have we had the solution be right in front of us, yet we continue on the destructive path anyway? Hell, even if we’re specifically talking about the lust aspect, I can guarantee a large majority of adults have felt it towards someone they weren’t supposed to at some point in their lives. As the voice actor said, Frolo is like an arch. We can see right through him, understand why he does the things that he does, but that doesn’t make them excusable. But ask yourself why he’s that way. Why is he so easy to understand? Because on some level, whether it be the lust or just turning down a perfectly good opportunity to walk away, most of us can relate to him. And that’s what makes a great villain IMO. To see that you the viewer could just as easily become one. (Again, please don’t think I’m a crazy person who wants to dominate over some helpless woman or something.)
I think I get what you mean. Everyone has the ability or desire to do evil things. And of course Claude isn’t a one dimensional character, he’s a complex human just like anyone else. From my own view of the character I look at his life as something of a tragedy, much like his actor does. I’ve always felt that Frollo is a product of his repressed and fanatical time period and perhaps if he had a better understanding of his own feelings he wouldn’t have ended up the way he did
@@AbrasiousProductions You can get help with that, seek out and find a psychotherapist that works for you. One of the best decisions in life for me, changes a life, with time and work
Disney movies have always carried serious themes (abuse, manipulation, low self-esteem, etc.), though the 1990s showed a lot of darker themes (racism in Pocahontas, war and gender roles in Mulan, the threat of genocide in Hunchback, etc). It is certainly sonething that would be harder to discuss as a main theme in modern films (though we do get this in Atlantis, The Princess & the Frog, Brave, Tangled, Frozen, etc). That said, Disney tackled these themes without making the films feel preachy or less entertaining/magical, so I'd certainly welcome it.
also,,, frolo is indeed an evil most all of us have encountered but tbh… i think another reason it resonates so well is (especially hellfire alone) is frolo is in a spot where he panicks when presented with the thought it’s his fault. it’s almost like, he panicks because he knows if he acknowledges one fault, they’ll all come rushing in. so it’s also something we can relate to in the sense that most of us have BEEN frolo at some point. kinda like those aspects of your life that are a never ending small fib after small fib, often were in a position where we fear if we did the right thing now, all our wrong things in the past would come toppling down on us. so frolo is such a grounded and in your face evil that’s so uncomfortable not only because a lot of us have seen it in others before, but we’ve even seen it in ourselves
@@4shame indeed, it’s a good thing too. to realize how much of a monster you can actually be. i mean we could all do some real damage without even realizing it so it’s so important to constantly check yourself
@@4shame Another quote that come to mind is “In the moment when I truly understand my enemy…then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves.”- Ender’s Game
I’ve heard similar comments about the scene with the guard. It gives Frollo a chance at redemption by giving up his pursuit of Esmeralda, but Frollo, instead, chooses to double his search for her. That choice seals his fate, as he gets no more chances at redemption.
@@4shame For me, Frollo’s best scene is when he’s with Quasimodo, interrogating him on Esmeralda’s whereabouts. It really establishes how Frollo’s character has deteriorated over the course of the film. At first, Frollo was someone who, while evil, maintained his composure, and, despite having a rage concealed inside him, he mostly kept in check for the sake of civility, such as when the Archdeacon stops him from forcing Esmeralda to leave. In this scene, though, we see Frollo’s anger fully bubbling up to the surface. Before this, we see him lose his temper with the guard, after he tells him that Esmeralda has escaped, but here we see him fully unleash, once he realizes the truth about Quasimodo’s role in Esmeralda’s escape. He smashes objects in anger, verbally and physically abuses Quasimodo, and lets his full hatred of the Romani people be known. It’s the first time we see Frollo’s calm and composed demeanor fully break away to reveal how monstrous he really is. It’s terrifying, but well-animated and acted, at the same time.
@@speedracer2008 In that scene when he says “Think boy, think of your mother!” It runs makes my blood run cold every time. And I definitely agree that the whole scene is a fantastic way to show that he’s losing his mind
I would also argue that the scene where Frollo confronts Quasimodo about Esmeralda’s whereabouts also gives Frollo a chance at redemption, because Quasimodo tries to tell Frollo that Esmeralda was kind to him, not cruel, like Frollo said the outside world was. In a sense, Quasimodo is playing the role of Frollo’s conscience, telling him that persecution of the Romani people is wrong and that Esmeralda didn’t deserve it. But Frollo, blinded by his racism, refuses to accept that his hatred is unwarranted and forces Quasimodo to see things his way. This represents Frollo trying to convince himself that his racism is justified, when it’s clear that it isn’t.
one of my favorite aspects of Hellfire, is how the melody is ALL OVER the opening number "Bells of Notre Dame". there are three "main" melodies in that song: the "bell" theme, Hellfire, and the Dies Irae. Dies irae is translates to "day of wrath" and is part of the funeral mass, and is likely the single most referenced piece of music in modern media. entire SCORES have been written around this piece of music. whenever it shows up, death is referenced. the chorus is SHRIEKING the words of Dies Irae while Quasimodo's mother is running for her life. but when she actually dies, Hellfire starts BLASTING. the end of the song is a tug-of-war between the "bell" theme, and Hellfire, with Hellfire answering the final question of the song. just something there for repeat viewers
Another great detail is when Frollo sings “god have mercy on me”, in the background the choir sings “Kyrie eleison” which is a Greek prayer used in Catholic tradition meaning “Lord have mercy!”
I sometimes believe that in the Hellfire song, Frollo sold his soul to the devil to make sure he handles his lust of Esmeralda AND perhaps gain supernatural power. For example, when he attempted to burn the family alive in their house with his torch, the torch barely made contact with the house, but it burned up very quickly. That could mean that the fire that Frollo used to burn down the house wasn't regular fire, but it could be fire from HELL
@@williambrown9983 believe it. You thought Quasimodo was being tortured at the festival of fools by the crowd? It's nothing compared to the torture Frollo gave to the citizens of Paris & Esmeralda when he tried to burn them all alive.
@@dataexpunged4784 yeah. At that time Frollo's eyes & teeth turned orange. That could be him turning into a demon about to cast Quasimodo & Esmeralda into hellfire
The parallelism, contrast, and meaning of each song in this film is genius. Especially Heaven’s Light/Hellfire and the Libera Me in the immolation scene.
Outside of the Hugo novel and its adaptations, it's possible that Hellfire is meant to parallel a scene from Puccini's Tosca, another work about a corrupt judge trying to force himself on an entertainer. Scarpia's aria "Va, Tosca" is set within a church during a ceremony, and he sings about his fantasies regarding the heroine Tosca while the church chorus chants in the background. The contrast between Disney and Tosca, though, is that Scarpia is prideful and triumphant, completely confident that his threats will serve to drive Tosca into his arms. Throughout the scene, he is completely in control. The chant in the background, too, is Te Deum (Praise God), a joyful hymn extoling the virtues of God. Frollo, on the other hand, is confused and scared, and haunted by his guilt. Unlike Scarpia, Frollo knows that he is sinning and has to work to deny it. The scene is about him losing control. To reflect this, the chant used is Confiteor (I confess), a penitent prayer
I watched this movie for the first time when I was 16. I remember being so excited at the time because I thought that I will have the ✨magical✨ time that disney gave me when I was young. But boy, was I wrong. The realism made me feel so uneasy and disturbed to my bones 'til the next day.
" Bats and owls and coiled sea dragons Crocodiles and carrion beasts! Swirling in the growing darkness Join us in the coming feast! " My favorite part of that song.
A fun little note is that, in contrast to the informant having the soft, pale moonlight illuminating him, Frollo himself is backed by the harsh, bright fire emanating from the hearth- showing how far from grace he's fallen
Putting Heaven's Light and Hell Fire together as one track is so brilliant. The contrasting ways that the two men see the same woman is powerful when put side by side. And I've always thought that Frollo was one of the creepiest villains because what makes him a villain are extremely realistic faults as opposed to magic or supernatural means. You could come across someone like him in your life, and that's what is truly terrifying.
Always loved Hellfire, but this video made me respect it even more. Frollo's struggle in his own soul, the guard actually being an answer to his prayer and his response to "find her if I have to burn down all of Paris"
tony jay has such a soothing, appealing voice. he’s amazingly talented. & i’m so thankful that he was the voice for one of the best, most brilliant & disgusting villains ever.
Another fan fact about what the priests are singing is the public/general confession, which is part of Catholic Mass. It's basically the congregation members confessing to having sinned(in thought, speech and neglicence) and admitting their own fault in it, and asking both saints and community to pray on their behalf to God. It's soo clever in the context of this song, bc as I've said and as the figures say the point of that confession is to ADMIT FAULT(Mea Culpa=My fault) and do it honestly and publically. Which is a difficult thing to do for many. Frollo however, doesn't do that. He does the OPPOSITE. He "confesses" but constantly blames others for his deeds and shortcomings. Plus he does this confession, not as it's meant to be-publically, but in the comfort of his own palace. Where no one an hear him. Another thing and part of the humility in that prayer/confession is that the congregation, the people attending mass with you are called "brothers and sisters". Those people(at least in theory) are supposed to be your equals and it shouldn't matter what social status or ethinicity/race they are. Frollo however sees himself ABOVE everyone else, closer and more beloved by God than regular people. So, depsite his apparent devotion to God, he goes basically against one of the chief rules of his faith. which comes form hubris which is a deadly sin. I know all of this bc I was raised in a Catholic country and thus attended mass for my entire childhood.
6:18 This interlude is also plainly the Confiteor which is a prayer that is linked to the Roman-Catholic Church that is well… kinda in the name. “Confession” (I don’t know and doubt that confiteor directly translates to confession, but that’s what the prayer is about and i don’t doubt that Confiteor in some way lead to the formation of the word confession since Confiteor is in Latin and predates modern english) Knowing this honestly makes Hellfire so much cooler. They took a prayer/hymn that was around the time of the movie about confessing and wrote a score off that, and then had the lyrics thematically reflect how even in confessing to God, Frolo is entirely disingenuous, showing hes not only hypocritical in how he treats other but it goes down to his core. even when no one is listening, he convinces himself he isn’t in the wrong for sinning and being lustful, but god and the whole world is at fault for making it so easy for him to have such desires
Actually the Confiteor is still prayed in Mass today. It's prayed right at the very beginning of the liturgy. Asking God for mercy, but the miraculous thing, right after is the Gloria (save during Advent and Lenten fasting seasons), praising God's great glory. We are forgiven.
"Confiteor" is Latin for "I confess". In the catholic mass we say at the beginning: "I confess to the Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned through my thoughts and my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do" (in Latin "Confiteor Deo omnipotenti et vobis, fratres, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, opere, et omissione").
This song is one of the best Disney villain song for the same reason that Umbridge is hated more than Voldemort. We can relate to people like them, like you said
Anybody who has read history knows that Frolo is a scarily realistic villain. History is fraught with people as evil as Frolo all doing what they do under the guise of righteousness. The Spanish inquisition is just one example that comes to mind.
The Spanish Inquisition amazingly killed 12 people in 350 years of its tenure. Don't get me wrong, it still should've been 0 but I didn't expect that either.
I don't know why but I see Javert from the Miserables Musical almost as Frollo: He prays the Stars to help him in his "mission", obsessionated by Jean, not seeing that in reality what he is doing is wrong
They’re actually similar in a lot of ways: deeply religious, men of authority, men of the justice system, et. But I do think that Javert is is much less evil than Frollo.
Well the characters where both written by Victor Hugo who was making commentary about the hypocrisy of the Catholic church in France. The two books share similar themes.
