15. Les Misérables; movie review

 

LES MISÉRABLES

Cert 12A

151 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence and sex, and infrequent moderate language

It's been over a decade since I watched Tom Hooper's highly ambitious musical Les Misérables.

It was just as good as I remembered.

However, I should report two surprises - Anne Hathaway was not in it for as long as I recalled, and Russell Crowe was not nearly as out of place as I first thought.

Otherwise, I will stick with my 2013 assessment before its 2024 re-release.

I am akin to a novice reporter, desperately searching for an intro to a story. Les Miserables: where on earth do I start?

Do I highlight its incredible scale? The breathtaking crowd scenes, the startling harmonies among the revolutionaries?

What about Anne Hathaway's I Dreamed A Dream, probably the most emotional song ever performed on the big screen? 

Or the superb acting of Hugh Jackman, particularly in that emotional finale in which his character has aged 20 years.

Then there is the incredibly talented Amanda Seyfried, who has the voice of an angel.

At this point, I could bring up Eddie Redmayne, who I thought was a bit pale in My Week With Marilyn but is storming as Marius, the rich revolutionary who falls for Cosette.

And there are some beautiful incidentals such as the double act of Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as Thenadier and his wife or the impish brilliance of 12-year-old Daniel Huttlestone who took his Gavroche from the West End to the big screen.

And that is the context of me saying Russell Crowe is so hopelessly wrong as Javert that I began to feel sorry for him.

A Beautiful Mind proved Crowe is much more versatile than the muscleman roles in Gladiator and Robin Hood, but this is too far. Frankly, his singing is weak compared to much of the cast.

Jackman occasionally has similar problems but makes up for them with superior acting performance. Crowe isn't even convincing in this regard.

For the uninitiated, Les Mis is the story of love and loss among the lower classes in France in the middle of the 19th century.

Mrs W and I have seen it on stage in the West End, so our heightened anticipation of the movie was probably blown out of shape.

 Fortunately, it lives up to the hype and is a beautiful film brilliantly directed by Tom Hooper.

Laughs: a couple of chortles.
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 9.5/10

Did you know? Anne Hathaway's first exposure to the role of Fantine was in 1987 when her mother, Kate McCauley Hathaway, played the role in the musical's first American tour.

The final word. Hugh Jackman: "If I ever had it do to again, I would much prefer to sing live. There’s something about the crucible of that moment, where everybody – the crew, you, the music – has to come together and work. It’s frightening, but it’s exciting." EW.com

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