At Real to Reel, we know that if you want to see a film, it's easy to either be completely swayed by someone else's opinions before you've even seen it, or reject their views entirely. Therefore Take Two provides you with not one but two reviews in order to give you two perspectives of the newest releases The best things really do come in twos.
Since it’s unlikely I’ll be able to fulfil my life’s dream of running away from school and joining the theatre, I did the next best thing: skiving off to see Les Miserables! I was enchanted from the beginning; it’s grandiose, intense, and fresh. Gripped, by the end found myself wishing it could’ve gone on forever.
Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is an honourable man, imprisoned for seventeen years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. The movie opens on his eventual return to freedom, where his initial weary hope is crushed by the contempt he is treated with by the people. Embittered and resentful, Valjean is at last given a break in the form of a Bishop extending an act of selflessness toward him. His life is transformed, and in turn, so are the lives of those that surround Valjean as he starts a chain of good deeds.
This is director Tom Hooper’s second film, following his debut The King’s Speech. Hooper effectively takes advantage of the benefits film as a medium offers as opposed to stage: the cinematography depicts both the clean streets and the darker side of 19th century France, with a cold, vivid beauty. There are times however, where the supposedly rougher scenes come off slightly polished - a bit more bravery could be afforded here.
The decision to have all songs performed live on set was a brave one - and one that definitely paid off. If the vocals were to be pre-recorded, Les Mis wouldn’t have that same spontaneity, that electricity that contributes to the passion of the film. It maintained the fervour you’d find in a musical performance, while also exploiting the benefits of film. Admittedly, a few of the vocals (Russell Crowe) aren’t ones I’ll be re-visiting on the soundtrack, but I feel within the film each song conveys pure, believable emotion: and that to me, is far more important than pitch-perfection.
The stand-out moment for me was definitely the cast’s rendition of 'One Day More' - all the plotlines intertwined and the actors all seemed to feed off each other’s energy - so magical. Anne Hathaway’s breathy, half sobbed I Dreamed a Dream drew me in also, her performance so heartbreakingly genuine. Hathaway really stood out for me throughout this film in general, her depiction of Fantine as a shy, desperate girl was to me a lot more real than the slightly overblown Broadway manner Fantine tends to be portrayed in. Helena Bonham Carter was delightful to watch as Madame Thénardier too - she oozed endearing, whimsical charm all through. In contrast, I found Sacha Baron Cohen’s (Thénardier) performance a bit forgettable, but Carter’s eccentric show more than made up for it.
Basically, if you’re at all into engaging, dramatic storylines, emotionally-charged songs, and the thrill of REVOLUTION, I’d for sure recommend this film to you. You’ll be struggling to keep yourself from singing along…
Anita Bhadani
Les Miserables - to date it has grossed $141 million in the USA and been claimed an 'emotional masterpiece'. But is it really all that? No doubt many of us shed a tear as Eponine died with her unrequited love intact and young Gavroche died at the merciless hands of his own countries people. But does it compete with the West End theatre productions? Or is it perhaps better?
One thing that I do appreciate about Les Mis being turned into a film is that it has brought its tragic story to the masses. In an economic climate where most of us can't afford to just pop down to the West End and most (myself included) can not be bothered to read the huge 1500
page book, this seems a perfectly viable option to try and offer people a little culture.
Unfortunately Tom Hooper’s film is a little floored. Firstly I would like to address his excessive use of close ups, I believe he was trying to pass on to us as the audience the true pain of these sorrowful
characters which I can understand, but all I got from it was a bit of a distorted view of the world these characters inhabit and a whole lot of Anne Hathaway's spit. On stage you cannot close up on an actors
face, and yet you can still absorb the chilling emotions passed on, perhaps maybe through the voice and music is how this is mainly achieved (Hooper should have allowed voice and music to do its job in the film).
This leads me on to the singing. I respect the idea to record the actors singing live and in whole think it was quite effective, apart from the odd line by Eddie Redmayne and poor Russell Crowe. Even the singing lesson didn't help him. Samantha Barks - now that is a voice to admire, although admittedly I don’t think she brought anything new to the role of Eponine. The only thing I would say is that the songs didn’t give me goosebumps, perhaps this is because it is a film and so not a live medium, but live the songs of Les Mis (unless you’re unfortunate to get a truly bad cast) shake you to the bone.
Russell Crowe. I don’t believe this is exactly his finest role. Mainly due to his inability to sing which caused his representation of Javert to be... lacking. The darkness in Javert's heart just did not show. On the other hand I found that in general Anne Hathaway’s performance was rather adequate for Fantine. Adequate. Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Triet and Daniel Huddlestone made the film, with much needed comic relief brought in the form of Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter - in a predictable role again, although this time I will let it slide. Amanda Seyfried, I refuse to even mention.
The death of Fantine did seem like the climax of the film, rather than the fight scene, which was set up similarly to the classic Les Mis theatre set, and sadly just didn’t work on screen. On stage it feels
impressive - with tables and wardrobes filling the stage, extravagant lighting and explosions going of left right and centre, the atmosphere is huge! In Tom Hooper’s film it appeared small and a little pathetic, like 20 men hiding under your dining room table.
Admittedly the last scene of the film was powerful. The camera pans over the deceased characters as they sing (a lot less shrilly than a theatre cast) 'Do You Hear the People Sing'. Well we definitely do! And it was much more than could be achieved in the theatre. Despite my criticisms, I was indeed crying by the end of it. So if you enjoy a good cry and the sight of Eddie Redmayne’s freckled face, it’s definitely worth seeing.
Lydia Heathcote
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