Something I find really cool is that when Frollo plunges Esmareldas scarf into the fire is that the angle of the "camera" makes it look like his arm is surrounded by flames, like his arm is in the fire as well. The symbolism of this is genius as it shows that by condemning Esmarelda as he has and has stated he will continue to do also condemns himself to the so-called 'hellfire' he wishes to send her to as well. It really showcases how contrary his character is, by sentencing Esmarelda to die in flames he has set himself ablaze yet all his sees is anyone but himself holding the match. Absolutely brilliant. 🥰🥰
Belatedly coming in here two years late but I never realized the soldier coming in was basically Frollo's prayer being answered but he ignored it anyway. That's BRILLIANT. Every time someone analyses this song, I always find something new to love about it. Frollo's one of my favorite Disney villains and I have no idea what part my religious trauma plays in it but I always find that bit ironic.
Something in the lyrics worth mentioning, as a further illustration of how Frollo dehumanizes Esmeralda, but the ONLY time he invokes her name (I think in the whole film) is in prayer for her destruction.
Hellfire is my personal favorite villain song, and I loved this analysis. I think we can all say we've been Frollo before in our life (though typically not as extreme as the character...I hope). Not to mention, the animation in this scene is gorgeous. When Frollo's prayers are answered and the scene sharply cuts from the soft blue "heavenly" light to the hellish shadow of Frollo in front of the fireplace, it gives me chills.
When you said there were people that said Frollo was unrealistic, I instantly shook my head. He is so realistic he's scary. I live in the Bible Belt. I have read about the crusades. Anyone that says his hypocrisy about his religious beliefs is unrealistic, has not stepped outside. But luckily now a days, more and more people are becoming more aware of the hypocrisies of evangelicals and the like. And how dangerous they can actually be.
Not now but like 300-400 500 years ago like centuries ago people were like this this is nothing new it didn't just suddenly happened in last 10 years this been happening centuries decades people were like that forever
This was a great video! Thank you for including the quote from Tony Jay talking about his character, I hadn’t heard it before. Your analysis of Hellfire was great and I like how you compared it to Biggering (a criminally underrated song, for sure). I look forward to your PatF video!
Thank you! There might be one video in between this one and PatF, but it'll be out relatively soon. Oh, also, since I forgot to include it in the description, here's the full interview if you're interested ruclips.net/video/cCSqnYv1ZA0/видео.html
13:21 damn... that is deep. And extremely accurate. I am a man who tries to do their best to help people, keep my emotions locked up inside, and try to understand more about what is around me and about myself. Even I do admit I have a darkside and many deep emotions that I consider shameful myself (that I hardly reveal to others except those i trust to the ends of the earth). This song is always a good reminder of that and I love the hell (fire) out of it.
My best friend just told me we should watch this together and it was just amazing. Never saw the little details such as Hellfire being a continuation of Heaven’s Light, or the guard’s news an answer to Frollo’s prayers. I’m simply amazed by your attention to detail and the fact that you explained it so amazingly. You got yourself a new subscriber!
Thank you! I’m happy to hear you like my stuff! I might end up doing a series on villain songs since people liked this one so much. And thank you for subscribing!
I love how Frolo has a song called "Hellfire" and after talking about smiting the wicked and casting him into the fire, that EXACT THING happens to Frolo: he's casted into the same Hellfire he sang about.
I also like the small detail in the very end, when he falls to the floor, face down in a cross-like pose - that's the very pose that catholic priests assume during their ordination.
This movie has done what no other Disney movie has: it’s created a realistic portrayal of hypocrisy in religion with an equally realistic villain taken over by megalomania
8:43 In French, we often say "Mea Culpa" to confess a mistake, to admit when we're wrong. It's one of those latin formulas that we use in everyday language. I thought I should mention it as the story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is set in France and is based on a French work.
Even rewatching this video I get chills. I totally missed the heavenly answer reference with the guard, and it is a great metaphor to express how most of us could leave dark or toxic behavior if we wanted to, the only thing stopping us is ourselves. Fantastic video and analysis, hope you’re good! -Socio-political ranter, over and out XD
Thank you! I plan to eventually do a “What Happened To?” video on the entire Hunchback series, but the fact that there’s 10 films means it’ll be a while lol. And to answer your question, I’m doing good!
Your editing and commentary are great! Definitely subscribed Also I agree with your favorite part. From a musical standpoint, I get chills when it switches to a triumphant major key for but a fleeting moment, as if it's his last chance
10:46 This moment actually made me gasp in suprise, I had never considered this specific reading of that scene, and I don't think I can ever look at that scene the same way. It is almost ingenious
Tony Jay was fantastic. Not only is he a good actor in general, but he really does have a lovely voice. Captivating is the perfect word for it. The guy could read the phone book and it would be enthralling.
Whenever I watch Hunchback, I always watch and rewatch the Hellfire scene at least twice. The animation is more stunning than newer Disney films. Speaking of newer Disney films, I feel like they should experience darker topics or be based off of darker stories without really lightening them up. I’ve had enough of newer Disney plots that are simply too basic and predictable and every song is in a major key. I want darker topics that aren’t THAT mature, have unexpected twists, and some MINOR KEY SONGS FOR GOD’S SAKE. Thank you for reading my rant
With all the recent live action adaptations of classic Disney films, I can’t think of a single living actor who could step into Frollo’s shoes and deliver the kind of performance that Tony Jay gave us. Truly one of a kind
What makes frollo scary at least is the same as why we get scared or the church organ. Frollo is a man of the church so we set up this expectation of him being good the same as we think of the pipe organ as the instrument of God but frollo is corrupted, he's terrible. We expect people from the church as righteous, good, and obviously religious the same as we expect the pipe organ to play songs of praise, and hymns. Frollo is scary because he's supposed to be good but he's not, the pipe organ is scary because it's not playing what we expect it should play.
It’s why I think people are driven so much towards the twist villain trope honestly. There’s something extra frightening about a threat who’s disguised as a friend
The guard shrouded in light giving Frollo the answer he asked for but that he doesn't realize it - Brilliant. That you noticed it. I never did but I tend to not look too deeply at Disney films. Somehow, I didn't think any Disney films back then really gave any symbolic depth. Hunchback of Notre Dame has always been one of my favorites but I'm aware it's not as popular as other Disney films. I wasn't sure why that was and dismissed it as 'well there's no literal princess marrying a handsome literal prince'. I'm sure for little girls that is the case, which is what I was when I watched this film for the first time plus adults weren't watching animated film or tv then. Children tend to like and understand more simple stories. I think adult audiences would appreciate this film more than children since it deals with dark, complex problems that exist in the real world. Hunchback is one of my favorite Disney films because of the bitter and painful truths it sheds on painful things many relate to. I'm also impressed Disney purposely made such a realistically dark film, especially when it also shows how harmful religion specifically Christianity can be with the many people. Reality hasn't always been Disney's cup of tea.
idk as a little girl witch trials, religious corruption and the plague were my JAM but i also liked princesses and mermaids (oh god i loved mermaids sm omg) so idk ig everyone is different
Something I’ve noticed about the theater version of this song, is that they omitted the scene where Frollo had his chance to let go of his obsession with Esmerelda. That was such a crucial part of the song.
another great detail about the interruption by the guard, is that whilst the guard is framed from above by a blueish, almost heavenly light, Frollo is backed by flames reaching up from below. The symbolism is very on the nose but exceptionally striking Edit, spelling
If you’re a fan of covers, I’d highly recommend Jonathan Young’s cover of hellfire. It even makes a brilliant call back to the bells of Notre Dame and Quasimodo’s mother pleading for sanctuary.
I still remember my first introduction to Frollo as a character in something of an Instagram community that dubbed themselves "Frollophiles" and would ship Frollo and Esmeralda. Haunts me to this day. I can't believe they missed the entire point of the movie.
That is what makes Frollo so terrifying. He is REALISTIC. For the sake of the movie his deeds and actions are slightly over exaggerated...But not by much. There are people alive today, in 2022 who hide behind things like religion and the law, and do truly monstrous things while claiming they are in the right. It is perhaps the most common 'evil' of human kind throughout our history.
This song is filled with characterisation about Frollo and its so subtle that most people don't realise its there, and that's what makes it even more amazing. The chant that the choir is singing is called the Confiteor Deo (I Confess, To God Almighty) and is heard throughout the song, mirroring Frollos word, which many see as Frollos conscious, trying to convince him that he is at fault for everything. Like this (F for Frollo, C for Choir): F... of my virtue I am justly proud C... Et tibit Pater ( And to you, Father) F...The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd C...Quia peccavi nimis (That is have sinned) F...Why her smoldering eyes still scorch my soul C...Cogitatione (In thought) F...Is blazing in me out of all control C...Verbo at opere (In word and deed) F...ITS NOT MY FAULT C... MEA CULPA (THROUGH MY FAULT) The attention to detail in this song is like nothing I've ever seen and it shows a battle between Frollos guilty conscious and his new found lust. It is amazing.
This is just my opinion, but I think the reason why some people consider Frollo to be unrealistic despite the fact he literally is realistic, is because in the book he's the complete polar opposite till Esmeralda comes into the picture. In the book, he's not only the Deacon of Notre Dame but literally finds Quasimodo abandoned on its steps. Frollo then takes him in and raises him as if he was his own son, and the name didn't come from him being deformed nor did the name itself mean half-form, but I think it was like based on some kind of holiday or something. Many have stated that because of this change in the Disney movie, it made him too evil, and I think that's why some people consider him to be unrealistic. I think though this movie makes someone like him more realistic than the book does even though he was sympathetic and quite a tragic character, especially with the way he dies. After all, the book was based on the corruption of the church and how overpowered it was.
Those people are idiots. Frollo in the Disney movie isn’t one dimensional. Frollo from his point of view believes he his the good guy. He’s a prime example just because the villain thinks he’s the good guy doesn’t mean you have to make him sympathetic or pussify them. Frollo in the book is a joke because often (Not always) when you make a villain sympathetic it turns them into a pussy. Also the Victor Hugo novel sucked. It was fucking boring, Esmeralda and Quasimodo are not likeable characters so when they died I didn’t shed a tear. Also Frollo in the book was a pussy. Also Pierre Gringoire got on my nerves. Yes, I like the Gargoyles in the movie and Dory from Finding Nemo is insufferable. There I fucking said. The writing in the book and was terrible and the pacing was WAY too slow and the book was incredibly pretentious. Plus Frollo is WAY scarier as a Judge, because Priests have no power. Also the whole evil priest thing has been done to death.
@@MovieEnforcer It's abnormal behavior at it's finest and Frollo uses reverse psychology with Quasimodo to keep him isolated, and yes, having him be a judge does make him scarier because it puts literal and more power in his hands. Also, a character being sympathetic doesn't really make them a pussy. It depends on the circumstances of why we need to be sympathetic towards the character. Look at Ramses in The Prince of Egypt for example. When Moses returns, Ramses wants things to be the way they once were, but is heartbroken when Moses returns to be his enemy and not his brother. Plus, he's brought up through the psychology that was hammered in by his father. He stands against Moses and doesn't release the slaves cause he doesn't wanna be the weak link, (despite he does end up becoming), and protect the dynasty. It's not till Moses takes everything from Ramses does he finally cave and become broken, and swear vengeance. That's a character that we can legitimately feel sorry for and understand.
