Introduction
Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables garnered eight Oscar nominations (successful three) and made $441 million worldwide. However with ten years of hindsight, is the movie a hit, or an odd footnote within the lengthy historical past of filmed musical variations?
Synopsis
Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is a French prisoner in 1815. Launched from jail following a 19-year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread, his parole prevents him from discovering work or lodging. Proven compassion by a priest, Valjean breaks his parole and assumes a brand new id with the intention of main an sincere life.
In 1823, Valjean is a revered manufacturing facility proprietor and mayor. Former jail guard, and new police chief, Javert (Russell Crowe) arrives and shortly begins to suspect his true id. One among Valjean’s manufacturing facility staff Fantine (Anne Hathaway) is unjustly fired and put into the streets. She is compelled to promote her hair, enamel, and ultimately her physique to assist her daughter Cosette, who lives with the Thénardier household (Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen). Valjean guarantees the dying Fantine he’ll look after Cosette.
In 1832, Valjean turns into a philanthropist to the Parisian poor alongside the now-grown Cosette (Amanda Seyfried). The younger group of revolutionaries led by Marius (Eddie Redmayne) appears to be like to guard the ravenous commoners. Alongside the best way, Marius additionally falls in love with Cossette. Javert makes an attempt to infiltrate the revolt whereas obsessively pursuing Valjean.
Fashion
Hooper provides the nineteenth Century French setting the first-class crafts the movie wants. Manufacturing designers Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson present every Parisian road with the right amount of fifth whereas nonetheless sustaining the stagey set items crucial to interrupt into track. Costume designer Paco Delgado is equally stellar, offering the upscale fits for Valjean in addition to the rags of the Thénardiers. On the flip aspect, cinematographer Danny Cohen lights the movie in muted grays, which is certainly not eye-catching.
Hooper himself appears poorly suited to the difference stuffed with fisheye lenses and one-on-one point-of-view photographs. Scorching off the success of The King’s Speech (2010), Hooper feels hand-picked by momentum, not as a result of he is able to tackle the fabric. The director is supremely out of his depth, which places the movie on the unsteady floor from the start.
Solid
Every actor is well-suited for the roles, however that’s solely half the battle. Appearing and emoting are one factor, however efficiently appearing with a vocal efficiency is one other. Hathaway units the bar. Her efficiency as Fantine is transient however electrical. She goes from determined to wounded in document time, however her wishes are ever current in her show-stopping quantity “I Dreamed a Dream.” Hathaway is ready to mix her appreciable appearing skills with the facility and gravity of her vocal skills; one thing no different performer is ready to do in addition to she.
Jackman makes the very best of the character of Valjean, however the singing by no means suits. Jackman has made a gradual profession of blending appearing and music, however his skills lie in upbeat trendy musical stylings. With Valjean, Jackman tries to tone down the theatrical singing for the movie’s emotion and it by no means actually works. Redmayne is rather more suited to his function. With the tenor of a boy’s choir and the individuality of his pitch and supply, it’s not often utilized to its full impact, nonetheless.
Crowe will get the majority of the criticism, however I discovered his gruff and monotonous supply to be transfixing. Presumably, Crowe was employed to be the actor and never the singer. He’s very efficient as an actor, however his alien-like scream-singing supply is in contrast to something ever put to movie. In different movies like La La Land (2016) or Sweeney Todd (2007), actors with out stellar singing voices tend to underplay every track or efficiency, bringing it right down to a talk-like whisper. Crowe goes within the actual wrong way and belts every melody to the very best diploma. Is it good? No. Is it completely charming? Completely.
Abstract
I wouldn’t name Les Misérables an abject failure, but it surely shouldn’t be categorised as an outright success. The stage musical is a traditional for a cause. For some cause, director Tom Hooper had all the fitting parts in place. Sadly, his personal misguided view of how the movie must be seen leads to a wildly forgettable movie.
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