Most of my friends and family, and many of the readers of my blog, know that I am very critical of live theatre. I've been involved in theatre for many years in many roles (I'm talking about acting, directing, writing, stage managing, etc. Although I have also had many roles on stage. *wink*), and I've seen a lot of good theatre and a lot of bad. The first time I saw Les Miserables was in Los Angeles, and I loved it! I loved the music, the set (especially when the barricade comes on), the story, the acting and voices of the performers, and the finale made me cry the ugly cry (as it did my brother who took me to see it). I have seen many touring productions of the musical since then, and regional productions, and I've even seen the high school version performed by a wonderful group of students. The last production wasn't my favorite, and I think I had just become "Les Miserables'd out." That is one of the reasons I was so excited to see the movie. I was looking forward to seeing it in a new and different way.
I was able to see an advanced screening of Les Miserables a week ago. I saw it in a theater full of mostly stage actors - stage actors who love Les Miserables, and were pretty stoked to see it before the general public. I'm sure that most of them, like me, have been anxiously waiting for the movie since it was announced that it was finally coming to the big screen.
I have to say that I wasn't totally impressed. I liked much of the film, and many performances, but there were some aspects of it that disappointed me.
What I Didn't Like:
Okay, first of all, I have to say that I was excited when I heard that the actors were going to film their songs live. I am still glad they did, but because they were able to perform live, I think the songs got lost in the overacting. I felt like some actors put too many unnecessary pauses in the songs, and it made it feel to me like they were overacting. I don't think I will buy the soundtrack, because I didn't feel there were any performances that were better than the versions I already have.
Speaking of overacting, I like Anne Hathaway. I know many people don’t like her acting very much, but I've been one to defend her performances. I think she's a good actress, and I also think she has a nice voice. I loved her rendition of “Somebody to Love” in Ella Enchanted. So I wasn't too disappointed when she was cast as Fantine. I knew she could sing the part. I think she did a good job, until she sang "I Dreamed a Dream." The problem for me was she “acted” to much in the song. Compared to performing on stage, movie acting is very subtle. I felt like Anne was performing to the back row of a live theatre. She did what I call “schmacting.” It was just too over-the-top for me. If she wins an Academy Award for this performance, then I'll know that the members of the Academy like "shmacting" in musicals. *wink*
I was also confused by some of Anne's choices during her big song. In the second verse she sings about her daughter's (Cosette) father: "He slept a summer by my side/He filled my days with endless wonder/He took my childhood in his stride/But he was gone when Autumn came." She pretty much spits out those words in hatred for the man. And then in the next phrase she sings "And still I dream he'll come to me/That we will live the years together." Why would she want to have a man she hated come back into her life? The reason is she really did love him, even though he left her. She was singing of a time when she was happy, and I would have liked to see that in her emotions, not hatred. That's just a personal preference.
I felt like Russell Crowe was all wrong for the part of Javert. He didn't have the right type of voice (especially for singing one of my favorite songs: "Stars"). I also felt like he really didn't want to be doing the part. I felt like he thought it was beneath him to be in a musical. That's just my impression. He may have loved every minute of it. I just didn't get that from his performance. I also hated the way dies.
I didn't like the way the scene in the factory with Fantine was filmed. The actors were looking straight into the camera, as if they were acting to us, the audience. It was very annoying. I'm so glad the rest of the movie wasn't filmed like that. However, there were too many close ups. Sometimes it made me fell claustrophobic, and I'm not generally claustrophobic.
I generally liked Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, and I think he has a decent voice, but I didn't particularly like his rendition of "Bring Him Home." I thought the key was too high for his voice. I think if they had brought the key down a bit, it might not have been so bad. but I felt he was straining the whole way through. It's very unfortunate, because it's such a beautiful song. There is, however one line in the song that has always bothered me: "He's like the son I might have known/If God had granted me a son." Valjean does not even know Marius, he only knows Marius loves Cosette. He doesn't want Marius to take Cosette away from him. In the book, you know that Valjean actually hates Marius. It shows what a good man Valjean is that, although he doesn't like Marius, he's willing to save his life.
I also felt that Amanda Seyfried's songs were a bit too high for her voice. Other than that, I think she did a decent job as Cosette. Although, she really doesn't have that big of a part in the movie.
What I Liked:
The opening scene was quite epic. I'm not sure why Tom Hopper decided to place his convicts on giant ropes trying to bring a giant ship into the dock, but it worked. I liked that Javert makes Valjean move a large, heavy piece of wood that held the French flag, because it is then that Javert notices the inhuman strength that Valjean has, which is so important for him to know later in the film.