@@marshallburlew7549 I normally don’t like sympathetic villains in general. Are there exceptions? Of course. Itatch Uchia, Darth Vader in Return of The Jedi, Magneto, Sinestro, Mr. Freeze (Excluding Batman & Robin), Penguin in Batman Returns and Two-Face (Excluding Batman Forever). But those are sympathetic villains done right.
The Hunchback of Notredame is an absolute masterpiece. From an age when they didn’t dumb down or dilute Disney movies to appeal to the masses, it speaks with intense intelligence and a visceral realism that outlines some deep truths. They simply don’t make them like this anymore.
I'm so glad to see this video. Hunchback has one of the best soundtracks of any Disney film, as each song is filled with so much human emotion. The film and score are both ridiculously underrated.
a interesting thought concerning the opening of the film: the final battle has shown that the gargoyles are indeed alive... so that means all the effigies Frollo thought were looking at him were, indeed, LOOKING at him, judging him. and someone else pointed out that if you look at the Virgin Mary statue, her eyes are closed, but when the lightning flashes, they open.
I would like to point out that in the context of this song and the movie as a whole, I think when he says "Of my virtue I am justly proud", the word virtue can be either taken to mean he considers himself a virtuous person, or it could be taken in relation to the idea of celibacy. Virgins were (and in some cases still are) considered to be more virtuous than those who are not. I prefer to take the second view when listening to this because it makes more sense in context for him to be proud of being celibate, and why he'd be afraid of losing that purity.
So glad I experienced Disney in its most creative decade ever the 1990s. Todays' Disney would never be able to create a character like Frollo and pull him off with todays' over-sensitive audience. Frollo got created , made and put out there during the best moment of movie going history really. Hellfire is the same way. Truly masterful and Tony Jay actually singing those high bass notes so perfectly at age 63 still astonishes me, especially knowing he had gone through surgery in HIS LUNGS! 😳 That is amazing!
The part I've always loved is how throughout Hellfire you have the back and forth of Frollo and the choir, who are singing the Confitor in Latin. The Confitor is a part at the beginning of mass wherein everyone in church confesses that they are imperfect and have sinned and ask for the mercy of God. But during the song Frollo is dodging his guilt and dodging culpability. Probably most poignant part is the "mea culpa" "it's not my fault" part. That part was translated nowadays to, "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grevious fault," laying blame squarely on the person saying it. But Frollo keeps redirecting blame. IDK, as a Catholic, I think Alan Menken went above and beyond with the music integrating the latin parts from mass beautifully. One of the reasons I love the movie so much.
What? Of course people like him existed, exist currently, and will continue to exist in the future. He is one of the more real animated characters I have seen, uncomfortably so.
@@malissahyatt2425no now this is not nothing to do with Republicans this has long before America existed as long as people hated other people because x y and z or motivation for it
I’ve always enjoyed the idea of the guard in the door being an actual Angel (faces cast in shadow to the point of illegibility are a common prosaic description of biblical angels) giving Frollo a final chance to stop before he takes it all too far. And Frollo, so utterly obsessed with “his” Esemeralda, rejects the chance.
Unrelated but Frollo's voice just being Tony Jay's regular speaking voice makes that interview funny to listen to, like imagine Frollo himself as just an actor being interviewed about his portrayal 😂
I've heard it started that the flames burn AWAY Sin being a purifying force. Meaning any true righteous person to the degree he claims to be would be happy or exists not as fearful as Cronolo is. So him comparing her like that is him semi consciously acknowledging that he needs purification for his atrocities but rejected the fire but at the same time wanting to succumb to his lust. Which is his eyes will be the only thing he'll need to get purified on ignoring all the other reasons he needs the flames to purify him.
I like your words he rejected the fire. Like metal in the fire, he would have been strengthened and done good if he had not given in..and I like your last sentence a lot. Too relatable
I'm sure this has come up in some of the other wonderful comments, but Disney had to change his character from being a preist, an Archdeacon actually, to being a government figure (which affects the requisite celibacy of the character in the original novel). They barely make this distinction and make the minimum necessary changes to the point that until I watched it later in life I assumed he was associated with the Church in a direct way. That being said, self-enforced celibacy is a thing, it's just different enough to give the song a different tone if the character is examined in his original role.
Fantastic breakdown of this song and character. Tho personally for 10:57 I don't entirely see it as exactly what he wanted. I think he meant "destroy Esmeralda, and let her taste the fires of Hell" in its most literal form. If he knows she exists and is still alive, he knows he'll lust for her and do anything to reach her, so he's challenging God to not only get rid of her, not only kill her, but damn her to Hell forever for driving him to lustful thoughts (even though it is his own fault for not controlling these thoughts). He doesn't wanna ask God to change himself or help him acknowledge that he is a flawed person. He is asking God to change the world around him so he is not tempted to sin, the polar opposite of Quasimodo hoping that if she says no that he will be okay with that. Her death will ensure Frollo that he stays "righteous" in life without anyone to tempt him again, and her damnation to Hell will ensure that he stays "righteous" in Heaven (because of course he thinks he's good enough for Heaven as is). The damnation part might be a stretch lol but I do think he sincerely commanded God to kill her if he couldn't have her. "Give me want I want or kill her so I can't ever be tempted to get what I want."
I chuckled at his insanity, not because it's funny, but because it's just such an evil that I witnessed in my pre-teen to teenage school life that I found it relieving to see that I am not crazy, that their does exist people like this. It just brings a smile to my face, heck, to my soul, to feel so validated that people like Frollo are just that dangerous.
For me it's Judge Claude Frollo as Disney's darkest villain! As he's Disney's most human and realistic villain. He was genocidal, lustful psychopath who almost killed an innocent child. Frollo is Disney's French Hitler!!! He's the darkest as there have been real life people like Frollo through out history. Scar for me is a close second!! You can add Maleficent, Jafar, Hades, The Horned King, Cruella De Vil, Stromboli, The Wicked Stepmother from Snow White and Chernabog as Honourable Mentions. Hellfire is a visual display of Frollo's deepest and darkest emotions which makes such as great masterpiece of music and cinema!!! It dares to be great and pushes the limit for it's child audience. Which makes it Disney's greatest villain song.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is Disney's darkest, most gritty and most adult film that they've ever released. It's such as underrated masterpiece. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾💯💯💯👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
i miss 2d animated movies so much. sure, 3d can absolutely be stunning when done properly. but 2d animation doesn't deserved to be outcast from the mainstream movie scene like it is nowadays. 2d animation can be so very lively, especially in more unrealistic and cartoonish styles. 3d animation can get a bit of this, but it's still a lot more realistic and because of this it has limitations. but with 2d you can do whatever the hell you want. exaggerate figures as much as you want, make proportions that fit the character design much better, make the animation as fluid or abrupt as you want. seeing a disney movie during the age of 2d animation, and just seeing how absolutely beautiful the animation in this movie is, it makes me so sad that there are hardly any 2d movies like this anymore
Watching this as a kid, the imagery and metaphors understandably went right over my head. Also, for an audience of children, this is a very dark scene with quite adult themes. Disney seemed to put across Frollo's motivations and thoughts well through animated symbolism despite the language being quite mature.
I'm aware that people point this tidbit before, but Claude Frollo's untimely fate is basically foreshadowed in Hellfire: 8:36 Noticed how the shape of the light Frollo stands on is eeriely shaped like a coffin. 10:19 The guard telling Frollo the bad news might be interpreted as a guardian angel trying to save him and the white light might as well be Heaven. Frollo telling the guard to "get out" is basically him forsaking what might be his *ONLY* chance of salvation, meaning he's willing to go to Hell as long as Esmerelda is his and his alone. 11:22 The shadows besides Frollo eerily looks like a procession for some kind of funeral.
What I like about the song is that there is nothing of the Disney typical slapstick that sometimes even show up in villain songs and then unfortunately take away from the evilness by putting humor in it. Hellfire is completely serious and dark. It's also quite classical, reminding of operas and theatre in its style. I think it's also relateable to so many because it shows the villain in a inner conflict between his self-image of high moral and the reality of not so moral feeling and thoughts. Don't get me wrong! He handles this conflict in a horrible way by projecting it on everyone else, even his God, and praying for the destroy of Esmeralda - what makes him the villain and hopefully not the majority is like that. But I think the general conflict of self-expectation and reality is relateable to many people. Who hasn't experienced failure in their own good intentions or finding themselfs thinking, feeling or even acting against their actual moral for one reason or another? For the most real people it might be more a conflict between planing to got vegan and ending up buying a hot dog because they could not resist or something like this but I think everybody has expierenced such a situation. So it's maybe more comprehensible than the urge to turn the world into mordor.
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![Why Judge Claude Frollo is the Best Disney Villain [The Hunchback of Notre Dame]](/img/tr.png)
A great break down of what makes this song so great! This is very thought provoking video!
I would want to add to Frollo's "relatability" that besides presenting evil that hits close to home to many people, his hypocrisy is something that people see everywhere and might even recognize in themselves. I would argue that even good, ordinary people have been hypocritical about something. It's not like you only relate to the good parts of a character, you might also relate to their flaws to certain degree. Another thing is that during Hellfire we see Frollo trying to deny and repress a part of himself. In this case, Frollo has never come in terms with his sexuality probably because of the heavily religious views he holds. (This denial, besides Frollo being a sexist jerk, might also serve as fuel for his obsession over Esmeralda) We all have bad traits we would rather deny and get rid of. Maybe you would want to be more productive but laziness always takes the best of you, or maybe you get easily jealous but try to be happy for your neighbour having something you don't have. We are always fighting to be the best version of ourselves but still sometimes give in for anger, pride and greed because we are humans, and humans are a mixture of good and bad. People will not see themselves as Frollo, but maybe they "understand" his struggle of denying something that is in his nature. Something he can never truly get rid of. One could say that we are interested in villains because they give in for the evil's temptation we all might sometimes experience, but unlike villains, we choose to ignore it in order to be better people and listen to our conscience. So in Hunchback of Notre Dame, we have a villain serving as a really twisted and extreme example for how important it is to be honest with yourself and admit your flaws so you will not turn into a prideful hypocritical monster like Frollo.
very well written and discoursed
I would like to include a quote of how Frollo’s voice actor described the character
‘Everything he does in a wicked sense is understandable but not excusable.’
(not very relevant to the comment, but it made me think of it)
Critcs: Frollo's character seems unrealistic.
90% of the human population: Hold my beer.
Ah, ah, ah, not so fast, you’ve forgotten about the FOX purchase, now we have “In The Dark Of The Night”
@@LootGoblinGaming When mentioning the details about how he's dark, unless someone looks deeply enough into history at least two of the "criteria" could be used in describing anyone; Hitler for example used religious and genocidal persecution to destroy both the gypsies and Jews, and throughout history there have been multiple people who used religious bigotry for treating others as an "other." The "it's not relatable" argument is merely a surface-level way of dismissing the character
To throw it out there, in the original book Frollo willing took on Quasimodo out of pity and raised him along with his owm little brother. So he didn't start as just a straight out evil guy either. I don't think without it he's unrealistic, but I like that it adds a little to his downfall when his black and white morality vs his own lust tears him apart because he starts as Quasimodo's savior
For people who think that Frollo is unrealistic by all of his actions, they should really read a history book
My thoughts exactly.
It’s like no one reads about the Holocaust or the other genocides that have been committed throughout history.
Agree 2000% percent. That argument made no sense to me with everything we know about both people and societies in the past and people today
It's a strawman argument. It's unrealistic because he's so open about his evil. his evil, of it was so open, would be stopped by the people around him. This is exactly why we see less catholic kiddie diddlers now, now we know that's something that can happen, it's in the open, so people are looking for it to stamp it out when they find it.
