Directed by Tom Hooper
I know I'm a little late to give my two sous on Les Misérables and I am proud to say it differs little from the general opinion: no words can fully capture the film's beautiful execution. Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway were just as phenomenal as critics have described and the set was incredible. However, I was suprised, in a good way, by several things. This is because I have neither read Victor Hugo's original work nor seen a musical version of Les Misérables--only the 1998 version with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush.
Trying to reconcile the real story of Les Miserables couldn't be more difficult to work with.
Anyways, the introduction and focus on more characters, Éponine (played by Samantha Barks) and Enroljas (played by Aaron Tveit) especially, was something I wasn't expecting, yet I find myself the most impressed by their performances. The appearance of the hotel couple, Cosette's "guardians", were more frequent than I would have imagined. I suppose you can never have too much of Sacha Boran Cohen and Helen Bonham Carter.
The little boy Gavroche (played by Daniel Huttlestone) must also be acknowledged for his outstanding performance, as well as little Cosette (played by Isabelle Allen).
It's really hard to think of a criticism against this production. A lot of people have called into question how Russell Crowe got the part of Javert (a good agent), but I really didn't think he was that bad. It doesn't help that no one is supposed to like the character of Javert in the first place. Even the film's run time--two and a half hours--didn't seem so excessive (there is a lot of stuff to cover).
High fives all around--a definite must-see as an addict of French culture.
After watching this movie, I am inspired to get the story straight and read the real thing with Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and the others serenading in my head...
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