I knew that Colm Wilkinson (London's and Broadway's original Jean Valjean) was cast as the Priest, but when he came on screen there was such an exciting feeling throughout the theater. His voice was wonderful, and he played the part perfectly. It was also great to see Francis Ruffelle, the original Eponine, as one of the "Lovely Ladies." Although I didn't recognize her face, because of all the makeup the prostitutes wore, I certainly recognized her voice. I'm so glad the two actors were given parts in the film.
The moment I heard Isabelle Allen sing "There Is a Castle in a Cloud" as young Cosette, I was totally in love with with little girl's voice. It was so clear, and she sang the song so beautifully. The solos before her scene were sung so "big," with many pauses and "over-emoting," and it was so nice to hear someone singing a song straight, and acting so "small," but still bringing emotion into the song.
For the most part I liked the Thenardiers, played by Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. I especially like Helena Bonham Carter. She brings such eccentricities and subtle touches to her characters. Both of them brought the comedy that they were cast to bring in the mostly depressing story. I didn't like all of "Master of the House." I thought some of it was too vulgar.
I really started enjoying the production when we got to the scenes with the students. "Red and Black" was directed wonderfully, and the actors had great voices. I especially liked Aaron Tveit as Enjolras. He has a great voice, and was excellent in the role.
Samantha Barks was excellent as Eponine. Her rendition of "On My Own" was wonderful. It doesn't hurt that she performed the role in London for many years. She brought just the right amount of pathos, without making you feel too sorry for her.
I liked seeing who the students were fighting. In the stage version the "enemy" is just disembodied voices. In the film, you could see that they were real men who were doing their duty, and there was even one soldier who showed emotion for what they were doing. It was very moving.
Eddie Redmayne was good as Marius, and his "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" was one of the highlights of the movie. I wish Anne Hathaway had seen him perform that song before she filmed "I Dreamed a Dream." It was heartbreaking to see the tears in his eyes at the beginning of the song. He lost so many friends, and not only did they die, he saw them die. You could feel all of that in his song. I also liked how the song "Turning" was very short and it segued nicely into "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."
There was a wonderful moment that Javert had that was so touching. After the "battle" he goes to the house where the students' bodies are laid out. Among the men is poor little Gavroche. Javert takes a medal off of his uniform and places it on Gavroche. I almost started crying again.
I loved that there were parts from the book in the film that weren't in the stage version, and I think they added a lot to the story. These included:
I definitely think the finale in the stage version is more moving.
As a final note (pun intended): Even though there were things I like about the film, I definitely like the musical better on stage. I think that the stage version is more moving, and actors are cast for their singing ability, not for their "bankability."
What I Didn't Like:
Okay, first of all, I have to say that I was excited when I heard that the actors were going to film their songs live. I am still glad they did, but because they were able to perform live, I think the songs got lost in the overacting. I felt like some actors put too many unnecessary pauses in the songs, and it made it feel to me like they were overacting. I don't think I will buy the soundtrack, because I didn't feel there were any performances that were better than the versions I already have.
Speaking of overacting, I like Anne Hathaway. I know many people don’t like her acting very much, but I've been one to defend her performances. I think she's a good actress, and I also think she has a nice voice. I loved her rendition of “Somebody to Love” in Ella Enchanted. So I wasn't too disappointed when she was cast as Fantine. I knew she could sing the part. I think she did a good job, until she sang "I Dreamed a Dream." The problem for me was she “acted” to much in the song. Compared to performing on stage, movie acting is very subtle. I felt like Anne was performing to the back row of a live theatre. She did what I call “schmacting.” It was just too over-the-top for me. If she wins an Academy Award for this performance, then I'll know that the members of the Academy like "shmacting" in musicals. *wink*
I was also confused by some of Anne's choices during her big song. In the second verse she sings about her daughter's (Cosette) father: "He slept a summer by my side/He filled my days with endless wonder/He took my childhood in his stride/But he was gone when Autumn came." She pretty much spits out those words in hatred for the man. And then in the next phrase she sings "And still I dream he'll come to me/That we will live the years together." Why would she want to have a man she hated come back into her life? The reason is she really did love him, even though he left her. She was singing of a time when she was happy, and I would have liked to see that in her emotions, not hatred. That's just a personal preference.
I felt like Russell Crowe was all wrong for the part of Javert. He didn't have the right type of voice (especially for singing one of my favorite songs: "Stars"). I also felt like he really didn't want to be doing the part. I felt like he thought it was beneath him to be in a musical. That's just my impression. He may have loved every minute of it. I just didn't get that from his performance. I also hated the way dies.
