I DREAMED A LES MISERABLES TRAILER - Page 2

And you know how in every adaptation, there's one bit they just have to get right to get you on-board?  Like in FOTR, I was waiting to see how Jackson handled "I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way."  It was my litmus test to see if he got it, and boy did he.

 

With Les Mis, it's "One Day More."  In my mind, Hooper has to nail that, the interweaving lyrics, the scale, the sense of foreshadowing,  He could do everything else right, but if he blows that song, he's blown Les Mis.

Also, reading all the press about the live singing has reminded me that I rarely ever notice the lip-synching in live action musicals. Maybe they've just gotten that good at hiding it over the decades?

 

He should look to the La Resistance Medley in the South Park movie for inspiration. Seriously, that song is a huge riff on One Day More, and it brings together every character, in disparate locations, and the interlocking lyrics, perfectly.

 

Also, for some reason, I want to see Master of the House done as a single take. That just feels "right" for that song. Plus it would fuckmazing.

 

I just saw ROCK OF AGES, and thought it suffered by me having seen the Les MIs trailer the day before.  The singing in that movie definitely FELT synced early on.  But it's just one of those things you get used to as the movie goes on, I suppose. 

 

Yeah, but I don't even notice things like that early on in a movie. I can barely even tell that older musicals are lip-synched.

I love musicals, so my ticket was already bought for this.  And they're clearly pimping Anne in this to capitalize on her impending increased profile after The Dark Knight Rises is released.

 

I always felt "One Day More" could be done as one take, with the actors weaving in and out as their voices did, and then everyone coming together at the end.

And Hathaway's about to costar in the sequel to one of the biggest movies ever. They may be banking on that zeitgeist.

 

 

Don't you mean "Jackman's got musical theater background"? BOY FROM OZ?

 

Yeah seriously, Jackman has the most musical theatre experience out of this cast by far. Before Wolverine he was basically considered a 'Song & Dance Man'.

 

Dudes got a black belt in that shit.

Yeah, Jackman is the least of my worries. The man will hit Valjean out of the fucking park.

Sarcasm is lost on all of you, it seems.

 

Jackman < Iron Chef

Anne sings "She's Me Pal" for Meryl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV7ZD9Gvf_Q

Hugh Jackman's biggest successes, and what he's mostly known for so far are having played Wolverine six times, and Real Steel.

 

I say not fair, not fair at all.

I haven't see Jackman do musical theatre, so I am hoping this is his niche and he nails it.  I've never really liked him as a straightforward, dramatic actor.  It's not like he's Sam Worthington-level flat.  He's more than competent. But most of his performances don't do anything for me.  The Prestige comes closest to being a great performance.  Anyone else feel that way about him?  I realize it's a very unpopular stance amongst geeks.

 

And yeah, I am one of the people who has watched this trailer a ton of times since yesterday.  The song and the visuals really get to me.  I just want to give Hathaway a hug.  Not that that's unusual for me, but this time it has nothing to do with her body.

I saw this play on the big screen today before Snow White, and my God, does it look beautiful.  I heard a few scattered cries of "Les Mis!!!" when the trailer first started.

 

I take it you are already counting The Wolverine, which doesn't begin shooting until a few months from now?

Yeah.

 

This man could be a huge star. Same for Neil Patrick Harris.

 

The Fountain lives and dies with his performance, and he's incredible in it. 

His work as Wolverine shouldn't be discounted, I think. He really nailed that part, particularly in the first two X-Men movies. And he's great in The Prestige (haven't seen The Fountain yet). I also thought his Elvis impersonation voicework as Mumble's dad in the first Happy Feet was a solid performance. And hey, he got to sing in that! Even if it was, again, something of an Elvis impression.

I listened to my copy of the Complete Symphonic Recording last night, and there are plenty of little bits and interstitials they could cut and lose nothing from the story.  Things like the entirety of "Turning" (the film can convey time passing visually rather more easily) or Gavroche's coda after "Stars".  Really, if it wasn't for the fact that he gets one of the most wrenching deaths in the show, you could easily eliminate Gavroche altogether and not miss a beat.

