I should admit up front that I’m a fan of the stage musical and the book.
So I went into the film expecting to like it - but instead, I loved it.
Les Miserables is not a show for everyone. (I have friends who love the musical, others who don’t like it at all.) Set shortly after the French Revolution, it’s a big, sprawling story that winds around a big cast of characters. It changes location suddenly, and gleefully skips over large hunks of time between songs - so the main character goes from being a ragged prisoner to suddenly being a respected businessman, and his adopted daughter goes from young child to grown woman just as quickly.
Some don’t care for the music, for the fact that there’s virtually no dialogue (the cast sings - almost - the entire show), for the confusing bits in the story, or they just don’t like the characters. I am not one of those people - I think the music is terrific, the characters are compelling, and the story carries important lessons even today.
It touches on the inhumanity of the prison system, the horrors forced on women who had children out of wedlock or who couldn’t find work, it shows what it’s like to have your heart broken and - best of all - it demonstrates the saving power of love and grace. It’s got heroism, morality, wickedness and a heartfelt and uplifting message.
The story focuses on Jean Valjean, a man who stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. He was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison - a sentence that was extended to 19 years. Finally released, he finds a world that wants nothing to do with an ex-con. But one act of kindness turns everything around, and he pledges his life to doing right.
The story then jumps several years to find that he’s become a respected businessman, employing hundreds of workers in a factory - but his past rises up to haunt him and threatens to destroy the life he has built. He must also deal with the effect of his choices on others, including Fantine, a woman who loses her job and is forced into prostitution.
Valjean ultimately finds himself involved in the student revolutions at the time. Young people rallied for justice for the poor and downtrodden, and those protests often became violent.
And those are just some of the highlights - have I mentioned that the original novel (possibly the greatest novel of all time) is 1200 pages long? So there’s a lot of ground to cover, and the musical does an admirable job of whittling it down to a manageable size without losing the heart of the story.
Of course, since film is a different medium, the filmmakers took a different approach to the story. Where on stage the focus is on powerful voices and impressive sets, in the film the focus is on the acting - emoting into the camera all the intense feelings each song represents. The cast delivers that in spades.
Hugh Jackman plays Valjean, and he’s perfect, with a powerful voice (able to hit those high notes in “Bring Him Home”), a powerful physical presence and the acting chops to make you believe Valjean as both the broken man at the beginning, a man transformed when touched by the mercy of God, and the civilized man faced with painful choices.
Anne Hathaway has virtually been anointed the winner of the Oscar, and it’s easy to see why - her performance here is stunning. She plays Fantine, a young woman with a child out of wedlock who has given her daughter to an innkeeper and his wife to raise while she works at Valjean’s factory. When she loses that job, she’s forced to sell all her possessions and become a prostitute. Hathaway manages to transform into an emaciated, brutalized shell of herself, and delivers a powerful rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” as Fantine pours out her heart. It’s shot in a brutally tight, extended shot that pulls no punches and makes the song about the pain of life and lost hope even more poignant.
Russell Crowe has been on the receiving end of some harsh words for his performance, and I can only assume that’s from fans of the stage show who are used to an Inspector Javert who booms out his songs in a deep bass. Crowe has a strong singing voice (though not the usual bass we might expect) and I think he does a great job here. His character is the antagonist in the story - but not the villain. Javert is a man of extreme moral standards, and he takes his job with the police very seriously. He cuts the prisoners no slack, but he holds himself to the highest standards as well. The film nicely gives Javert several moments to offer us a glimpse of his humanity, as he offers his resignation for offending the disguised Valjean, or a last act of kindness to a fallen youth. Javert has to be a fitting opponent to Valjean, physically and emotionally able to carry the part, and with the gravitas to match up to Jackman. Others may disagree, but I thought Crowe was spot on.
The only comedic bits in the movie belong to the innkeepers, the Thenardiers. The performances by Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter are terrific, though if I were to make a minor criticism, I’d say the “Master of the House” number was played a bit darker and more vulgar than I would have preferred. It’s the one “fun” number in the show, and should have been a bit more light-hearted - but that’s a minor quibble.
The romantic side of the story is carried by the Eddie Redmayne as Marius, Amanda Seyfried as the grownup Cosette, and Samantha Barks as Eponine.
Marius is the student who falls in love with Valjean’s daughter Cosette. Redmayne is an excellent singer (perhaps the best in the movie) and manages the difficult task of making Marius sympathetic but strong - and he tears your heart out with “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables.”
Seyfried was actually the performer I was expecting to stumble - her voice can be a bit thin sometimes - but as the sweet, innocent Cosette, I thought she did well, and she managed to hold her own with Redmayne.
Barks is another vocal and acting standout - there are few songs that present the heartbreak of unrequited love better than “On My Own,” with “A Little Fall of Rain” (with Redmayne) turning the knife one more time.
Stealing scenes (and hearts) is young Gavroche, played by Daniel Huttlestone. He provides the lighthearted link between the poor, the students, Javert and Valjean. (Interesting note: never mentioned in the musical is the fact that Gavroche is the son of the Thenardiers and brother to Eponine.)
How wonderful, too, to see Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop. Broadway’s original Valjean, he creates a sweet and memorable character here. Kudos also to young Isabelle Allen as young Cosette - a small but pivotal role, she’s sweet and sympathetic.
So why is this musical so beloved? My own theory is that it resonates emotionally with many - from the purity of redemption, the ache of love lost, the desperation of love, the connection with God that rings in the final song - “To love another person is to see the face of God” - it’s a powerful, moving message that puts the audience through an emotional wringer.
When the film ended, I had to sit there a few minutes to sort through the experience. A tremendous film, one I’ll see many more times.
Highly, highly recommended!