If Frollo just hid his evil a tiny bit more, he'd be perfect.
all you gotta do is turn on a TV and switch to one of those bizarre evangelical channels
To be fair, schafrillas, who this video refers to as an example of this particular argument, didn't in fact say that Frollo was unrealistic in a general sense (as far as I remember. I might of course be wrong.)
What Schafrillas meant in his particular video about Frollo, was that Frollo from the Hunchback movie was overly evil in comparison with Frollo from the disney play (And to add to this point, both Frollos are far more evil than the Frollo from the book, who is more of a tragic villain than a purely evil one.)
Schafrillas doesn't seem to like the trope of particularly evil villains all that much unless they're very very camp. Frollo on the other hand is played very seriously, like, well, a real person. And that's fine, it's his preference after all. In that sense, having Frollo from the PLAY be more of a realistic portrayal of both a good person and a deeply deeply flawed one, eventually turning him to the path of evil, seems to resonate more with Schafrillas, because it's more "interesting" as far as character arcs go. Again, that's really just up for preference, but it certainly has merit as far as arguments go.
I don't think I've ever actually heard a person say that Frollo's general attitude and behavior in the movie is unrealistic in a broader sense. Yes, absolutely, people like Frollo have existed and continue to exist to this day. (I find it quite odd that the simple fact that there is a freaking book written by Victor Hugo with the literal character in it, is almost always ignored by most reviewers. Wouldn't that be the first logical choice for a comparison in characters? The book does a fantastic job at describing HOW Frollo became the way he is in the plot.)
However, realistic or not, the real debate is whether or not you feel like villains that go for a "realistic" angle should also be portrayed as wholly evil, which is what Frollo in the movie certainly is. Not because of the angle of realism, but because of what a person sees as quality story-writing. Some people like "relatable" villains for instance, whereas others like campy over the top villainy. Both are equally great in my opinion, and I enjoy them both in their own way.
Hellfire is still to this day, the darkest Disney song ever. It has many taboos in it like sin, hell, lust, religion and religious chanting. Disney nowadays wouldn't even think about doing a song like this.
The chanting was the confession prayer.
It's dark because it is true.
@@grongllgaming5744 exactly. Even though Frollo is fiction, people just like him have existed in real life, and STILL ARE existing today.
The religious chanting? I'm pretty sure thats a prayer in latin lol
@@shrimpshufflr7745 It is the ‘I Confess.’
I love that Frollo sees himself as good and doesn't acknowledge his hypocrisy. I'm glad he doesn't need a sad backstory, he just is.
to me what makes Frollo work over the movie he had moments to really redeemed himself but never did when he saw Quasimodo being treated poorly and made a fool out of by the towns people he had a moment to step in and stop it but wanted to teach him a lesson and a moment that i think was important from the start when He was giving to Quasimodo as a way to help make him a better person he had a moment to give him to a farmer or a fishermen family but wanted to hide the child as well as admitting he be of some use to him showing how in real life people have moments to redeemed themeselfs but always avoid it or see the other ways of what they think is right
Frollo had two chances at redemption, IMO. The first came when he received the care of Quasimodo. He could have learned love and kindness and humanity from that experience. He didn't. The other came when he met Esmeralda. He could have accepted that he was human, fallible, and imperfect. He sought to destroy her instead. Both chances to find salvation passed unused... so while Frollo's body fell over 100 feet, his soul fell much farther.
In the book it was even worse. He was a normal well intended priest that got mad gradually by life and people.
@@MouAresounTaPneusta that's even more understandable
@@fireflymiesumae in the book He adopts Quasimodo when someone abandoned him
I think you missed that heaven’s light/hellfire represent two extremes of love for Esmerelda it ultimately explains why Quasimodo doesn’t end up with her. Putting her on a pedestal and viewing her as an angel just because she was the first person to ever be kind to him wasn’t real love for her just like Frollo’s lust for her. But unlike Frollo Quasimodo didn’t feel the need to possess her, he returned her kindness in being accepting of her true feelings.
OMG I just realised that's why they didn't end up together thank you
This is also why it was extremely important that he survive the end of the film (unlike in the novel). Because it was important to show this part of Quasimodo's character and the ultimate result of his respect for Esmeralda's choices. And it's not like she has to stop being his friend just because she hooks up with Phoebus.
It always kind of bugged me before, but now that you say it, I see it
@@LegendStormcrow Well to expand on it. From Esmerelda’s side she didn’t love Quasi because she was selfless. All the nice things he did was to help her while all the nice things Phoebus did was to help others so she was more drawn to him. You could see that when Quasi and Phoebus were alone he didn’t want to help the gypsies just Esmerelda.
Well... it is love, just not romantic love. Quasimodo feels a sort of platonic love for Esmerelda. Obviously, this is amplified by the fact that she's on an incredibly short list of people who have ever been nice to him, which is why he confuses it for romantic love.
"Frollo is unrealistic."
Excuse me? People have done what he has done, time and time again. He's a dime a dozen in history. I whole heartedly believe a character like him.
When I heard that, I almost spat out my tea. To me, he's a conglomerate of any/all causes of religious trauma in a single individual which I genuinely believe was the intent. His hypocrisy, the way he treats women, the way he treats minorities, and then justifies it through a twisting of religion is literally happening in modern times as we speak. Even if he wasn't "realistic" as an individual, the people who say that as a genuine critique are only looking for surface level characterization as opposed to what he is supposed to represent as a whole.
It’s like people never heard to the crusades and the genocide that crusaders did.
Frollo makes my skin crawl for the very reason that he is realistic. Serial killers, abusive spouses, clergy members who assault their congrigates, cult leaders, misogynists, incels, etc, etc. All these people are real and dangerous! That's who frollo is! He's the evil that lives next door.
@@Pysnpai Or even the reason for the first crusade (Muslims conquering everything).
Anyone who thinks Frollo is unrealistic has never cracked open a history book.
I believe the Frollo problem comes from the idea that villains who don’t have a tragic backstory aren’t well written.and unrealistic which is disingenuous because ultimately some people are just evil. This idea that characters who are good and evil can’t be interesting and three dimensional is really stupid
100% agree. A character being 3 dimensional simply means they are fleshed out -- every motivation of theirs has a reason and depth behind it. That depth doesn't have to involve a tragic backstory or some sort of pitiful or sympathy-inducing experience. It could simply be something like Frollo's cognitive dissonance and his ability to justify his own actions with a twisted sense of "morality". That is fleshed out, but it doesn't inspire pity. That's totally fine -- we shouldn't feel pity for oppressors in power anyways.
@@dialecticsjunkie7653 characters such as Avatar Aang, Mark Grayson/Invincible and Izuku “Deku” Midoriya come to mind as they are very selfless, compassionate and altruistic people, but in turn that doesn’t negate the fact that that they are 3-Dimensional characters.
I plan on writing characters when I create anime. I want to create characters that are 3 dimensional and realistic. I have so many stories and character ideas the first villain I thought has a tragic stories and the second but that helps them with their motivation. I’m trying to write a villain with no tragic background but complex. I hope I do a good job. Frollo is an inspiration from that
I absolutely agree. I think the danger to with abusers like Frollo isbthey really do view their actions as justified, ESPECIALLY if they have a hard backstory, and if they can't justify it they play victim just like how Frollo blames literally everyone else even though HE'S the one who needs to take responsibility.
I think it's his lack of a tragic backstory that makes him so good as a villain. He's the embodiment of this calculating, gaslighting entitlement we see nowadays. He's gotten just about everything he's ever wanted and been able to do it without question because of his status, so the minute he can't have his way he literally tries to burn everything down.
I think what's great about Hellfire is it is an "I am" song.
Villians like Gaston also get an "I am" song, but it's "I am great. I am handsome. I am the best."
Here it's "I am lustful. I am flawed. I am *damned".*
You mentioned how people can relate to being victims of abuse or manipulative people, but how about being victims of themselves. Frollo had the chance to let Esmeralda go and just move on like you said; and instead he *doubles down.* His pride and hypocrisy will not allow it.
A latin choir doesn't hurt either.
I've seen from a RUclips comment that "using the Lord's name in vain" is actually people doing terrible things in the name of God, not actually saying Oh My God and all that stuff.
I remember seeing a comment in another analysis video that the light and color choice was essentially a representation of heaven/hell and that the bright blue light behind the guard was essentially a representation of the heavenly aid Frollo had asked for. The fact that as mentioned in the video Frollo gets the help and chance to move on but "doubles down" as he replies; "I'll find her, I'll find her if I have to burn down all of Paris" rather than ignore it and move onto something else
We see Frollo come within inches of self-awareness and a tipping point where he is able to see himself for what he is and actually become a better person... And then we watch his pride drag him away from the light and destroy him utterly. This song is not merely a condemnation of Frollo. It is a condemnation of the sin of pride, and a demonstration of how it can crush any good that might be in a person utterly, until all that remains is evil.
@@nevaehhamilton3493 That makes a helluva lot more goddamn sense.
I am furiously down bad for that gypsy chick
This isn’t related to Hellfire, but an earlier scene...
When Frollo is singing “Out There,” he brushes aside the statues that Quasimodo made and places his basket where they once stood.
He is dismissing everything that Quasimodo made and placing his “charity” above the boy’s work and possessions.
The film is filled with great subtly like that
Yes, and that is textbook narcissism. He is an incredibly realistic narcissist!
@@4shamethe Hunchback of Notre Dame is my second favourite Disney film next to Mulan.
I was a victim of stalking and harassment which went on for years...this song reminds me how dangerously obsessive some people can become.
I'm sorry to hear that, I hope everything's okay now
There have been many young woman and girls who where victims of harassment and abuse. For example, remember Larry Nassar? He was a doctor sexually harrassed and abused hundreds of women.
@@4shame What about Jeffery Epstein and R. Kelly? They both where well known people who abused woman. And there all those police officer who used their power to kill people.
@@4shame thanks 4shame, yes everything is fine now it was a 3 year ordeal but thankfully not my reality anymore.
I of course know that many women are victims of sexual and physical abuse and that is obviously awful but it happens to men too. The fact that it isn't talked about nearly as much just shows the extreme double standards of our society. Keep in mind that i am a woman myself. Nobody and i mean NOBODY deserves to be treated in such a way regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or any other differentiating factor.
You describe Quasimodo as a Romani child, which isn’t inaccurate. But it’s important to know that back then, Romani would adopt children who had been abandoned to die by their parents (in part to widen their gene pool but also compassion, of course). In Medieval times, parents of deformed children, or parents who didn’t have enough food, would often leave their kids to die.
This is almost certainly the case with Quasimodo. He’s deformed, and he’s white while his adoptive parents aren’t. This means that when Frollo tells Quasi that his mother abandoned him for his deformity, he’s telling half of the truth. Quasi’s biological mother did abandon him.
His biological mother abandoned him, but his adoptive mother outran a horseback rider barefoot in the snow trying to protect him.
Quasi is white
So?
Is he?
In the stage adaptation (which is closer to the book) Quasimodo is the result of Frollo’s brother’s entanglement with a Romani girl, which would make him half Romani.
Lot of suppositions here...
@@daman7805 I saw that stage adaptation, it was amazing
The use of traditional prayers for Confession was a great way to setup Hellfire. I'm happy you added in the translation
Thank you! It’s not a perfect translation but it’s enough to get the idea across
@@4shame I don't know if you're aware of this but here in YT you can find concept art videos for "Bells of Notre Dame" and "Hellfire" In first video Frollo looks scary (Like, HELLA scary!) but during the Hellfire he looks kinda pitiful and scared. My best guess is that this scene was originally suppouse to show us that behind his stone- cold demeanor and dark robes, there is just old scared desperate man in brick madness.
