Rating of
3/4
To Love Another Person is to See the Face of God
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/20/13
Love. Honor. Redemption. Duty. Sacrifice. These are a few of the themes running throughout Les Miserables. It also follows nearly two decades of the life of two men: the criminal Jean Valjean, sentenced for stealing bread for his family only upon release to break parole in order to start life anew and the duty-bound Inspector Javert, who cannot look passed the criminal to see the man and spends his life forever trying to hunt him down.
Hugh Jackman as Valjean and Russell Crowe as Javert make good counterpoints to each other. But it's not just the story of these two men, of course, Valjean, partly to make amends for his past, adopts a young girl, Cossette, after her mother Fantine dies. She once worked at his factory but while he was distracted by a visit from Javert, she was tossed out and found herself at the docks - where dreams go to die, with the whores.
Anne Hathaway has been a lock for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Fantine, and I can say that the attention is well deserved. Her version of I Dreamed a Dream is certainly a highlight of the film and if you don't feel something from that performance than you are a heartless cyborg.
The young Cossette is the charge of Mssr. Thénardier and Madame Thénardier who, along with their young daughter Éponine, run an inn of questionable repute. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter provide what few laughs can be found in this rather dark film with their roles as the thieving, sneaking duo. Their motives may be abhorrent, but they always seem to turn up in key moments just when people "need" them to.
Eventually Cossette grows into a beautiful young woman who is stuck by the proverbial love-at-first-site when she spies a young Marius across the way. Marius is likewise struck by her - and, to his apparent oblivion, Éponine is in love with him. This trio, played by Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne and Samantha Barks (who beat out Taylor Swift for the role) really turn in some inspired performances of their own. Marius and Éponine are part of a student uprising, the mini-revolution makes up most of the last part of the film. One of my favorite characters in the film isn't even a main character. The young Gavroche - a scamp, information gatherer and, at times, courier, is a brilliant turn by newcomer Daniel Huttlestone - of whom I wish the best of luck in the future.
Now that we have the core story, what about the music? First and foremost, this is a musical is every sense of the word. The actors hardly speak their lines - the usually sing them. If you have a problem against that, chances are you will find this a bit grating - especially as the film does drag a bit at time. However, one thing they get right is the epic nature - from the sets to the costumes, the movie looks the part. It also doesn't skimp on the dark, often dreary, nature of the times. From pox ridden beggars to whores decked out in caked-on makeup, this is not a pretty time.
I thought most of the actors did a decidedly good job as singers. I will say that Crowe is probably the odd man out in terms of his singing prowess, but by no means was his singing bad. And the ensemble pieces - from the opening "Look Down" to "At the End of the Day" to "Do You Hear the People Sing" - the grandeur of what you would find on stage really comes out on these huge numbers.
Where the movie falters is mostly due to the nature of adapting a stage performance to the big screen. Despite the cast and looking the part, the emotional moments, for me, just weren't there overall. Yes, there are some burst of emotion, but overall, I was left a bit wanting. And the length is a bit much - there were times I felt the eyes getting a bit heavy. While Tom Hooper is obviously a talented director, I have no problem seeing why he isn't up for the big awards this year.
I will say this is a musical that is really made for people who like musicals. I think the average film fan will find this a big long and mostly unremarkable. Seeing as I have nothing against musicals - this was a great experience and I think the end is worth the wait as it was a perfect summations of all that came before. So, if you fit the bill, this is a good film to watch and I'm sure it will see more awards this season.
