Les Miserables Post Release - Page 2

would have loved to see him on Broadway for BOY FROM OZ.  

would have loved to see him on Broadway for BOY FROM OZ.  

 

Also, DAT ASS.

Hugh (and the entire male Avengers cast, come to think of it) is one of the few men I would seriously consider switching teams for.

Am I crazy or did she sound a lot different in the trailer? Maybe they used a less sobtastic take for the trailer, saving the far better take for the movie.

Oh, and agreed. Hathaway's (magnificent) scene basically is the movie in miniature. You see that, you don't really need to see the rest.

 

You're not crazy. The "so different from this hell I'm living" is much more anguished in the film as opposed to the trailer.

Yeah, I can imagine the (otherwise shitheaded) director saying "Okay, Anne, let's do one for the trailer, just to loosen up. Then we'll do the take that will own everybody."

Also can anyone tell me why nobody except Sacha Baron Cohen sounds French and the Brave Little Kid sings with a cockney accent out of Oliver. What. I mean, just...what.

That doesn't bother me at all.  People doing silly French accents because something takes place in France is never less than hilarious.

 

My thoughts are pretty equal with Harley's.  I was flat-out in love with this film for the first half, up until Valjean takes Cosette and we jump ahead eight years.  Then the film shifts gears and introduces every goddamn member of the revolution, putting Valjean and Javert on the sidelines.  Which could work, but I can't buy a love story that's built on one glance across the street, then saying 'hi' through a gate.  It saddened me that I was rather bored during that chunk, as I really found the first half compelling.

 

And then the ending hit, and Hathaway came back, and all was right in the world.

 

Anne Hathaway needs the Oscar.  Hugh Jackman had better at least be nominated.

 

 

Another thing that killed the second half is that we didn't get ANYTHING in regards to Cosette's relationship with Valjean.  She's asking questions and he shoots her down, and then we don't get anything with their relationship until she's crying over his death at the end.  I wanted to see how being a father has changed his life.  I wanted to see what kind of father he was to her.  I wanted to see the ties that bind them together.  Not doing that is a huge mistake, especially given how Valjean reacts to the prospect of her getting married and being taken from him.  It seemed like he was more upset about being alone than he was about losing her.  That's a problem.  Cosette and Valjean seem like strangers to each other throughout the latter part of the film, and it's a detriment to the film.  And yes, the relationship between Cosette and Marius is eerily similar to whatshisface and Johanna in Sweeney Todd:  love at first sight with no dramatic weight whatsoever.  I could not have cared less about those two, and that is a failure of the film.  I should have been on the verge of tears when Valjean drags Marius away from the battle, or when he's singing to God to let the little douche live for his daughter's sake.  Not a single fuck was given by me.   

 

It was shocking how little I cared about any of the Douches of the Revolution.  I didn't bat an eye when Eponine bit it, and that should have been the most tragic moment of that entire setpiece.  She just died for a guy who friend-zoned her, whose world will keep on spinning without her, who never mentions her again after that scene, and I didn't care.  Why wasn't there a scene with Eponine and Cosette being reunited after all these years?  What was their relationship like as children?  Were they friends when her parents weren't around, or was it a Cinderella-stepsister thing going on?  You'd think this would be something worth exploring, at least a little.  Eponine clearly recognizes Cosette, and sings that they were kids together, but that wasn't enough for me.  I didn't even care when the Douche Street Child ate a bullet, in a scene that will not go over well for people still rattled by Sandy Hook.  I was too bored to even wince.  I went from trying and failing to stop crying as Fantine grieved for what her life had become, to suddenly being told to care about the flimsiest love triangle this side of Twatlight.  It was just awful. 

 

I was so relieved to see Fantine again.  I legit sat upright for the first time in over an hour when she returned.  

 

There are fucking GHOSTS in this thing?

For anyone who has seen the stage show, is there that much more between Valjean and Cossette? Even at the end of this movie, they seem like strangers.

 

She's there singing to Valjean during his death throes.  She looks normal.  She's not a hologram-style dead Jedi.  

Funny how the Thenardiers aren't given any moment when they even acknowledge their children have been killed.

Well, her dad pretty much disowned Eponine for the warning scream outside Valjean's house, so I doubt they gave a fuck.

 

Cosette is a plot device in this film, nothing more.  She drives Fantine.  She drives Valjean.  She sort of impacts Marius.  But that's it.  I have no idea what her character is like.