But as we all know, they changed Frollo little bit more stone faced and less cartooney in the end.
I honestly love both the movie and the theater adaptation of this film. That said, Disney's Frollo isn't unrealistic because he's "too evil". Disney's Frollo is frighteningly real like you say in this video. Thanks for shedding light on this. Characters, even characters who are supposed to be religious and good, can commit genocide, be abusive, and do unspeakably horrible things. Human history is full of such figures. Many of us have been the victims of such people. This is why Hellfire is my favourite Disney villain song. He is a true villain - one we know from our own lives.
And the thing with villains like this is - they're rare, as humans go. I would argue rarer than heroes. But, where such villains exist, their impact is disproportionate. But because they're rare, it's easy for a lot of people to go their whole lives without a single personal encounter of a villain like that. Hence them judging such people as "unrealistic" - as in, I don't know anyone like that personally, therefore they must not exist. FYI, villains who don't make good storybook villains (i.e. Hans from Frozen) are also a real type of person, and often they're glossed over in a similar fashion (except with Hans types, it's easier to focus on the "good" they do because they have much better veneers than the Frollos and Jafars of the world - and yes, I definitely think they dropped the ball on Jafar with the remake, there were much better directions they could go with a man who has the power to hypnotize a sultan and force him to pass whatever law he wants).
You have a very good point. Just because you are religious doesn't mean you are unable to do terrible things.
@@lsmmoore1 He's unrealistic not because he commits evil, but because it's too open. Evil either hides or masks itself more as good, apologizing and making arguments for how their evil is actually good.
We see this from everyone, progressives do it, conservatives do it, but no one is open about their evil because it gets crushed to easily that way.
@@SeanWinters Some of those folks are open about their evil, though, especially in the more authoritarian circles. And the circle depicted in that movie is one where the ordinary people could do little about it, so someone like Frollo doesn't have to hide as much.
This Berlin version is FAR Superior. What the American Version SHOULD HAVE BEEN. Damn shame Patrick Page's talent was wasted. THIS IS THE FROLLO HE SHOULD HAVE PLAYED! THE AMERICAN VERSION IS AN OVERRATED PIECE OF CRAP! Schafrillas is an idiot who has no idea what he's talking about. ruclips.net/video/xP8cM6QRkA4/видео.html
Judge Frollo terrifies me to this day, I know it sounds dumb but hear me out: if you're a young woman you've probably have been sexually harassed/abused by creepy old men, and he's SO WELL WRITTEN, and everytime I watch that scene in where he smells Esmeralda's hair and grabs her by the neck my skin crawls. I think that's why I kinda love how he's written in some way, he makes you feel like a villain is supposed to make you feel.
PD: I also noticed that when the guard told Frollo Esmeralda had escaped, Frollo literally turns his back to Heaven and chooses Hell, which kinda shows that he doomed himself.
this movie was a bit uneven but hellfire was a straight up masterpiece. but watch them remake it and make frollo hot the way they sexed Jafar up 🙄
@@seraphik bahahahah i hope that doesn't happen
@@woodlandpricess SEXY FROLLO. I'm calling it now 💀
@@seraphik HAHAHAHA PLEASE NOOOOO
@@seraphik I'm taking the odd bet here. Frollo is cast to a Muppet. I call Miss Piggy.
I feel like the god have mercy on her line represents the last bit of his humanity praying to God to not punish her in hell if he ends up killing her due to his obsession.
Definitely! In a way that's what makes him so frightening: there's humanity left inside of him but he turns away from it
I think Frollo, on some level, knows that what he’s doing is wrong, but is too prideful to admit it. He seems to know that his lust for Esmeralda is wrong, but rather than admitting it, he’d rather destroy her or make her his own. He’d rather deny or give into his lust, rather than admit to it, due to his pride.
@@speedracer2008 Absolutely! I'm honestly of the mindset that pride causes most evil actions and also prevents people from turning over a new leaf
@@4shame Yeah. Pride was a key reason for Frollo being so evil. He was so convinced of the righteousness of his actions that he didn’t stop to think about what he was doing.
Plus his immediate next line, "God have mercy on me." Frollo is appealing to God, for the last time in his life, for mercy upon his soul, as, he is implied to realize, his future actions, discarding his religious self-righteousness to indulge in his sexual obsession for Esmeralda, will damn him to literal hellfire.
Frollo is probably the most realistic Disney villain there is.
Him and Scar's (Lion King) personality (obviously he's a talking lion). People will definitely step on and destroy others to achieve their own ends, especially in lusts for power.
And mother gothel
For me The Hunchback of Notre Dame is Disney's darkest, most mature and adult movie that they've ever released!! Which is the main reason why it's one of Disney's most acclaimed masterpieces. As both kids and adults can watch and relate to the movie's very dark themes of racism, genocide, religion, lust, corruption of power, and being a social outcast. The best animated movies are the ones where both children and adults can watch and enjoy together.
Quick question why does everyone seem to think in this comment section that religion is a super dark topic? I maybe looking too much into it but it just makes me wonder
@@conneraldeqn9751 Because discussing religion is a controversial topic. Especially in a historical context! People have committed heinous acts through out history e.g Taliban, Crusades in the name of religion.
@@ChattinBoxingWYB yeah true. I still hope though that they view religion today as not a dark thing despite the bad things that happened in the past
@@conneraldeqn9751 Religion is viewed today as very dark, very dark, a thing that ranges from neutral to evil, never good, at most it is inconsequential at worst it is pure evil. Take in to account that with religion i mean all and any religion not specifically christianity, religions in general are seen as overall bad stuff today. The problem is that they promise an afterlife for righteouness and that is bad, because all people fancy themselves as righteouss in practically all situations, specially bad people, and this only gives them an excuse to act on their evils and to drag other people in to it if they are charismatic enough.
@@conneraldeqn9751 but the problem is that there's still people using religion for dark deeds so it's still that way just feels less so than before
It's funny cause Frollo lately has reminded me of too many people these days, the sanctimonious ones who do horrible things under the guise of a moral that everyone can sympathize, yet like the actor said, give no excuse for their behavior. I think this is why we are seeing a lot of people trying to look at those who promote self discipline and self responsibility because we are having way too many Frollos in our world taking charge for their selfish reasons. Frollo has managed to commit almost every sin to avoid facing his dark character, thus he was a coward and why he fear God instead of having a balanced relationship with the religion.
I think unfortunately, though, that more often than not the ones preaching about "self discipline/responsibility" *are* the same sanctimonious people who try to justify their inhumanity under the guise of morality. "What's that? Can't pay your astronomically high medical bills? Well, forget about us voting to pass universal health care, you shouldda been more responsible with your health." "You say you ended up pregnant and now you can't afford to raise your child in a good environment? Well, don't expect *our* help, you made the mistake, so you deal with it." Well, it sucks that you're addicted to drugs and need help, but after all no one else *forced* you to try them in the first place, did they?"
Labeling people as "lazy" or "irresponsible" is just their way of justifying their coldness and lack of compassion towards people in need of real help. It's not their responsibility so they get to wash their hands of any moralistic obligation they might otherwise feel towards others, an "every man for himself" mentality. Maybe some of them even believe they *are* helping others learn responsibility this way, but it just comes off to me as needlessly heartless. If Frollo was real and alive today I'm sure he'd be telling the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the struggling families to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" and chalking up their misfortune up to their own personal failings rather than admitting that sometimes, through no fault of their own, people just suffer from circumstances brought on by bad luck or systemic injustice. The guy who can't pay his medical bills? Maybe he simply had a genetic condition. The woman who got pregnant? Maybe her husband died suddenly. The drug addict? Maybe they were in an accident and got hooked on the pain pills. There are so many X factors and unfairly rigged systems at play that the "personal responsibility" crowd never considers, but also we're all just *human,* and humans are far from perfect beings. So now when I hear someone touting the "personal responsibility" sentiment I tend to be wary of *why* they're saying it.
Just to be clear I *do* think people should be responsible to the best of their ability, especially when it's an internal conflict like the "don't be a creepy stalker" conflict Frollo wrestles with (lol), but I also believe in kindness and simple decency towards our fellow human beings, and that maybe our lives shouldn't be completely ruined nor should our characters be condemned for a few little mistakes that we might've been able to overcome if someone had only given us a helping hand.
It’s important to note that Quasimodo, Phoebus, and Esmeralda were all sincere in trying to be better people.
This ain't a newer Kearns this been going on before social media before the internet people were like that even the biblical times too as long as people existed that's been this is nothing new
This is the character I point to when people say “pure evil villains aren’t interesting.”
People think pure evil means "evil for the sake of evil". Just because villains think they're the good guy or believe what they're doing is right, doesn't mean they are sympathetic nor redeemable.
Examples:
Lex Luthor. From his point of Clark Kent/Superman is the bad guy and Lex Luthor is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego.
Norman Osborn/Green Goblin: From his point of view Peter Parker/Spider-Man is the bad guy and Norman Osborn/Green Goblin is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego.
Judge Claude Frollo: From is point of view Esmeralda, gypsies and anyone who opposes him are the bad guys and Judge Claude Frollo is racist unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego.
Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious: From his point of view the Jedi, Republic and the Rebel Alliances are the bad guys and Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego. Palpatine/Sidious even says "Good Is From A Point of View" in Revenge of The Sith.
Doctor Doom: From his point of view the Fantastic Four are the bad guy and Doctor Doom is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego.
Darkseid: From his point of view humans are the bad guys and Darkseid is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego.
Apocalypse: From his point of view The X-Men and humans are the bad guys and Apocalypse is unsympathetic has no redeeming qualities because of he his a narcissistic sociopath with a massive ego, unlike Magneto.
People who are pure evil exist. I.E. Adolf Hitler, Richard Nixon, Saddam Hussein and Josef Stalin have no redeeming qualities what so ever.
Pure Evil does not mean they are evil for the sake of being evil. Just because a villain thinks they are the good guy doesn’t mean they are tragic, sympathetic nor does it mean they have redeemed qualities. Some people are just selfish narcissistic sociopaths with a massive ego.
Have another couple pieces of trivia:
•The creative team thought that censors and Disney execs would push back against all the dark, intense imagery of "Hellfire," so they went all-out when presenting their concept. They were pleasantly surprised when they received zero negative feedback.
•Realizing the precious gift of being given _carte blanche_ on this song, the animators of this scene went over *every single frame* of the fire/smoke Esmeralda to ensure she was always depicted fully clothed.
It would of been quite interesting if there were some parts where that wasn't the case with her clothing
I think why Frolo is such a good villain and why this song resonates with me so much more as an adult is because, and please don’t think I’m a crazy person, he’s relatable. Think about it: How many times have we had the solution be right in front of us, yet we continue on the destructive path anyway? Hell, even if we’re specifically talking about the lust aspect, I can guarantee a large majority of adults have felt it towards someone they weren’t supposed to at some point in their lives.
As the voice actor said, Frolo is like an arch. We can see right through him, understand why he does the things that he does, but that doesn’t make them excusable. But ask yourself why he’s that way. Why is he so easy to understand? Because on some level, whether it be the lust or just turning down a perfectly good opportunity to walk away, most of us can relate to him. And that’s what makes a great villain IMO. To see that you the viewer could just as easily become one.
(Again, please don’t think I’m a crazy person who wants to dominate over some helpless woman or something.)
