Les Miserables - the movie

[Sasha'sSpins]

I'm going to see Les Miz after the New Year when I'll have some time off. I've heard so many great things about it-I hope it lives up to the build up!

My niece was in her high school's production of Les Miz a few years back-it was a quality production-I hope this film lives up to it!

Crowe-There are actors who can sing, and singers who can act. I don't think Russell Crowe can sing-or at least not well enough for a musical. From the trailers I was totally unimpressed with him-so disappointing.

[jenny12]

The directing was just abysmal. All closeups or huge, panoramic shots, no camera movement during songs and some really awkward angles. What was he thinking? And where was Baz Luhrman or Rob Marshall when we needed them?

Completely agree. Still can't believe Hooper won an Oscar over David Fincher, the Coen Brothers, and Darren Aronofsky, all of whom know how to use more than two camera shots. I think Les Mis definitely would've been better served if it had a more capable director as there were makings of a far more effective film.

[Wyliefan]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that just because a director chooses to do things in unusual ways, that doesn't necessarily make his choices bad. And that perhaps, with a musical like Les Miserables, Luhrmann- or Marshall-style glitz -- appropriate as it was for Moulin Rouge and Chicago -- was not what was needed.

*ducks flying tomatoes*

[orbitz]

The directing was just abysmal. All closeups or huge, panoramic shots, no camera movement during songs and some really awkward angles. What was he thinking? And where was Baz Luhrman or Rob Marshall when we needed them?

What annoyed me most about Moulin Rouge and Chicago was the MTV-style editing, particularly for ML, during the musical numbers. Baz and Rob also went on to direct the stinkers Australia and Memoir of a Geisha, respectively. Rob also directed Nine, which failed. So it's difficult to predict how each would have done with LM.

[PRlady]

What annoyed me most about Moulin Rouge and Chicago was the MTV-style editing, particularly for ML, during the musical numbers. Baz and Rob also went on to direct the stinkers Australia and Memoir of a Geisha, respectively. Rob also directed Nine, which failed. So it's difficult to predict how each would have done with LM.

Good point. I saw Nine (one of perhaps nine people in the world who did) and was flabbergasted at the waste of all that talent. But I also think the story itself was self-indulgent and macho, which is not the director's fault, he was working from the play. Never did see Geisha which is good since I loved the book.

Who directed Dreamgirls? That was a middling success but at least the camerawork was unobstrusive and let you get into the story without pondering whether any of the leads had their tonsils out.

[Skittl1321]

I saw it last night. It wasn't a waste of my $9.50, and that is saying a lot as I only go to the movies once a year or sometimes less (X-men was the last thing I saw in theatres.) The thing I was most looking forward to about going to the actual movie was getting popcorn- but holy crap, $6.50 for a small, no freaking way.

My thoughts on the movie:
Russel Crowe has a beautiful voice, he definitely can sing. However, he cannot sing to meet the requirements of Javert. It was abysmal. If he was creating the character, I might have said it was fine, but Javert is a known entity- and he sure doesn't sound like that. There were parts of the more powerful songs (Confrontation) that I thought he sounded excellent on, but others he struggled on. And then things like "Stars"- oh, it made me sad. I feel badly for him, because he shouldn't have been put in the position to be panned the way he is. Who else auditioned for this role, and what were they thinking?

Hugh Jackman also sounded like he struggled on the higher register, but his acting really sold it for me. He was extremely believable. I was a bit distracted by the Wolverine side burns (though I know they were period realistic) and then later in the movie when he looked too much like the Dad from Little House on the Prairie.

I thought Anne Hathaway gave a great performance but I feel her role was too minor for an Oscar.

I thought Marius was fabulous on Empty Chairs and Empty Tables, but didn't love him in Red/Black. I expected him to look and sound difference. Plus I was sitting next to an immature guy who kept whispering to his girlfriend that he looked like a duck, and then that kind of distracted me because he was right.

The Thenadiers (probably spelled that wrong) were good, but I felt Cohen was doing a weird accent- it was odd. However, I was really worried about his presence in the movie (he is not someone I care for at all) and he didn't ruin it at all, so that is a plus.

I was surprised by audience reactions, I think many of the people in there new nothing about the show, except that it is famous. There were lots of laughs at place that aren't really that funny if you know they are there "make money in your sleep" for instance. There was also nervous laughter as Jean Val Jean approached Cosette in the woods like a creepy pedophile "What's your name little girl, where do you live". I think if you know the scene, it doesn't read that way, but seeing it from the point of view of not knowing what comes next, it really does seem like he is a creep.