 

Amanda Seyfried is beautiful to look at, but you could legit replace her with a mannequin, stuffed animal, or pineapple and not impact the film in any way.  There's nothing going on there.  Aside from Valjean and Fantine, the characters in this film are 2D and below.

no, there's nit much more between Valjean and Cosette in the stage play. It too switches gears massively and ends up as the student revolution with Cossette and her bloke and Eponine pining in the background. The Valjean/Javert play out is all against the student revolution.

 

So she's a younger singing January Jones. Gotcha.

 

 

Must be the direction, because she was a high point in Mamma Mia!

 

Not so much the direction but a poorly-written character who is nothing more than a plot device.

Nearly all the plot device problems and relationship issues are a fault of either the original stage production or Hugo himself.  Cosette is no more of a real character in the actual novel than she is here.  And the stage production absolutely botches the Marius/Eponine relationship to the point where you wonder how they know each other.

 

As someone not a fan of the stage show, I actually begrudgingly prefer the film, despite disliking most of the entire score.  Jackman, Hathaway and Samantha Barks are all terrific and made up for the long stretches of boredom.  

A bunch of cynical bastards you people are. I had tears in my eyes from Eponine's death till the very end. Strong men cry, Mr. Lebowski.

 

As a preface, I have read and taught the novel (well, translated and abridged. The edition took out most of the essays on economy, politics, etc.) I have seen the stage show twice, own two different recordings, the 10th anniversary and the London cast, and listen to both regularly while mowing the lawn as that task takes the entire recording. So, I love the story.

 

First my negatives:

• The steady cam use was an issue. I understand that it can theoretically open up actors to do their thing, but sometimes the camera was just unsteady.
• Russell Crowe just didn't have the voice. Even in this movie, where the singing is tailored to the acting choices, he didn't have it.
• Amanda Seyfried's bird warble. If she was trained to do that, then someone should have punched the trainer in the throat.
• Sacha Baron Cohen and Helen Bonham Carter stop the movie dead for me. Master of the House is a fun song, but the scene felt very long. My audience enjoyed drunken Santa Claus.Their bit at the wedding, while necessary from a plot standpoint, just seemed interminable.
• Also, Sacha Baron Cohen doesn't get the one chilling song in the sewer that I would have actually liked to see him do, but it would have slowed the film down.

 

My positives:

• The film is a beast unto itself. It isn't the singing brilliance of the stage show, but it is almost what a 'real' musical would sound like if a musical number just broke out in the streets. I definitely understand the innovative way they filmed it, and it was worth it. Watching Jackman and Hathaway work through their emotions while singing was just inspiring. The actors could concentrate on the words, which brought more meaning to the songs for me.
• Hathaway once again steals a movie that she disappeared from early. By the ending, you could hear sniffling in the crowd, but I heard a sob when she reappeared to escort ValJean home.
• Jackman does great work here. I would have loved to have seen his Broadway shows. I am okay if they start selling just the filmed stage shows, but we have got to get that culture spread out from New York better than traveling shows.
• Eddie Redmayne and Daniel Huttlestone (Marius and Gavroche) are new faces for me and they were a delight. Redmayne's injured soldier after the battle is a particularly tough scene that he pulls off marvelously.
• The movie does a wonderful job of establishing meaning to the songs that sometimes gets lost in the stage show. Like Gavroche's song. It is a great way of showing character and putting the song to use to forward the action. Some of the singing between ValJean and Javert plays out better (the fight scene) because the action is emphasizing the song. Both stage versions I have seen just had the actors singing at each other while standing still.

 

As for complaints about accents...really? You want truth to story, go watch it in French. I actually hate when we throw heavily accented English in a story about foreign countries. I can believe that Sean Connery is a Russian submarine captain without him resorting to Sam Neil level accents. Cosette is little more than a plot device, but that is due to the sources. She has little to no agency. Eponine is the strong female character in film.

 

 

The film isn't perfect. I am going to see Django Unchained today, and may make that my Christmas day champion. However, the movie is well worth the price of admission. It is a great interpretation of the material and one I am very glad was made.

 

 

I hate to come across as a Seyfried apologist, but I think that may be a "source material" issue - again, her singing was very good in Mamma Mia! and I've noticed that most actresses who play Cosette tend to trill when they sing. 

Les Miz is not even close to...Les Miserable!  It is a...Les...MIZmerizing...Mizterpiece!  I also do not know why people...CROWE negative about Russell!  His Javert is as one note a villain as the actor in the Broadway Show!  It is...Intentional Typecasting.  Crowe is...Perfectly Cast!  Aside from Hugh Jackman as Jean ValJean, Crowe's performance is my...2nd Favorite in the film!  I...Love...ALL the Songs!  The Academy wil say to other...Best films...Viva Le France as the result is a...Les...SWEEP, of the Major Awards!