I think I get what you mean. Everyone has the ability or desire to do evil things. And of course Claude isn’t a one dimensional character, he’s a complex human just like anyone else. From my own view of the character I look at his life as something of a tragedy, much like his actor does. I’ve always felt that Frollo is a product of his repressed and fanatical time period and perhaps if he had a better understanding of his own feelings he wouldn’t have ended up the way he did
Definitely.
@@AbrasiousProductions You can get help with that, seek out and find a psychotherapist that works for you. One of the best decisions in life for me, changes a life, with time and work
Disney movies have always carried serious themes (abuse, manipulation, low self-esteem, etc.), though the 1990s showed a lot of darker themes (racism in Pocahontas, war and gender roles in Mulan, the threat of genocide in Hunchback, etc). It is certainly sonething that would be harder to discuss as a main theme in modern films (though we do get this in Atlantis, The Princess & the Frog, Brave, Tangled, Frozen, etc). That said, Disney tackled these themes without making the films feel preachy or less entertaining/magical, so I'd certainly welcome it.
For sure! Also it's funny you mention Atlantis because this week's video will actually be about that movie!
Take a look at *Pinocchio* (1940) again if you want to see something dark.
also,,, frolo is indeed an evil most all of us have encountered but tbh… i think another reason it resonates so well is (especially hellfire alone) is frolo is in a spot where he panicks when presented with the thought it’s his fault. it’s almost like, he panicks because he knows if he acknowledges one fault, they’ll all come rushing in. so it’s also something we can relate to in the sense that most of us have BEEN frolo at some point. kinda like those aspects of your life that are a never ending small fib after small fib, often were in a position where we fear if we did the right thing now, all our wrong things in the past would come toppling down on us. so frolo is such a grounded and in your face evil that’s so uncomfortable not only because a lot of us have seen it in others before, but we’ve even seen it in ourselves
That’s very true. I forget who said it, but it speaks to your point: “To empathize with a monster is to admit there’s a bit of a monster in you.”
@@4shame indeed, it’s a good thing too. to realize how much of a monster you can actually be. i mean we could all do some real damage without even realizing it so it’s so important to constantly check yourself
@@4shame Another quote that come to mind is “In the moment when I truly understand my enemy…then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves.”- Ender’s Game
I’ve heard similar comments about the scene with the guard. It gives Frollo a chance at redemption by giving up his pursuit of Esmeralda, but Frollo, instead, chooses to double his search for her. That choice seals his fate, as he gets no more chances at redemption.
It’s my favorite scene in the whole movie
@@4shame For me, Frollo’s best scene is when he’s with Quasimodo, interrogating him on Esmeralda’s whereabouts. It really establishes how Frollo’s character has deteriorated over the course of the film. At first, Frollo was someone who, while evil, maintained his composure, and, despite having a rage concealed inside him, he mostly kept in check for the sake of civility, such as when the Archdeacon stops him from forcing Esmeralda to leave. In this scene, though, we see Frollo’s anger fully bubbling up to the surface. Before this, we see him lose his temper with the guard, after he tells him that Esmeralda has escaped, but here we see him fully unleash, once he realizes the truth about Quasimodo’s role in Esmeralda’s escape. He smashes objects in anger, verbally and physically abuses Quasimodo, and lets his full hatred of the Romani people be known. It’s the first time we see Frollo’s calm and composed demeanor fully break away to reveal how monstrous he really is. It’s terrifying, but well-animated and acted, at the same time.
@@speedracer2008 In that scene when he says “Think boy, think of your mother!” It runs makes my blood run cold every time. And I definitely agree that the whole scene is a fantastic way to show that he’s losing his mind
@@4shame Yeah. It definitely establishes how Frollo’s obsession has transformed him.
I would also argue that the scene where Frollo confronts Quasimodo about Esmeralda’s whereabouts also gives Frollo a chance at redemption, because Quasimodo tries to tell Frollo that Esmeralda was kind to him, not cruel, like Frollo said the outside world was. In a sense, Quasimodo is playing the role of Frollo’s conscience, telling him that persecution of the Romani people is wrong and that Esmeralda didn’t deserve it. But Frollo, blinded by his racism, refuses to accept that his hatred is unwarranted and forces Quasimodo to see things his way. This represents Frollo trying to convince himself that his racism is justified, when it’s clear that it isn’t.
one of my favorite aspects of Hellfire, is how the melody is ALL OVER the opening number "Bells of Notre Dame". there are three "main" melodies in that song: the "bell" theme, Hellfire, and the Dies Irae. Dies irae is translates to "day of wrath" and is part of the funeral mass, and is likely the single most referenced piece of music in modern media. entire SCORES have been written around this piece of music. whenever it shows up, death is referenced. the chorus is SHRIEKING the words of Dies Irae while Quasimodo's mother is running for her life. but when she actually dies, Hellfire starts BLASTING. the end of the song is a tug-of-war between the "bell" theme, and Hellfire, with Hellfire answering the final question of the song.
just something there for repeat viewers
Another great detail is when Frollo sings “god have mercy on me”, in the background the choir sings “Kyrie eleison” which is a Greek prayer used in Catholic tradition meaning “Lord have mercy!”
I sometimes believe that in the Hellfire song, Frollo sold his soul to the devil to make sure he handles his lust of Esmeralda AND perhaps gain supernatural power. For example, when he attempted to burn the family alive in their house with his torch, the torch barely made contact with the house, but it burned up very quickly. That could mean that the fire that Frollo used to burn down the house wasn't regular fire, but it could be fire from HELL
Holy shit I never noticed that-
@@williambrown9983 believe it. You thought Quasimodo was being tortured at the festival of fools by the crowd? It's nothing compared to the torture Frollo gave to the citizens of Paris & Esmeralda when he tried to burn them all alive.
Would also explain the gargoyle that came to life and caused his death
@@dataexpunged4784 yeah. At that time Frollo's eyes & teeth turned orange. That could be him turning into a demon about to cast Quasimodo & Esmeralda into hellfire
@@joshualowe959 I think Judge Frollo is a Sith Lord lol. Maybe he’s capable of force lightning.
Tony Jay could read CVS receipts and I’d swoon. What a voice.
Same for Paul Kandel. (Clopin.)
The parallelism, contrast, and meaning of each song in this film is genius. Especially Heaven’s Light/Hellfire and the Libera Me in the immolation scene.
Outside of the Hugo novel and its adaptations, it's possible that Hellfire is meant to parallel a scene from Puccini's Tosca, another work about a corrupt judge trying to force himself on an entertainer. Scarpia's aria "Va, Tosca" is set within a church during a ceremony, and he sings about his fantasies regarding the heroine Tosca while the church chorus chants in the background. The contrast between Disney and Tosca, though, is that Scarpia is prideful and triumphant, completely confident that his threats will serve to drive Tosca into his arms. Throughout the scene, he is completely in control. The chant in the background, too, is Te Deum (Praise God), a joyful hymn extoling the virtues of God. Frollo, on the other hand, is confused and scared, and haunted by his guilt. Unlike Scarpia, Frollo knows that he is sinning and has to work to deny it. The scene is about him losing control. To reflect this, the chant used is Confiteor (I confess), a penitent prayer
I don’t think I’ve seen that film. I’ll have to check it out
@@4shame Not a film, but an opera. You can find videos of Scarpia's aria on youtube.
@@jeanettewu2537 Oh lol. I was confused because there’s a film of the same name
@@4shame the film is an adaptation of the opera
I watched this movie for the first time when I was 16. I remember being so excited at the time because I thought that I will have the ✨magical✨ time that disney gave me when I was young. But boy, was I wrong. The realism made me feel so uneasy and disturbed to my bones 'til the next day.
And then they never did anything like it again lol
Yzma’s deleted song snuff out the light is the best deleted Disney villain songs ever
I’ll have to check it out. I’ve never heard of that one before
I LOVE IT
" Bats and owls and coiled sea dragons
Crocodiles and carrion beasts!
Swirling in the growing darkness
Join us in the coming feast! "
My favorite part of that song.
A fun little note is that, in contrast to the informant having the soft, pale moonlight illuminating him, Frollo himself is backed by the harsh, bright fire emanating from the hearth- showing how far from grace he's fallen
Putting Heaven's Light and Hell Fire together as one track is so brilliant. The contrasting ways that the two men see the same woman is powerful when put side by side. And I've always thought that Frollo was one of the creepiest villains because what makes him a villain are extremely realistic faults as opposed to magic or supernatural means. You could come across someone like him in your life, and that's what is truly terrifying.
Always loved Hellfire, but this video made me respect it even more. Frollo's struggle in his own soul, the guard actually being an answer to his prayer and his response to "find her if I have to burn down all of Paris"
tony jay has such a soothing, appealing voice. he’s amazingly talented. & i’m so thankful that he was the voice for one of the best, most brilliant & disgusting villains ever.
Another fan fact about what the priests are singing is the public/general confession, which is part of Catholic Mass. It's basically the congregation members confessing to having sinned(in thought, speech and neglicence) and admitting their own fault in it, and asking both saints and community to pray on their behalf to God. It's soo clever in the context of this song, bc as I've said and as the figures say the point of that confession is to ADMIT FAULT(Mea Culpa=My fault) and do it honestly and publically. Which is a difficult thing to do for many. Frollo however, doesn't do that. He does the OPPOSITE. He "confesses" but constantly blames others for his deeds and shortcomings. Plus he does this confession, not as it's meant to be-publically, but in the comfort of his own palace. Where no one an hear him. Another thing and part of the humility in that prayer/confession is that the congregation, the people attending mass with you are called "brothers and sisters". Those people(at least in theory) are supposed to be your equals and it shouldn't matter what social status or ethinicity/race they are. Frollo however sees himself ABOVE everyone else, closer and more beloved by God than regular people. So, depsite his apparent devotion to God, he goes basically against one of the chief rules of his faith. which comes form hubris which is a deadly sin. I know all of this bc I was raised in a Catholic country and thus attended mass for my entire childhood.
6:18 This interlude is also plainly the Confiteor which is a prayer that is linked to the Roman-Catholic Church that is well… kinda in the name. “Confession”
(I don’t know and doubt that confiteor directly translates to confession, but that’s what the prayer is about and i don’t doubt that Confiteor in some way lead to the formation of the word confession since Confiteor is in Latin and predates modern english)
Knowing this honestly makes Hellfire so much cooler. They took a prayer/hymn that was around the time of the movie about confessing and wrote a score off that, and then had the lyrics thematically reflect how even in confessing to God, Frolo is entirely disingenuous, showing hes not only hypocritical in how he treats other but it goes down to his core. even when no one is listening, he convinces himself he isn’t in the wrong for sinning and being lustful, but god and the whole world is at fault for making it so easy for him to have such desires
Actually the Confiteor is still prayed in Mass today. It's prayed right at the very beginning of the liturgy. Asking God for mercy, but the miraculous thing, right after is the Gloria (save during Advent and Lenten fasting seasons), praising God's great glory. We are forgiven.
"Confiteor" is Latin for "I confess". In the catholic mass we say at the beginning: "I confess to the Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned through my thoughts and my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do" (in Latin "Confiteor Deo omnipotenti et vobis, fratres, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, opere, et omissione").
@@Laurelin70 it’s all coming together, I’ll be thinking of this in Mass
This song is one of the best Disney villain song for the same reason that Umbridge is hated more than Voldemort. We can relate to people like them, like you said
Anybody who has read history knows that Frolo is a scarily realistic villain. History is fraught with people as evil as Frolo all doing what they do under the guise of righteousness. The Spanish inquisition is just one example that comes to mind.