Something I've been wondering: how does the musical compare to the book? And were Victor Hugo fans up in arms about the changes they made, or the fact that they even made a musical out of it at all? That happened with Disney's Hunchback, I know (not always without good reason).

Anyone ever see this?

 

 

I read the book years ago, and it's bloated to the extreme.  Lots and lots of author asides, some that go for over 50 pages.  A true example of an author getting in the way of his own story.  

 

I'm not a fan of the musical, but it wrings the story out of the 1,400-page novel effectively except on some key points.  The relationship between Eponine and Marius, for example, I would think is kind of baffling if you hadn't read the book.  

Don't listen to Ratty. The book's a masterpiece. The musical nails the spirit of the page; I couldn't care less about plot adjustments.

 

It's your bog standard unrequited love in the show, and as such it works.

Thoughts on the novel, Richard? You seem pretty familiar with both.

I love the novel, when Hugo doesn't go on a rant about the economy. I have read an edited and unedited versions in English. It is beautiful in places, but the author drops a political essay in the middle pretty often.  I prefer Hugo's Hunchback to the unabridged Les Miserables. The story is fabulous, but like Moby Dick, it requires your attention.

 

 

Same here. In fact, as the trailer ended, someone uttered a little louder than I think he meant "Holy Shit", and a guy at the far other side of the theatre said "Holy shit is right", then there was applause. Hadn't seen that (applause for a trailer) since Episode I.

 

Nobody applauded at the end of Snow White. Not even sarcastically.

 

Heh, actually never read it, but I've read up on the differences between it and the show.

Holy hell -- my niece just pointed out that this and The Hobbit come out on the same day.  That's going to be insane.

And going by the trailer, The Hobbit could be kind of a musical too!!!

 

I imagine there will be some pretty big arguments between drama nerd couples on that day.

 

Double feature!

That'll be a hell of a double feature!

It's not so much noticing the lip syncing as it is feeling the general disconnect that comes after an hour or so of watching actors lip sync to prerecorded tracks. Recent movie musicals seem to suffer more from this issue than earlier ones, maybe because musicals are more sung through these days and there's often more singing than dialogue.

Extended First Look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwgQjfg0hZw

This looks fantastic.

HWOOOOOOAAAAARGHHH!!!

I am secure enough in my masculinity to say that I will be weeping profusely during this. Hathaway, even in such a small dose kicks my ass.

This looks real goods.  The Master wins best actor/supporting actor/director, this wins everything else?

And another thing. Jackman is practically beaming with excitement when he talks about this. It's so endearing.

Well the stereotype is that musical lovers are effeminate types, I remind people that Jackman is married, has a couple of kids, loves musicals AND is the Wolverine.

 

His enthusiasm sells me. Did you see his interviews for the Wolverine movie? I knew it was crap going in.

 

He's such a doll.  I love that man.

 

Yep, you could tell he just savored the opportunity to do something different with Valjean's soliloquy.

After this movie comes out, anyone sneering at musicals for being fruity can be answered with "Wolverine, dude. Wolverine."

 

Of course, Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin were in a musical too, and I guess that never shut people up.
 

Well, that's also because Paint Your Wagon blows.

 

Goddamn, this is gonna be great.

Looks pretty damn good. And I think Hathaway's going to have a busy awards season.

 

Little worried that they're hiding Javert though. I hope Crowe pulls it off.
 

They're hiding Thenardier too.

Does Javert have any real "trailer-y" songs? I'm not really read in on the musical, but the book has long been a favorite.

 

And it's only been the teaser and this BTS featurette. I'm not gonna worry that Crowe's not up to snuff until we get closer to release without hearing him. Hooper made Crowe do a vocal audition before giving him the part, so I've got confidence that he'll pull it off.

 

Gene Kelly, dude - he didn't even have to play a super-hero and there's no doubt he was a man's man who got more ass than a toilet seat. 

Stars would like to have a word with you....