I think that sums it up pretty well. It is cheap. Really cheap. Even for a TV movie...even for a TV movie from the 70s. The production ultimately suffers because of it. The low production values, the basic camera work, the minimal sets, end up breaking any sense of immersion. It takes the audience out of the story when they are reminded that what they are watching is people in costumes talking in front of Styrofoam buildings.
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| Kenneth Haigh as Claude Frollo |
The actors are mostly B-listers, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The 1970s was a time for unconventional actors. The ones here are fine. Barring a few exceptions, the performances are often well done. There's nothing Oscar (Or should I say Emmy) worthy in this movie, but nothing outright terrible either
Yet these actors aren't nobodies, like you would typically see in TV productions. Kenneth Haigh and Warren Clarke were recognized actors at the time. Clarke was even in a Stanley Kubrick film.
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| Warren Clarke as Dim, A Clockwork Orange (1971). |
The script by Robert Muller is not half bad. While the frequent shift of focus to Jehan Frollo is a bizarre one to say the least, the dialogue and general plotting is fairly well done. It touches, though perhaps a bit too bluntly, on a lot of Victor Hugo's themes. It's not Shakespeare or anything, but it at least shows signs of effort.
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| Jehan and Quasimodo |
I dare to say that, with this script and these actors, you could have made a good film. I'm not going to go as far to say that you would have had another Citizen Kane, but at the very least it could have been an enjoyable historical melodrama.
That doesn't prevent this version from being a bad movie.
The acting is alright, but it feels like it isn't at its full possibility. Like stated earlier, it feels unfinished, like a dress rehearsal. Kenneth Haigh in particular can get a bit over the top.
The lousy production values ultimately undermine the potential of an entertaining film.
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