Don’t say it…Don’t say it…NO ONE EXPECTS THE THE SPANISH INQUISITION ahh I said it
The Spanish Inquisition amazingly killed 12 people in 350 years of its tenure. Don't get me wrong, it still should've been 0 but I didn't expect that either.
I don't know why but I see Javert from the Miserables Musical almost as Frollo: He prays the Stars to help him in his "mission", obsessionated by Jean, not seeing that in reality what he is doing is wrong
They’re actually similar in a lot of ways: deeply religious, men of authority, men of the justice system, et. But I do think that Javert is is much less evil than Frollo.
Well the characters where both written by Victor Hugo who was making commentary about the hypocrisy of the Catholic church in France. The two books share similar themes.
@@4shame Me neither, he is just so convinced that he is right, but would never want to posses a person.
@@kellharris2491 Ah yes, it's true, didn't think about it😅 Thanks
Something I find really cool is that when Frollo plunges Esmareldas scarf into the fire is that the angle of the "camera" makes it look like his arm is surrounded by flames, like his arm is in the fire as well. The symbolism of this is genius as it shows that by condemning Esmarelda as he has and has stated he will continue to do also condemns himself to the so-called 'hellfire' he wishes to send her to as well. It really showcases how contrary his character is, by sentencing Esmarelda to die in flames he has set himself ablaze yet all his sees is anyone but himself holding the match. Absolutely brilliant. 🥰🥰
Belatedly coming in here two years late but I never realized the soldier coming in was basically Frollo's prayer being answered but he ignored it anyway. That's BRILLIANT. Every time someone analyses this song, I always find something new to love about it. Frollo's one of my favorite Disney villains and I have no idea what part my religious trauma plays in it but I always find that bit ironic.
Something in the lyrics worth mentioning, as a further illustration of how Frollo dehumanizes Esmeralda, but the ONLY time he invokes her name (I think in the whole film) is in prayer for her destruction.
Hellfire is my personal favorite villain song, and I loved this analysis. I think we can all say we've been Frollo before in our life (though typically not as extreme as the character...I hope). Not to mention, the animation in this scene is gorgeous. When Frollo's prayers are answered and the scene sharply cuts from the soft blue "heavenly" light to the hellish shadow of Frollo in front of the fireplace, it gives me chills.
When you said there were people that said Frollo was unrealistic, I instantly shook my head. He is so realistic he's scary. I live in the Bible Belt. I have read about the crusades. Anyone that says his hypocrisy about his religious beliefs is unrealistic, has not stepped outside.
But luckily now a days, more and more people are becoming more aware of the hypocrisies of evangelicals and the like. And how dangerous they can actually be.
Only retards like Schaffrillas would believe that.
Not now but like 300-400 500 years ago like centuries ago people were like this this is nothing new it didn't just suddenly happened in last 10 years this been happening centuries decades people were like that forever
He's like Jean-Marie Le Pen.
This was a great video! Thank you for including the quote from Tony Jay talking about his character, I hadn’t heard it before. Your analysis of Hellfire was great and I like how you compared it to Biggering (a criminally underrated song, for sure). I look forward to your PatF video!
Thank you! There might be one video in between this one and PatF, but it'll be out relatively soon. Oh, also, since I forgot to include it in the description, here's the full interview if you're interested
ruclips.net/video/cCSqnYv1ZA0/видео.html
13:21 damn... that is deep. And extremely accurate.
I am a man who tries to do their best to help people, keep my emotions locked up inside, and try to understand more about what is around me and about myself. Even I do admit I have a darkside and many deep emotions that I consider shameful myself (that I hardly reveal to others except those i trust to the ends of the earth). This song is always a good reminder of that and I love the hell (fire) out of it.
My best friend just told me we should watch this together and it was just amazing. Never saw the little details such as Hellfire being a continuation of Heaven’s Light, or the guard’s news an answer to Frollo’s prayers. I’m simply amazed by your attention to detail and the fact that you explained it so amazingly. You got yourself a new subscriber!
Thank you! I’m happy to hear you like my stuff! I might end up doing a series on villain songs since people liked this one so much. And thank you for subscribing!
I love how Frolo has a song called "Hellfire" and after talking about smiting the wicked and casting him into the fire, that EXACT THING happens to Frolo: he's casted into the same Hellfire he sang about.
I also like the small detail in the very end, when he falls to the floor, face down in a cross-like pose - that's the very pose that catholic priests assume during their ordination.
"He made the devil so much stronger than a man" hits so so hard! I get shivers over that line!
This movie has done what no other Disney movie has: it’s created a realistic portrayal of hypocrisy in religion with an equally realistic villain taken over by megalomania
So...Mark Cahill.
8:43 In French, we often say "Mea Culpa" to confess a mistake, to admit when we're wrong. It's one of those latin formulas that we use in everyday language. I thought I should mention it as the story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is set in France and is based on a French work.
Even rewatching this video I get chills. I totally missed the heavenly answer reference with the guard, and it is a great metaphor to express how most of us could leave dark or toxic behavior if we wanted to, the only thing stopping us is ourselves.
Fantastic video and analysis, hope you’re good!
-Socio-political ranter, over and out XD
Thank you! I plan to eventually do a “What Happened To?” video on the entire Hunchback series, but the fact that there’s 10 films means it’ll be a while lol. And to answer your question, I’m doing good!
Hellfire has always been one of my favs. The passion in his singing sells it.
Your editing and commentary are great! Definitely subscribed
Also I agree with your favorite part. From a musical standpoint, I get chills when it switches to a triumphant major key for but a fleeting moment, as if it's his last chance
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it
"People like this don't exist"
*Spanish Inquisition unexpectedly enter the call*
Better yet; Mark Cahill counts too.
10:46 This moment actually made me gasp in suprise, I had never considered this specific reading of that scene, and I don't think I can ever look at that scene the same way. It is almost ingenious
Tony Jay was fantastic. Not only is he a good actor in general, but he really does have a lovely voice. Captivating is the perfect word for it. The guy could read the phone book and it would be enthralling.
Whenever I watch Hunchback, I always watch and rewatch the Hellfire scene at least twice. The animation is more stunning than newer Disney films.
Speaking of newer Disney films, I feel like they should experience darker topics or be based off of darker stories without really lightening them up. I’ve had enough of newer Disney plots that are simply too basic and predictable and every song is in a major key. I want darker topics that aren’t THAT mature, have unexpected twists, and some MINOR KEY SONGS FOR GOD’S SAKE.
Thank you for reading my rant
With all the recent live action adaptations of classic Disney films, I can’t think of a single living actor who could step into Frollo’s shoes and deliver the kind of performance that Tony Jay gave us. Truly one of a kind
Damn shame Alan Rickman died. Because he would've been perfect for a live action version of Frollo.
What makes frollo scary at least is the same as why we get scared or the church organ. Frollo is a man of the church so we set up this expectation of him being good the same as we think of the pipe organ as the instrument of God but frollo is corrupted, he's terrible. We expect people from the church as righteous, good, and obviously religious the same as we expect the pipe organ to play songs of praise, and hymns. Frollo is scary because he's supposed to be good but he's not, the pipe organ is scary because it's not playing what we expect it should play.
It’s why I think people are driven so much towards the twist villain trope honestly. There’s something extra frightening about a threat who’s disguised as a friend
The guard shrouded in light giving Frollo the answer he asked for but that he doesn't realize it - Brilliant. That you noticed it. I never did but I tend to not look too deeply at Disney films. Somehow, I didn't think any Disney films back then really gave any symbolic depth. Hunchback of Notre Dame has always been one of my favorites but I'm aware it's not as popular as other Disney films. I wasn't sure why that was and dismissed it as 'well there's no literal princess marrying a handsome literal prince'. I'm sure for little girls that is the case, which is what I was when I watched this film for the first time plus adults weren't watching animated film or tv then. Children tend to like and understand more simple stories. I think adult audiences would appreciate this film more than children since it deals with dark, complex problems that exist in the real world. Hunchback is one of my favorite Disney films because of the bitter and painful truths it sheds on painful things many relate to. I'm also impressed Disney purposely made such a realistically dark film, especially when it also shows how harmful religion specifically Christianity can be with the many people. Reality hasn't always been Disney's cup of tea.
idk as a little girl witch trials, religious corruption and the plague were my JAM but i also liked princesses and mermaids (oh god i loved mermaids sm omg) so idk ig everyone is different
This is honestly the best Disney song ever if you ask me
I’d have to agree!
Something I’ve noticed about the theater version of this song, is that they omitted the scene where Frollo had his chance to let go of his obsession with Esmerelda. That was such a crucial part of the song.
another great detail about the interruption by the guard, is that whilst the guard is framed from above by a blueish, almost heavenly light, Frollo is backed by flames reaching up from below. The symbolism is very on the nose but exceptionally striking
Edit, spelling
If you’re a fan of covers, I’d highly recommend Jonathan Young’s cover of hellfire. It even makes a brilliant call back to the bells of Notre Dame and Quasimodo’s mother pleading for sanctuary.
I still remember my first introduction to Frollo as a character in something of an Instagram community that dubbed themselves "Frollophiles" and would ship Frollo and Esmeralda. Haunts me to this day. I can't believe they missed the entire point of the movie.
Thats quite f-ed up.
'Frollophlies'?😂
Can you review "God help the outcasts" next?
I'm going to be making a full retrospective of Hunchback so I'll definitely cover it in that video!
That is what makes Frollo so terrifying. He is REALISTIC. For the sake of the movie his deeds and actions are slightly over exaggerated...But not by much. There are people alive today, in 2022 who hide behind things like religion and the law, and do truly monstrous things while claiming they are in the right. It is perhaps the most common 'evil' of human kind throughout our history.
Kind of like the religious right is today.
This song is filled with characterisation about Frollo and its so subtle that most people don't realise its there, and that's what makes it even more amazing. The chant that the choir is singing is called the Confiteor Deo (I Confess, To God Almighty) and is heard throughout the song, mirroring Frollos word, which many see as Frollos conscious, trying to convince him that he is at fault for everything.
Like this (F for Frollo, C for Choir):
F... of my virtue I am justly proud
C... Et tibit Pater ( And to you, Father)
F...The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd
C...Quia peccavi nimis (That is have sinned)
F...Why her smoldering eyes still scorch my soul
C...Cogitatione (In thought)
F...Is blazing in me out of all control
C...Verbo at opere (In word and deed)
F...ITS NOT MY FAULT
C... MEA CULPA (THROUGH MY FAULT)
The attention to detail in this song is like nothing I've ever seen and it shows a battle between Frollos guilty conscious and his new found lust. It is amazing.
Frollo reminds me of Judge Turpin from Sweeney Todd
That's a really good point. They're similar in a lot of ways actually. Both are driven by lust and keep a protagonist locked away.
Oh, and of course, thank you for subscribing!
@@4shame no problem! Your videos are great!
I was about to say the same!!!
That’s ironic because I always felt that Alan Rickman was the guy to play Judge Frollo in a live action remake of Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame.
This is just my opinion, but I think the reason why some people consider Frollo to be unrealistic despite the fact he literally is realistic, is because in the book he's the complete polar opposite till Esmeralda comes into the picture. In the book, he's not only the Deacon of Notre Dame but literally finds Quasimodo abandoned on its steps. Frollo then takes him in and raises him as if he was his own son, and the name didn't come from him being deformed nor did the name itself mean half-form, but I think it was like based on some kind of holiday or something. Many have stated that because of this change in the Disney movie, it made him too evil, and I think that's why some people consider him to be unrealistic. I think though this movie makes someone like him more realistic than the book does even though he was sympathetic and quite a tragic character, especially with the way he dies. After all, the book was based on the corruption of the church and how overpowered it was.