I didn't like the way the scene in the factory with Fantine was filmed. The actors were looking straight into the camera, as if they were acting to us, the audience. It was very annoying. I'm so glad the rest of the movie wasn't filmed like that. However, there were too many close ups. Sometimes it made me fell claustrophobic, and I'm not generally claustrophobic.
I generally liked Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, and I think he has a decent voice, but I didn't particularly like his rendition of "Bring Him Home." I thought the key was too high for his voice. I think if they had brought the key down a bit, it might not have been so bad. but I felt he was straining the whole way through. It's very unfortunate, because it's such a beautiful song. There is, however one line in the song that has always bothered me: "He's like the son I might have known/If God had granted me a son." Valjean does not even know Marius, he only knows Marius loves Cosette. He doesn't want Marius to take Cosette away from him. In the book, you know that Valjean actually hates Marius. It shows what a good man Valjean is that, although he doesn't like Marius, he's willing to save his life.
I also felt that Amanda Seyfried's songs were a bit too high for her voice. Other than that, I think she did a decent job as Cosette. Although, she really doesn't have that big of a part in the movie.
What I Liked:
The opening scene was quite epic. I'm not sure why Tom Hopper decided to place his convicts on giant ropes trying to bring a giant ship into the dock, but it worked. I liked that Javert makes Valjean move a large, heavy piece of wood that held the French flag, because it is then that Javert notices the inhuman strength that Valjean has, which is so important for him to know later in the film.
I knew that Colm Wilkinson (London's and Broadway's original Jean Valjean) was cast as the Priest, but when he came on screen there was such an exciting feeling throughout the theater. His voice was wonderful, and he played the part perfectly. It was also great to see Francis Ruffelle, the original Eponine, as one of the "Lovely Ladies." Although I didn't recognize her face, because of all the makeup the prostitutes wore, I certainly recognized her voice. I'm so glad the two actors were given parts in the film.
The moment I heard Isabelle Allen sing "There Is a Castle in a Cloud" as young Cosette, I was totally in love with with little girl's voice. It was so clear, and she sang the song so beautifully. The solos before her scene were sung so "big," with many pauses and "over-emoting," and it was so nice to hear someone singing a song straight, and acting so "small," but still bringing emotion into the song.
For the most part I liked the Thenardiers, played by Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. I especially like Helena Bonham Carter. She brings such eccentricities and subtle touches to her characters. Both of them brought the comedy that they were cast to bring in the mostly depressing story. I didn't like all of "Master of the House." I thought some of it was too vulgar.
I really started enjoying the production when we got to the scenes with the students. "Red and Black" was directed wonderfully, and the actors had great voices. I especially liked Aaron Tveit as Enjolras. He has a great voice, and was excellent in the role.
Samantha Barks was excellent as Eponine. Her rendition of "On My Own" was wonderful. It doesn't hurt that she performed the role in London for many years. She brought just the right amount of pathos, without making you feel too sorry for her.
I liked seeing who the students were fighting. In the stage version the "enemy" is just disembodied voices. In the film, you could see that they were real men who were doing their duty, and there was even one soldier who showed emotion for what they were doing. It was very moving.
Eddie Redmayne was good as Marius, and his "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" was one of the highlights of the movie. I wish Anne Hathaway had seen him perform that song before she filmed "I Dreamed a Dream." It was heartbreaking to see the tears in his eyes at the beginning of the song. He lost so many friends, and not only did they die, he saw them die. You could feel all of that in his song. I also liked how the song "Turning" was very short and it segued nicely into "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."
There was a wonderful moment that Javert had that was so touching. After the "battle" he goes to the house where the students' bodies are laid out. Among the men is poor little Gavroche. Javert takes a medal off of his uniform and places it on Gavroche. I almost started crying again.
I loved that there were parts from the book in the film that weren't in the stage version, and I think they added a lot to the story. These included:
- Fantine selling her teeth
- Valjean escaping into the covent with Cosette
- The gardner in the convent is Fauchelevent (the man Valjean saved from under the cart earlier in the film)
- The addition of Marius's Grandfather (and they even gave him a line to sing)
- It is Gavroche, not Eponine, who gives Valjean the letter Marius writes to Cosette
I definitely think the finale in the stage version is more moving.
As a final note (pun intended): Even though there were things I like about the film, I definitely like the musical better on stage. I think that the stage version is more moving, and actors are cast for their singing ability, not for their "bankability."
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