I see Javert as much more than one-note, though. He truly believes, until the very end, that he is on the side of right. Crowe LOOKS like Javert, but his voice is more...rock operaish? I saw one reviewer call it lyrical, but he swoops and slides into notes. His singing is more pensive, thoughtful, but, IMHO, not in a way that does the character credit. Places where the music swell, Crowe's voice never seems to match that roar. It is a soft voice.

It's a fucking foghorn. I eagerly await a YT vid of a foghorn dubbed in for his singing voice.

 

I must strongly disagree. He can't project foghorn power. His mouth is open, but the sound is edited to make it look like he is bellowing. He isn't.

 

Not the power, but the sound. Every time he opens his mouth, I think a ship is coming in to port.

Saw this today and some in the theater started laughing during Hathatway's "Dreamed a Dream" song...maybe because it was so over-the-top-snot-running-down-the-nose-sobbing melodramatic.

 

I actually preferred the more restrained performance shown in the trailer.  This is just trying to win an Oscar by overacting/oversinging.  And, trust me, from what I've heard about Anne Hathaway (really good source), she takes herself as seriously as anyone in Hollywood and is literally desperate to win.

 

I know when she gives interviews and talks about her gay brother, she always says "my beloved brother."  What normal person talks like that, lol?

You miss my point. I didn't necessarily want everyone in the movie rocking fake French accents, but then why have the kid sing in such a broad cockney accent? That may go back to the stage musical, and if so, it was dumb there too. It's as weird as having the kid sing in a broad Jersey accent as a signifier of poverty. It really did feel like an outtake from Oliver. Some of the workers sounded that way too, and then you have Fantine, Ms. Poor McPoverty, who sings with no particular accent. She's not like "Oi draymed uh draym."

Just saw this really loved it for the most part. The music was just phenomenal especially since a good chunk of the cast aren't classically trained signers, they do a good job. Not going into Anne Hathaway since everyone knows she killed it. Overall liked the up close shots during signing it conveyed the emotional struggles of the characters so I feel this worked perfectly and gave the film a more intimate feeling, making it mostly feeling like a art house musical like Dancer in the Dark which was interesting. Also I feel people are too harsh on Crowe he was serviceable although miscasted for the role due to his weak voice but he was intimidating. The only thing that didn't work for me was the storyline between Cosette and Marius and the student revolution but that's a small quibble. I'd give this 8/10, honestly a lot better than I thought it was going to be can see this winning a few Oscars, obviously Hathaway, she deserves it.

In regards to Baron Cohen's accent, he typically does an English cockney thing, but switches to French when he's welcoming people to the tavern or talking to people of nobler birth. So it's an affectation for the character, but I don't know why it's a French accent instead of a put-on posh English accent. But it's probably best not to give it too much thought.

Pretty sure the Thernadiers are usually played as broad Cockney types all the time, but maybe Hooper decided to let Cohen do something different just for the hell of it.

 

Interestingly, this is the second time he's played a musical character who switches between accents; the first was Sweeney Todd, which also had Helena Bonham Carter.

The way Anne Hathaway sings her "I Dreamed A Dream" song is a lot different from what we got from the Trailers. In a way she isn't exactly singing, but trying to sell the emotion and message of the song instead.

 

Besides Hathaway, i liked the chick that played Eponine. She nailed the voice and character cold. Seyfried's voice isn't bad as well (though her character is a complete Cypher).

 

Still this isn't a film that i plan to re-visit soon (though i'll definitely catch Hathaway's song online). I was repeatedly looking at my watch during the last 30 minutes hoping it would be over soon.

Me to a T.

I was so fucking glad to see Hathway in the last 5 mins.

That last half hour was a real slog to watch through.

Again, me to a T.

" PAPA. PAPA. WE'RE HAS HE GONE?"

 

"I MUST LEAVE. I MUST LEAVE. I MUST NOT BE FOUND."

 

Jackman in Paleface makeup.

 

And we never get to see the actual people in France rise up right? Just a thing that bugged me.

If someone in my theatre started laughing during that song, I would have turned around and punched them in the twat.

I've never seen or heard any version of Les Mis, so I went into the movie cold, and I found it transformative. Glorious. The relentless close-ups were nearly overwhelming at times, and, yeah, it was obvious who could sing and who couldn't, but overall it worked like gangbusters. Jackman was fantastic. Cohen and Bonham-Carter seemed like they were in a different movie, but had little enough screen time that it wasn't overly-distracting.