Those people are idiots. Frollo in the Disney movie isn’t one dimensional. Frollo from his point of view believes he his the good guy. He’s a prime example just because the villain thinks he’s the good guy doesn’t mean you have to make him sympathetic or pussify them.
Frollo in the book is a joke because often (Not always) when you make a villain sympathetic it turns them into a pussy.
Also the Victor Hugo novel sucked. It was fucking boring, Esmeralda and Quasimodo are not likeable characters so when they died I didn’t shed a tear. Also Frollo in the book was a pussy. Also Pierre Gringoire got on my nerves. Yes, I like the Gargoyles in the movie and Dory from Finding Nemo is insufferable. There I fucking said. The writing in the book and was terrible and the pacing was WAY too slow and the book was incredibly pretentious. Plus Frollo is WAY scarier as a Judge, because Priests have no power. Also the whole evil priest thing has been done to death.
@@MovieEnforcer It's abnormal behavior at it's finest and Frollo uses reverse psychology with Quasimodo to keep him isolated, and yes, having him be a judge does make him scarier because it puts literal and more power in his hands.
Also, a character being sympathetic doesn't really make them a pussy. It depends on the circumstances of why we need to be sympathetic towards the character. Look at Ramses in The Prince of Egypt for example. When Moses returns, Ramses wants things to be the way they once were, but is heartbroken when Moses returns to be his enemy and not his brother. Plus, he's brought up through the psychology that was hammered in by his father. He stands against Moses and doesn't release the slaves cause he doesn't wanna be the weak link, (despite he does end up becoming), and protect the dynasty. It's not till Moses takes everything from Ramses does he finally cave and become broken, and swear vengeance. That's a character that we can legitimately feel sorry for and understand.
@@marshallburlew7549 I normally don’t like sympathetic villains in general. Are there exceptions? Of course. Itatch Uchia, Darth Vader in Return of The Jedi, Magneto, Sinestro, Mr. Freeze (Excluding Batman & Robin), Penguin in Batman Returns and Two-Face (Excluding Batman Forever). But those are sympathetic villains done right.
The Hunchback of Notredame is an absolute masterpiece. From an age when they didn’t dumb down or dilute Disney movies to appeal to the masses, it speaks with intense intelligence and a visceral realism that outlines some deep truths. They simply don’t make them like this anymore.
I'm so glad to see this video. Hunchback has one of the best soundtracks of any Disney film, as each song is filled with so much human emotion. The film and score are both ridiculously underrated.
When I was a kid watching the movie on VHS I remember being so intensely scared by the song to the point where I haven't watched it in over a decade.
a interesting thought concerning the opening of the film: the final battle has shown that the gargoyles are indeed alive... so that means all the effigies Frollo thought were looking at him were, indeed, LOOKING at him, judging him. and someone else pointed out that if you look at the Virgin Mary statue, her eyes are closed, but when the lightning flashes, they open.
I would like to point out that in the context of this song and the movie as a whole, I think when he says "Of my virtue I am justly proud", the word virtue can be either taken to mean he considers himself a virtuous person, or it could be taken in relation to the idea of celibacy. Virgins were (and in some cases still are) considered to be more virtuous than those who are not. I prefer to take the second view when listening to this because it makes more sense in context for him to be proud of being celibate, and why he'd be afraid of losing that purity.
So glad I experienced Disney in its most creative decade ever the 1990s. Todays' Disney would never be able to create a character like Frollo and pull him off with todays' over-sensitive audience. Frollo got created , made and put out there during the best moment of movie going history really. Hellfire is the same way. Truly masterful and Tony Jay actually singing those high bass notes so perfectly at age 63 still astonishes me, especially knowing he had gone through surgery in HIS LUNGS! 😳 That is amazing!
SJWS are the worst.
Because people got sensitive
The part I've always loved is how throughout Hellfire you have the back and forth of Frollo and the choir, who are singing the Confitor in Latin. The Confitor is a part at the beginning of mass wherein everyone in church confesses that they are imperfect and have sinned and ask for the mercy of God. But during the song Frollo is dodging his guilt and dodging culpability. Probably most poignant part is the "mea culpa" "it's not my fault" part. That part was translated nowadays to, "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grevious fault," laying blame squarely on the person saying it. But Frollo keeps redirecting blame.
IDK, as a Catholic, I think Alan Menken went above and beyond with the music integrating the latin parts from mass beautifully. One of the reasons I love the movie so much.
What? Of course people like him existed, exist currently, and will continue to exist in the future. He is one of the more real animated characters I have seen, uncomfortably so.
One word people...republicans.
Only retards like Schaffrillas would believe that.
And democrats
@@malissahyatt2425no now this is not nothing to do with Republicans this has long before America existed as long as people hated other people because x y and z or motivation for it
@malissahyatt2425 You sound like a fine example of the Frollos of the world.
This video was really good! You just earned yourself a new sub
Thank you!
Tony Jay is my favorite voice actor. His voice is just grand, but his acting with only that is superb. Sad he's gone but I still love his work.
I’ve always enjoyed the idea of the guard in the door being an actual Angel (faces cast in shadow to the point of illegibility are a common prosaic description of biblical angels) giving Frollo a final chance to stop before he takes it all too far. And Frollo, so utterly obsessed with “his” Esemeralda, rejects the chance.
Unrelated but Frollo's voice just being Tony Jay's regular speaking voice makes that interview funny to listen to, like imagine Frollo himself as just an actor being interviewed about his portrayal 😂
I've heard it started that the flames burn AWAY Sin being a purifying force. Meaning any true righteous person to the degree he claims to be would be happy or exists not as fearful as Cronolo is.
So him comparing her like that is him semi consciously acknowledging that he needs purification for his atrocities but rejected the fire but at the same time wanting to succumb to his lust.
Which is his eyes will be the only thing he'll need to get purified on ignoring all the other reasons he needs the flames to purify him.
I like your words he rejected the fire. Like metal in the fire, he would have been strengthened and done good if he had not given in..and I like your last sentence a lot. Too relatable
@@sonny1524 Thank you that means a lot to hear someone agree and I hope things go well for you.
I'm sure this has come up in some of the other wonderful comments, but Disney had to change his character from being a preist, an Archdeacon actually, to being a government figure (which affects the requisite celibacy of the character in the original novel). They barely make this distinction and make the minimum necessary changes to the point that until I watched it later in life I assumed he was associated with the Church in a direct way. That being said, self-enforced celibacy is a thing, it's just different enough to give the song a different tone if the character is examined in his original role.
Fantastic breakdown of this song and character. Tho personally for 10:57 I don't entirely see it as exactly what he wanted. I think he meant "destroy Esmeralda, and let her taste the fires of Hell" in its most literal form. If he knows she exists and is still alive, he knows he'll lust for her and do anything to reach her, so he's challenging God to not only get rid of her, not only kill her, but damn her to Hell forever for driving him to lustful thoughts (even though it is his own fault for not controlling these thoughts). He doesn't wanna ask God to change himself or help him acknowledge that he is a flawed person. He is asking God to change the world around him so he is not tempted to sin, the polar opposite of Quasimodo hoping that if she says no that he will be okay with that. Her death will ensure Frollo that he stays "righteous" in life without anyone to tempt him again, and her damnation to Hell will ensure that he stays "righteous" in Heaven (because of course he thinks he's good enough for Heaven as is). The damnation part might be a stretch lol but I do think he sincerely commanded God to kill her if he couldn't have her. "Give me want I want or kill her so I can't ever be tempted to get what I want."
I chuckled at his insanity, not because it's funny, but because it's just such an evil that I witnessed in my pre-teen to teenage school life that I found it relieving to see that I am not crazy, that their does exist people like this. It just brings a smile to my face, heck, to my soul, to feel so validated that people like Frollo are just that dangerous.
For me it's Judge Claude Frollo as Disney's darkest villain! As he's Disney's most human and realistic villain. He was genocidal, lustful psychopath who almost killed an innocent child. Frollo is Disney's French Hitler!!! He's the darkest as there have been real life people like Frollo through out history. Scar for me is a close second!! You can add Maleficent, Jafar, Hades, The Horned King, Cruella De Vil, Stromboli, The Wicked Stepmother from Snow White and Chernabog as Honourable Mentions. Hellfire is a visual display of Frollo's deepest and darkest emotions which makes such as great masterpiece of music and cinema!!! It dares to be great and pushes the limit for it's child audience. Which makes it Disney's greatest villain song.
Hunchback of Notre Dame is my favorite Disney movie, and this song is my favorite of the WHOLE film.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is Disney's darkest, most gritty and most adult film that they've ever released. It's such as underrated masterpiece. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾💯💯💯👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
i miss 2d animated movies so much. sure, 3d can absolutely be stunning when done properly. but 2d animation doesn't deserved to be outcast from the mainstream movie scene like it is nowadays. 2d animation can be so very lively, especially in more unrealistic and cartoonish styles. 3d animation can get a bit of this, but it's still a lot more realistic and because of this it has limitations. but with 2d you can do whatever the hell you want. exaggerate figures as much as you want, make proportions that fit the character design much better, make the animation as fluid or abrupt as you want. seeing a disney movie during the age of 2d animation, and just seeing how absolutely beautiful the animation in this movie is, it makes me so sad that there are hardly any 2d movies like this anymore
Amazing to consider the similarities between Frollo and Mother Gothel ... and Quasimodo and Rapunzel, if you think about it.
"How many people can relate to their uncle killing their father to take the throne" Hamlet begins weeping profusely
Watching this as a kid, the imagery and metaphors understandably went right over my head. Also, for an audience of children, this is a very dark scene with quite adult themes. Disney seemed to put across Frollo's motivations and thoughts well through animated symbolism despite the language being quite mature.
I'm aware that people point this tidbit before, but Claude Frollo's untimely fate is basically foreshadowed in Hellfire:
8:36 Noticed how the shape of the light Frollo stands on is eeriely shaped like a coffin.
10:19 The guard telling Frollo the bad news might be interpreted as a guardian angel trying to save him and the white light might as well be Heaven. Frollo telling the guard to "get out" is basically him forsaking what might be his *ONLY* chance of salvation, meaning he's willing to go to Hell as long as Esmerelda is his and his alone.
11:22 The shadows besides Frollo eerily looks like a procession for some kind of funeral.
What I like about the song is that there is nothing of the Disney typical slapstick that sometimes even show up in villain songs and then unfortunately take away from the evilness by putting humor in it. Hellfire is completely serious and dark. It's also quite classical, reminding of operas and theatre in its style. I think it's also relateable to so many because it shows the villain in a inner conflict between his self-image of high moral and the reality of not so moral feeling and thoughts. Don't get me wrong! He handles this conflict in a horrible way by projecting it on everyone else, even his God, and praying for the destroy of Esmeralda - what makes him the villain and hopefully not the majority is like that. But I think the general conflict of self-expectation and reality is relateable to many people. Who hasn't experienced failure in their own good intentions or finding themselfs thinking, feeling or even acting against their actual moral for one reason or another? For the most real people it might be more a conflict between planing to got vegan and ending up buying a hot dog because they could not resist or something like this but I think everybody has expierenced such a situation. So it's maybe more comprehensible than the urge to turn the world into mordor.
I just noticed when Frollo appears before the men in red, Frollo is within the shadow shaped like a coffin.
Chilling foreshadowing.