Les Miserables

Image credit: IMDb

Ever had one of those days where you feel that you need to watch a grandiose and ambitious venture of musical theatre? That was me today and, deciding to watch the only adaptation on Netflix of a musical that I have never seen before, I combated the feeling with Les Misberables.

A cinematic adaptation of the stage musical, based on Victor Hugo’s immense novel, the film tells the story of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who has served as a slave for nineteen years for the crime of stealing bread. When he is freed, he breaks his parole and disappears to start a new life. Always behind him is the ruthless policeman Javert (Russell Crowe), determined to bring him to justice. Alongside this central cat-and-mouse story is the parallel story of love and revolution as Valjean’s adopted ward Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) falls in love with a revolutionary (Eddie Redmayne).

I have always been interested in the story of Les Mis and its complexity as a highly theatrical example of musical theatre. Closer in nature to soft opera, this movie is really not the best adaptation to start with. Cinematically, it’s clumsy, crude, and brutal with harsh lighting and a strange montage of camera shots that are good for the certain scenes they are depicting, but stand alone and don’t blend with the majority of the film.

While the story speaks for itself; a classic and moving tale of love, hope, and redemption, the films is brought down by director Tom Hooper’s (interesting?) decision to have the actors sing their songs live. Still giving screen performances, but with the added pressure of singing over the top proves to only work when the characters are standing still and not having to cry or stamp around in a passion. The imbalance in volume of the backing orchestral score takes away a fair portion of the romance and drama that accompanies the musical, which in turns strips the story of its more moving and emotionally stimulating perks.

Image credit: Hollywood Reporter

However, despite this imbalance, the talent of the central cast cannot be denied. Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Samantha Barks all exhibit their chops to great effect, which certainly works as a somewhat redeeming feature.

But, at the end of the day, the grandiosity that springs to mind whenever the words Les Mis are uttered is completely lacking in this film and one is left with the conclusion that, in order to appreciate it properly, one might just have save the dough and go to the theatre.

Director: Tom Hooper, 2012

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Aaron Tveit, Samantha Barks, and Daniel Huttlestone