My husband's biggest complaint was sunglasses on Mme Thenadier at the end. He just finished the book and also kept calling it "Select scenes from Les Mis"- but if it were all the scenes, we would probably still be there... I thought they did a much better job of going through the plot than the musical does, it was more cohesive. The only lines we didn't hear were "broke a window pane" and "yellow ticket of leave". What else did they cut?

The close ups were way out of hand.

Oh, and I bawled the entire time. I've seen the show 8 times (some student productions) plus concerts and never cried. The graphicness of the movie just made it so much more real- at the barracade, Val Jean's death, and probably at least one other time.

[skatesindreams]

Thanks all, for sharing your impressions.
I"ll look forward to seeing the movie after the New Year.

I never expect a movie to resemble a play.
Some translate well; others don't.

[Wyliefan]

The Thenadiers (probably spelled that wrong) were good, but I felt Cohen was doing a weird accent- it was odd. However, I was really worried about his presence in the movie (he is not someone I care for at all) and he didn't ruin it at all, so that is a plus.

I thought he was awful. Seemed like he was just there to stand still and let HBC act circles around him. Which she's quite capable of doing -- I've liked her in pretty much everything I've seen her in -- but I don't think he was supposed to be letting her do ALL the work!

My husband's biggest complaint was sunglasses on Mme Thenadier at the end.

I think they were going for the steampunk look with them. That's a choice I would not have made, personally -- steampunk is way past its sell-by date as far as I'm concerned.

Who directed Dreamgirls? That was a middling success but at least the camerawork was unobstrusive and let you get into the story without pondering whether any of the leads had their tonsils out.

Bill Condon. He also did the last two Twilight films, for what it's worth. (I don't think it's worth much, myself, but YMMV. )

[jenny12]

Bill Condon. He also did the last two Twilight films, for what it's worth. (I don't think it's worth much, myself, but YMMV. )

The script for Twilight is horrific (as well as the source material), IMO, but from what I've seen, the camerawork was better there and in Dreamgirls than in Les Mis. Although to be fair, I've seen first year film school work with better camerawork than Les Mis.

I get annoyed by both Baz Luhrman and Rob Marshall's direction sometimes, but at least there is a purpose to the choices. Hooper's directorial choices are so simple that it seems like that's all he's capable of doing rather than being perhaps like in Luhrman or Marshall's cases, an (sometimes failed) intentional attempt to do something different.

[Matryeshka]

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm excited to see it for one reason and one reason only: I've heard Anne Hathatway sings I Dreamed a Dream like she's angry and pissed, which is how I've always felt that song should be sung. It's the death of a dream while you're dying, it's about you having your youth and innocence and hope going bye-bye and most sing it in this fa-la-la, I had a dream, isn't that lovely style.

We were supposed to go see it today, but the bratlling his home and he stayed up all night last night and he's in such a foul mood, he'd ruin it for all of us, so now we're going to see it on New Year's Eve.

[Skittl1321]

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm excited to see it for one reason and one reason only: I've heard Anne Hathatway sings I Dreamed a Dream like she's angry and pissed, which is how I've always felt that song should be sung.

It works very well. She also sings it later, which I think makes it even more poignant- at this point in the movie, she has lived a truly horror-filled life, in the play, she sings it so much earlier, so it makes sense she isn't quite so angry and pissed, though I agree it is too pretty of a song for what its meaning is.

I thought he was awful. Seemed like he was just there to stand still and let HBC act circles around him.

Well, like I said- I was set for him to ruin the show for me, so I was happy he didn't. And HBC could act circles around most people. Besides- it was in character He's the lazy innkeeper, his wife does all the real work


As for the conversation about poor direction choices- the camera work for Gatsby looks horrendous. Very Moulin Rouge like (which makes sense, same director). It did inspire me to re-read the book though, as I don't remember anything I saw in the preview being in the book. Just that the book was so boring, but I was also in high school.

[Wyliefan]

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm excited to see it for one reason and one reason only: I've heard Anne Hathatway sings I Dreamed a Dream like she's angry and pissed, which is how I've always felt that song should be sung. It's the death of a dream while you're dying, it's about you having your youth and innocence and hope going bye-bye and most sing it in this fa-la-la, I had a dream, isn't that lovely style.

Mm, I would have said completely emotionally wrecked rather than angry. But it fits with what you're saying, and yeah, it works.

[UGG]

Just saw it today-overall I LOVED it. Random notes...

Fantine's doomed life is so much more...I don't know...in your face in the movie-Lovely Ladies was very dark where as in the musical, it is somewhat of a comic relief part. I thought Anne Hathaway was amazing.

I thought Hugh Jackman was amazing.

I loved the barricade scenes the best- I LOVED Enjolras. Why they hell didn't Eponine go for him?

