Director: Tom Hooper
Genre: musical
Rating: **** (4 out of 5)
Les Misérables is one of the best loved and most enduring
musicals ever made. The French original premiered in Paris in
1980 and the English version arrived on Broadway a few years later. Based on Victor Hugo’s
eponymous novel, the musical centers
around the character Jean Valjean, a French peasant who spends two decades in jail for stealing a loaf of bread and decides to start a new life by breaking his
parole, all the while being pursued by police inspector Javert. Set in
the early years of post-revolution France, the story exposes the social injustice
and class struggles of the time and explores such universal themes as law,
mercy and redemption.
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| Les Misérables by Tom Hooper |
I grew up knowing every word of every song in Les Mis. Tunes like “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and “On My Own” were the anthems of my adolescence. I have seen the productions in New York, London, Toronto, Paris
and Madrid, performed in English, French and Spanish. I know the musical so
well that when I first heard the news about a film adaptation in 2009, I was filled with excitement and apprehension in equal measure. Taking such a celebrated musical to
the silver screen is no small feat. On the arduous road from stage to screen, the
movie can either go the way of multi-Oscar winners like The Sound of Music, West Side Story and Chicago, or land with a thud as did The Phantom of the Opera and Rent.
English director Tom Hooper, who won an Oscar last
year for The King’s Speech, understands the challenges facing him. Characters breaking into song may work in a Disney cartoon, but it can backfire and leap into the absurd in a serious drama. To soften the edge
of a sung-through movie, Hooper adopts a rather revolutionary recording
method. Instead of pre-recording the songs and having the actors lip-sync them
on set, the vocals are recorded live and guided by a piano accompaniment played through earpieces. It is only until post-production
that that the full orchestra is added to the soundtrack and that the earpieces are
digitally removed from the frame. The live recording approach allows the actors
to sing at their own pace and to act out the scenes with greater freedom. The
result is a much better integration between singing and acting.
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| The ensemble cast |
But Hooper couldn’t have done it without the star-studded
cast. Hugh Jackman sheds his Wolverine image and plays Jean Valjean, a vocally
and emotionally demanding role. Although his singing is at times uneven – the
number “Bring Him Home,” for instance, lacks the requisite delicacy – he acts
with conviction and consistency. Throughout the 160 minutes of the movie, Jackman sustains the dramatic tension and channels Jean Valjean in his many forms: ex-convict, self-made millionaire, protective father, redemptive hero. Likewise, Anne
Hathaway steps out of her fashion industry Cinderalla and Cat Woman personas into
the tragic heroine role of Fantine. From the much talked-about “I Dreamed a Dream” solo to the arrest
and death scenes, the actress gives it her all. Despite Hathaway's relatively brief appearance (Fantine dies within the first half-hour of the movie), her heartfelt portrayal of a downtrodden laborer-turned-prostitute has earned her numerous nominations and generated
considerable Oscar buzz.
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| Anne Hathaway doesn't just steal the show, she is the show |
Other well-cast actors include Sasha Cohen and Helena
Bonham Carter, who play the Thénardiers and provide welcome comic relief. Eddie
Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried and Samantha Barks play Marius, Cosette and Éponine,
respectively. They each holds their own and sings with confidence and skill.
But the same can't be said about Russell Crowe, who is cast – make that miscast – as the over-zealous police inspector
Javert. Crowe looks stiff and uncomfortable on the set and can’t hold a tune to save his life. His solo “Stars” is so bad
that I found myself cringing in embarrassment in the theater. The role should have gone
to someone like Colin Firth or Gary Oldman.
With the exception of Crowe, Les Misérables hits all the right notes. It will go down in movie history as one of the most
successful musical-to-movie adaptations. It also sets a high bar for future
projects to come: Cats? Miss Saigon? Wicked? Though so much has been said about the ensemble cast and the recording techniques, the movie still owes much of its success to
Victor Hugo. His timeless story reminds us that freedom and equality come not
from the generosity of the state but the hands of the people who die fighting
for them. We saw the French Revolution unfold on the streets of Egypt, Syria and Libya last year. We hear the battle cry for social justice and wealth redistribution get louder by the day in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Its universality is why Les Mis never gets old.
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| Freedom is a timeless struggle |