I, too, found the street urchin's cockney accent distracting and weird. I didn't need French accents draped over everything, but that was so distinctively British that it threw me for a minute while I tried to figure out why there was a little English kid involved.
Edited by Captain Mal - 12/30/12 at 10:02am

Well, everyone knows that Britain began exporting its street urchins during the Industrial Revolution. Truly, Swift's Modest Proposal was just too modest, and some enterprising Englishman outdid himself.

 

 

:D

The movie had some problems, mostly pacing issues and that the lame looking barricade but slightly off accents wasn't one of them. The cockney British accents are suppose to denote that their poor and doing bad French accents would of been distracting. I really don't see a big deal about the worst was Amanda Seyfried's terrible performance and Jackman's uneven performance as Valjean.

"Slightly off?"

I really really wanted to like this, but very quickly tired of the poor editing and insipid camera-work.  Les Mis is such a grand, operatic musical, and yet the camera mostly just plants itself 2 feet in front of whichever actor is singing at that moment.  The "understated" camera-work did not fit the material.  

That said, it was a perfectly fine film with some great performances (in any other year Jackman runs away with it).  It just didn't live up to its billing.

So, this was my first ever experience with this musical. I didn't know the story, I only knew one song, and that the South Park movie ripped off One More Day in a way everyone approved of.

 

It's the most well-made piece of shit ever. The first half hour/45 minutes are great, though tonally inconsistent. Songs that should play as pensive, foreboding, or just tragic play out as broad, booming, and big. Instead of letting I Dreamed A Dream be its own standalone thing, the melody permeates the whole film, and never where necessary. After Jean Valjean picks up Cozette, the story takes a fucking dive. It goes from a man trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his pursuer during the second Revolution to sub-CW fawning about falling in love with Amanda Seyfried at first sight. Valjean goes from repentant criminal to Dad Trying To Sit His Daughter's Date Down To Tell Him To Have Her Home By 11. An at-least-still-interesting story about the revolution picking up steam keeps getting stopped dead by that bullshit, and it just absolutely clusterfucks the story's midsection. Any character development needed to make Valjean's need for God to keep Marius alive or Javert's conflict of duty have weight in that second half is completely missing, especially after a nine year gap. The Valjean of the first half would have supported and likely joined the rebellion. The Valjean of the second half doesn't have enough of a character for it to even matter.

 

The performances are what they should be though, and it is the performances and the direction that keep me from tossing the whole thing under a bus. Hathaway's scenes are all just mind-blowingly great, Jackman and Crowe are fine, and for the life of me I dont know what all the bitching about Crowe's voice is about. Granted, his usual growl would've worked far better in scenes, but he's fine otherwise.

 

And every scene involving the rebellion itself and nothing else is great. The song sung during the general's funeral, the street urchin being the one person ballsy enough to march out to meet the army, the sorrowful aftermath song about empty chairs and tables and absent friends. The scraps of a better story are here. But it's not enough. The story is still a mess, and if all the polish of performance and direction weren't enough to spit shine it, there's no iteration of this story that ever will. But I'm glad I got that out of the way.

Would've worked much better had it been called Close Up: The Musical. Look, I know it's not exactly the prettiest of times these characters are living in, but can we get a medium close up? Can we get an establishing shot? Where the fuck are these people located? I remember Marius had just sung his eulogy to his friends, an excellent song (the empty table one) and then suddenly, Cosette is framed up close, supposedly in the room with Marius or on the stairs or something and it just feels awkward as hell.

 

The revolution stuff is its own movie, the Jean Valjean stuff is its own movie, they really didn't belong in the same movie (though maybe it all works better in the musical and/or book). And my god, Anne Hathaway. Broadway is supposed to be big and polished and I get and understand that, you have to reach the back of the theater, but listening to other versions of I Dreamed A Dream after hearing her just put every last ounce of her soul onto the screen puts Broadway absolutely to shame. It's the highlight of the movie and it's a shame that it happens so early in the film.

I absolutely could not deal at ALL with Russell Crowe's undercover Javert outfit. The hat, the scarf, and the leather jacket would have been a bad choice in and of itself, but all three together made him look like he stepped off an 1880s remake of CRUSING. 

 

Somebody give Aaron Tveit an action movie, stat. 

Hooper responds to some of the criticism:
http://www.indiewire.com/article/les-miserables-director-tom-hooper-the-one-q-a-you-have-to-read?page=3