I realy didn't like Marius at all. What was with his vibrato? Distracting. And I really don't mean to sound shallow, but I have a hard time believing someone would fall inlove with him at first sight LOL. And to me, no one compares to Michael Ball.

I am glad I had no expectations for Russelle Crowe. He was horrible. The movie would have been that much more amazing if someone would could play that role was in it. Really, really disappointing.

I thought all the changes really worked-I noticed all of them. I loved at the end when the Bishop was there and I loved that the Bishop was Colm Wilkinson, and also enjoyed seeing Frances Ruffelle.

Oh...Maruis's grandfather really threw me off at the end.

I wish Master of the House had been funnier instead of as dark as it was.

I thought Eponine was good but her waist (or lack of it) was very distracting. I was wondering how she was breathing the whole time.

The close ups really did not bother me-I really did not notice

The other stuff I want to talk about-I cannot because they may be spoilers for people who have never seen it.

[PRlady]

Bill Condon. He also did the last two Twilight films, for what it's worth. (I don't think it's worth much, myself, but YMMV. )

How dare you suggest I've been within even three miles of a Twilight film?

I have to admit that as Victor Hugo novels go, I liked Hunchback of Notre Dame -- yes, the cartoon version with Demi Moore as Emeralda's voice -- better than this.

[orbitz]

I saw the movie today. I was overall underwhelmed by it and thought it went on a bit too long. I was expecting to experience a roller coaster of emotion, but it didn't happen for me. Surprisingly I didn't feel anything during IDAD. I kept thinking how different it looked and sounded from the trailer. I did shed some tears at the end, but it was hard not to when nearly all the characters on screen were bawling their eyes out.


Things I did not like:
1. Crowe was distractingly bland throughout most of his singing and acting. I didn't get any emotion out of him.
2. I didn't find either Sacha Baron Cohen or Helena Bonham Carter's character to be funny.
3. I agree that some of the shots are distractingly out of place. It looks like this film is the first time that the director has ever used a super wide angle lens, because it doesn't look like he knows exactly what to do with it; The wide angle shots jarringly appear and disappear out of nowhere. Also,what's the deal with tilting the camera angle in some of the shots? It just make me go "Huh?"
4. Amanda Seyfried has a lovely voice in small dose, but the high-pitch that she used got old fast.
5. Yes, I too thought Val Jean approaching Cosette in the wood in the dark and how easily she accepted him at that meeting was creepy, but I was thinking with today's mindset.
6. There seems to be too many slow song, especially in the second half.
7. The background orchestration went for the full sweeping effect that sometimes didn't match the raw, weaker singing style of some of the actors. So in some instances I thought it would've been better to have had the actors lip-synch instead of singing live.

Things I liked:
1. Samantha Barks was very good.
2. Redmayne's Empty Chair number was one of the more effective performances in the film.


It's an ok movie for me, but not something I would personally pay $9.50 to sit through again. I think the singing works for the film, but I can't imagine listening to a CD of it

[cruisin]

Was going to see it with my daughter and my son's girlfriend tonight. But, my daughter is sick (probably a sinus infection) and it's snowing. So, it will have to wait. I've been listening to the 10th Anniversary album on my iPhone, while I walk. I probably should stop and give the movie a break.

It's been a while since I saw the musical as a play. I'm more used to the 10th and 25th performances. But, I don't recall actually seeing Valjean meeting up with Cosette in the woods. I remember him being in the "Inn" and telling the Thenardiers that he'd found her wandering in the wood.

Amanda Seyfried has a nice voice for pop - that is why she did well in Mama Mia. But, she doesn't have the powerful soprano for Cosette. She forces a much higher register than she has, which sounds tinny, and a vibrato which is annoying. And that is just from listening to the cuts that I've heard.

That is probably the problem with Jackman, as well. He has a really good voice, but he's not a tenor. Valjean sings at least one octave higher than Jackman's natural voice.

[chipso1]

Amanda Seyfried's voice bothered me much less in the actual movie than it did during the snippets and clips I watched on YouTube.

[cruisin]

Amanda Seyfried's voice bothered me much less in the actual movie than it did during the snippets and clips I watched on YouTube.

That's good to know, thanks.

[DaveRocks]

That's good to know, thanks.

To offer another opinion on Seyfried's voice in Les Mis: It bothered the hell out of me. She sounded atrocious. It was like clawing your finger nails down a chalkboard every time she opened her mouth.

Otherwise, I thought the movie was fantastic. The portrayals of Marius, Eponine and Gavroche were especially excellent.

[orbitz]

And I really don't mean to sound shallow, but I have a hard time believing someone would fall inlove with him [Marius] at first sight LOL.

Well, I think what you're hinting at is lust, not love