Dear Friends,
Hear ye, hear ye, all yon musical theatre buffs. Your love and passion for Les Mis (as it is most often referred) has likely already had you to the theater and back again, to see the cinematic version of this most beloved classic. And so, I assume you don’t need any more encouragement to see it, given that you’ve probably already stood in line at the theater, as well as pre-ordered the Blu-Ray release of the director’s cut on Amazon.com. But for the rest of you out there, those of you who were required to read Victor Hugo’s 1892 novel of the same name in high school, or for those of you who were pronouncing it…
…Lez Mih-zer-ay-blehs up until right now…
…this review is for you.
Les Mis, directed by Tom Hooper and starring everyone ever, is the story of Jean Valjean, who lives in France in 1815. Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is a convict, who has spent 19 years doing hard labor for the crime of stealing bread to feed his family. When he gets out of jail, he ducks his parole officer and decides to get his life in order. Years later (eight, specifically), an upstanding citizen and mayor of a small town, he is discovered by the prison guard Javert (the “t” is silent) who wants to take him back to jail for skipping out on his parole. In the meantime, Fantine (Anne Hathaway) is working at Jean Valjean’s factory but gets thrown out for having a baby out of wedlock, which is apparently exactly as severe a crime as being a serial killer. She becomes a hooker in order to survive, but she becomes ill and is hospitalized, and dies anyway. She makes Valjean promise to take care of her child, Cosette, who is currently living with an unscrupulous innkeeper (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his wife (Helena Bonham Carter). Valjean does this, and takes Cosette (Isabelle Allen) on the run with him as he attempts to escape Javert (Russell Crowe). Nine years after the eight we just jumped forward, in Paris, a group of young men are planning a revolution. Students Marius (Eddie Redmayne) and Enjolras (Aaron Tveit) along with Gavroche, a street urchin, are busy organizing a bunch of other people to rise up with them. Eponine (Samantha Barks) is the innkeeper’s daughter, and is desperately in love with Marius, who has unfortunately caught a brief glimpse of teenager Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) and has fallen desperately in love, and so is unavailable to return Eponine’s adoration. (Spoiler alert!) It’s all very complicated, as Jean Valjean is nearly caught tons of times by Javert, and Marius attempts to find and be with Cosette and fight in a people’s revolution all at the same time. A lot of people die (I mean, a war starts) and everything ends terribly for almost everyone.
Oh, did I mention that it’s a musical, and it’s over three hours long? (Exactly 158 minutes)
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the acting was incredible. There are a ton of great actors in this film. Anne Hathaway provides a stunning performance as Fantine, even though she’s only in the first twenty minutes of the entire film. Hugh Jackman is a warm and loving father, a good man, yet a desperate criminal all at the same time. Jackman was versatile, compelling, and wonderful to watch. Sacha Baron Cohen and his partner-in-crime Helena Bonham Carter absolutely stole the show every single time the camera was pointed in their direction and were hysterical from beginning to end. The young Daniel Huttlestone as the street urchin Gavroche was easily my favorite character. Eddie Redmayne is a very dashing Marius, Aaron Tveit is commanding and generally glorious, Amanda Seyfried is winsome and sweet in love, and Samantha Barks was passionate, and completely heartbreaking, and utterly fantastic.
If anything I just said calls to you, I would suggest you close your computer, and run out to see Les Mis immediately. After all, it’s been nominated for Best Picture, along with seven other Academy Awards, nine BAFTA awards, and it’s already been awarded a handful of Golden Globes. What more could you possibly want?
You want more? Okay fine. The cinematography was also breathtaking. The camera work was impressive and gave France an even more epic feel then it probably already possess. (I mean, it’s France, how much help could it need?) The score, by Claude-Michel Shönberg, is one of the most famous and beloved of all musical theatre history, and is absolutely beautiful.
If you still aren’t convinced, then nothing else I have to say is going to work. The film isn’t perfect, but on the whole, it’s a wonderful movie, it was wildly popular, and it’s going to win a number of awards on Oscar night. So go, and see it. Make it a family event (although it might be a bit depressing for younger children). This is a great introduction to musical theatre and a great way of sparking interest in the arts. Teachers, send your students, or show it in your classrooms. It will at the very least spark a lively debate, and any English or Social Studies teachers should find it useful in supplementing their studies of Hugo’s works, or of the French Revolution and 19th century France. So go, now, don’t wait another moment, and when you’re done, be sure to shout, “Vive le France!”
Live, Love, Learn,