The Hunchback of Notre Dame Page #4

You could if you'd been whipped once.

- Have you?

- Twice.

Now I buy protection.

- From whom?

- The nobility.

The guardians of

the old and holy traditions.

The very same.

They buy it from the king,

and sell it to those beneath.

It's quite all right.

You see...

... after the war, I don't forget,

it lasted 100 years...

...thousands of us went from door to door

asking for honest work...

...and we were whipped for begging.

The ruling class didn't say,

"Work or starve."

It said, "Starve, for you shall not work."

And I starved.

Thousands did, till I organized

the Beggars' Guild.

Of which I am member 7,419.

You needn't be ashamed.

True, we're not great thieves,

like the nobles.

Our robberies are petty compared to

the wholesale plunder of the nation.

I wonder if the moral difference

isn't in our favor?

Right.

Some day you and I will write a book

on the truth of beggary.

We will.

Right now we've got to do something

to stop the whipping of that poor devil.

Only the chief of justice can do that.

Isn't the archbishop his brother?

I don't think he can do anything,

but you might try him.

Twenty-nine, thirty...

...thirty-one...

That's no whipping.

He hasn't shed a tear.

Those possessed of the devil never do.

- It's the whipper's fault.

- What do you mean?

Our whipper would make him cry.

You mean you have a better whipper

in Marseilles than we have in Paris?

Yes.

Why?

I know, I know, I know.

Isn't there any way to stop the whipping?

I wish I had the power.

Quasimodo belongs to the world

of the church, doesn't he?

He does, yet if he ventures into the world

outside, he must accept its laws.

If his punishment seems unjust...

...there is a higher power who watches...

...and avenges.

Forty-nine, fifty.

The prisoner shall remain

for one full hour on the pillory.

The cellars of the Palace of Justice

are overflowing with prisoners.

It is the same throughout France.

It's not the common thief and murderer...

...but the thousands,

and thousands of heretics...

...freethinkers and preachers of sedition

that are our problem.

We have to build more prisons.

It is not more prisons we need,

it's more executions.

We're far too lenient.

What'd you find out?

The prisoner Quasimodo

has already been sentenced.

- Where is he?

- At the pillory.

The council is dismissed.

Water...

Water...

Water...

Water...

Water...

Did you see that?

And I thought he loved the Hunchback.

Never trust a man

with pinched nostrils and thin lips.

- Where have you been?

- With my people.

I crept through the gates to tell them

that the king has promised to help us.

Water...

Water!

There's your water.

Claude, I couldn't prevent it.

Before I knew what was happening

he was already sentenced.

What do you think, Jean,

made Quasimodo pursue the girl?

He never did anything like it before.

He would not disgrace us...

...unless he was forced to.

I know how disappointed you are in him...

...but we must bear our burden

in patience.

The hour's up. Release him.

All right. Go on.

She gave me water.

"Are we not all God's creatures...

"...placed in the center of the universe...

"...to rule with love

as our Father in Heaven?

"The time has come to regard

our fellow man with respect...

"...for only thus will we reach

the fulfillment of our destiny."

No wonder Frollo fears the printed book.

Imagine all the people reading this.

The printing press seems to be

a great invention.

It is. I'm glad I'm living

in this age of great beginnings.

You're hurting me. I should have

made you my chief torturer.

I beg your pardon, sire.

I wouldn't have to rub so hard

if Your Majesty would bathe more often.

- How often would you say?

- Twice a year.

- Twice a year?

- At least.

- Would that make me live longer?

- It would.

Good.

I am determined to live 100 years...

...and more, if your new elixir

does what you promise.

What's the matter?

Why are the bells ringing at this hour?

And so strangely?

What's the matter with the Hunchback?

You see? It is Quasimodo.

He's getting crazier every day.

Yes, he certainly has changed.

What do you mean?

He's been different ever since

that Gypsy girl gave him a drink of water.

That's right.

He keeps mumbling her name.

Maybe he's in love with her.

Is the lead hot enough to pour?

Who is she?

The Gypsy girl.

She's been invited to dance here tonight.

- Gringoire, what are you doing?

- The world looks beautiful this way.

One should always look at it

standing on one's head.

- Be sensible.

- Sensible?

It is monstrous to be as sensible as I am.

Please remember why you are here.

To divert the noble lords

and ladies of Paris.

Unless they take poison

to end the ennui of their empty lives.

Are you ready?

Yes, I am.

Come on, Bimbo.

Don't forget your cue, Esmeralda.

What have I done?

Why do you pursue me?

What have you done?

You have awakened in me

all that should have stayed dormant.

I have sought a tranquil existence,

and had it.

Until I saw you.

Since then my powers have failed me...

...for I cannot rid myself of you.

In every book I read, I see your face.

In every sound, I hear your voice...

...or the jingle of your tambourine.

I've questioned my conscience

through the deep hours of the night...

...only to awaken in greater confusion.

Let me go.

They are waiting for me to dance.

I don't want them to see you dance.

- You are breaking my wrist.

- I don't mean to hurt you.

Come away from here.

I can't bear it that all those men

will see you dance.

I want you for myself alone.

If I can't have that...

...it will be my end...

...and yours.

Now, ladies and gentlemen...

...next in our program...

...the flower of Egypt...

...the dancing wonder, Esmeralda.

Ladies and gentlemen,

this is really not Esmeralda.

This is Aristotle...

...the great mathematician.

The miracle goat.

He will tell any one of you

how much money you have in your purse.

Very well. How much money have I?

Phoebus, isn't that the Gypsy girl?

Come, Fleur, let's all dance.

Well, Bimbo, this is no party for us.

Come on, Aristotle.

Who are you? Where do you come from?

Speak up. I'm a soldier

and I'm accustomed to being obeyed.

Here I sit and talk to you

as if I had never seen a girl before...

...never held one in my arms.

Why do I do this?

Why?

- Because you love me.

- Because I love you?

Forever.

Forever is a long time.

You forget I am a soldier

and gamble swiftly with life and death.

I am willing to throw

my life away for you, today.

Tomorrow...

You see, love is only a part of my life.

It's a very sweet part, I admit.

For me, it is everything.

It's all my life.

There is someone here.

What is it?

Don't worry.

Phoebus...

...now I see...

...why Luna guards the night...

...for the soul to pray.

How I welcome Phoebus light...

...Phoebus, king of day.

- Say again you love me.

- I love you.

More than anything in the world?

I can't do any more than just love you.

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