Les Miserables
Directed By Tom Hooper
Starring Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Russell Crow as Inspector Javert, Anne Hathaway as Fantine
I had never seen the musical and I had never read the novel. All I knew is that almost everyone declared Les Miserables as "the best musical ever". Now I have seen the film, and I can see why people love it so much. You can officially add me in to the Les Miserables Fan Club. I can't stop singing the songs to myself or listening to the soundtrack on Youtube. So the only thing left to do is review the film.
Set in France during The Revolution, Jean Valjean (Jackman), is finally released from prison on parole after nineteen hard years. Marked as a convict by his papers and ostracized by society, Valjean turns to stealing priceless silver from a convent. When he is caught, The Bishop convinces the officers he gave him the silver as a gift, and then tells Valjean he has saved his soul for God. Touched by the Bishop's actions, Valjean breaks parole and assumes a new identity.
Years later he has become a wealthy mayor and factory owner. At said factory, a young woman Fantine (Hathaway) is fired after it is discovered she is sending money to her daughter Cosette. Fantine is forced to sell her hair and teeth, and become a prostitute. Feeling responsible, Valjean promises her on her deathbed he will care for Cosette as his own. Meanwhile, Javert discovers Valjean's true identity and seeks to return him to prison.
It's tough to explain the rest of the story without going into too much detail. The plot is not as straight forward in the second half as it is in the first, as we witness, in addition to all this, a love triangle and the perils of the French Revolution. Les Miserables is something of a character study, but a damn good one nonetheless. You fall in love with these characters and you understand their pain, from Valjean's quest to become a better man, to Fantine's futile struggle for a better life. I must admit I did get antsy when the focus of the film turned to the love story of Marius and Cosette and away from Valjean. It sort of slows the film down, and their romance seemed rushed and underdeveloped (They do fall in love rather quickly, like the leads in a Disney movie).
Hugh Jackman is on his A-Game, brining to life one of the greatest characters ever known, and he makes the role his own. Anne Hathaway will break your heart as Fantine. Both actors are serious contenders for this upcoming awards season, and should bring home some gold. Russell Crowe as Javert is great, and the chemistry he has with Jackman is perfect. The supporting cast is spectacular. Everyone hits their marks.
The singing is just as wonderful as the acting. Anne Hathaway's rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream" will move you to tears. Russell Crowe, who was the only one I was concerned about, surprised me. There are a few moments where he appears shaky, but he's giving it his all here. Director Tom Hooper's decision to have the cast sing live gives the film such raw power audiences have never seen in film musicals. When we see the actors sing, it's real vocals, and real emotions that makes the film itself more real and the audience heavily invested. Dare I say it, the genre of film musical has been redefined.
Many have had mixed emotions with Hooper's choice of cinematography. There are many long-takes of close ups on actors as they sing. I myself am torn over this aspect. On one hand it gives us a better glimpse into the performances were watching, while on the other it somewhat robs the film of its production value (There's only so much of Revolutionary France you can see in a close-up). I admire Hooper's decisions as a filmmaker, and I do find that for most of the film, they pay off.
Les Miserables is probably one of, if not the best musical-to-film adaptions ever done. A well-assembled cast and director make it so. There are aspects of the film that may not be for everyone, but it is definitely worth seeing, as it will be a force to be reckoned with come awards season.
