Les Mis Film Review

I finally saw the film two nights ago and I have to say I thought it was great, better than the book in fact. Although I love the book, they did manage to cut out a great deal of superfluous rambling and unimportant details. I think the only thing that I though was cut a little too much was the Jondrette garret because it didn’t emphasise the awesomeness of Valjean. 

Cutting a lot of Marius’s stalking and mooning made the romance a bit less sickly, Cos was less passive and Marius actually grieved for his friends. I could bear him a bit better in the film, although I though that Eponine wasn’t done justice with her weeping over Marius. I thought of her as being more kick-ass in the book.

Russell’s singing voice is not that bad and suited the role well, although I was surprised to find that Hugh Jackman’s was a tiny bit grating at times. Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried sounded lovely, and Anne’s performance was heartbreaking, Oscar for her and Hugh I think. The singing was probably not up to West-End standards but I thought it did make a difference having them singing it that way.  One thing I noticed more that when I saw part of the 25^th Anniversary performance was that the music sounded more French than I was expecting. It may be mad, but I think I would like to hear some of the songs in the original language (although I know that the musical wasn’t all that popular in France!). 

Hmmmm, I wonder what colour knickers Cosette is wearing? (link)

It was also visually stunning from the very beginning to the end with the way they showed the convicts hauling the ship. Everything was suitably over-the-top as you would expect from a musical and I loved what they did with the Thenardiers. 

I’d like to own it on DVD but I don’t think that it will be a film that I watch regularly what with the emotional wrenching and the length! I did feel weepy, particularly over Fantine but I think that knowing what was going to happen possibly stopped me bawling throughout, otherwise I would’ve cried over the ABC Society dying as well. I’d definitely see it in the theatre one day, although loving musicals as I do there is already a list I’d like to see.

I feel a little bit sad now thinking that I probably won’t write that much more about Les Mis (although I will probably review any subsequent adaptations I see or anything else of interest that pops up). It’s been an epic journey (of just over four months). I will just have to cheer myself with the thought that my journey with the inestimable exasperating Hugo has not ended. Although I have already been warned off Toilers of the Sea, I still have to read Hunchback as part of BIHNR.