Les Miserables

   Every year for my birthday we plan on a family trip to the movies, whoever wants to go that is. I get to pick what movie I want to see and this year it was, of course, The Hobbit. We got to the theater only to find out that it was sold out and had been for quite some time. Such a let down!
   The next day I was heading to Joann Fabrics to at least begin the process of choosing fabrics for Josie's 3 year old quilt, so I decided since I was up there already that I would treat myself to the $4.50 matinee of Les Miz. I offer here my honest critique.

   First of all I'll take the characters one at a time: I was aware that Russell Crowe has a wonderful singing voice so I was not surprised that he was good. He was perfectly cast for the military/police type character of Javert. Throughout the movie they used a recurring theme of Javert walking along the very edge of a building, representing him constantly walking the fine line between his humanity and what he considered his honor and duty. His death scene was delivered with a dispassion that was entirely appropriate for what he viewed as the futility of reconciling his situation. Javert could not win. He viewed his plight as having lost the battle no matter what he did. He could not kill Valjean, but neither could he show mercy and forgive. Russell Crowe delivered this scene beautifully, his voice with a rich, buttery smoothness that was very pleasing to my ear.

   Hugh Jackman is not a personal favorite of mine as actors go. I don't dislike him in any way. I simply don't always care for his style or look. For me his singing voice was slightly harsh and abrupt. With that said he made a wonderful Valjean. When he delivered that awesome piece of music when he prays protection over Marius, where the vocalist is required to sing very high and yet very soft, almost impossible to do, it was just too beautiful for words. I admit to shedding a few tears. The different looks they gave him as he moved through the years were very well done and I could completely believe that he was Valjean.

   I am pretty much totally not an Anne Hathaway fan. I have never liked her in anything I've ever seen her in. She just does not appeal to me on any level. However! Oh my word! She was perfect as Fantine! Vulnerable in every way, she conveyed her lost-ness in such a believable way that by the time she succumbed to her fate as a prostitute you felt every degree of her degradation and hopelessness. But the crowning moment was when she delivered Fantine's song, I Dreamed a Dream. I have heard more powerful renditions by far, but never have I been so moved and affected by one. I am a former vocalist and I know full well how hard it is to sing through emotion. Most of the time you are taught to somewhat divorce yourself from it in order to deliver a clear performance. But Anne didn't divorce any of it! She sang through tears of agony running down her face, grimacing with pain, and never missed her delivery of the song. I think everyone in the theater was crying, some audibly! It was stunning! If I never watch the whole thing again I would watch just that performance over and over. It was one of the most touching things I've ever seen. The way she used her face and her expressions to convey the hopelessness of her life's dreams was heart wrenchingly beautiful.

   Eponine: What can I say? Eponine's song has always been one of my favorites in the show, but this actress just did not work for me. I didn't feel that her look was right, her singing was just so-so for me, and her facial expressions didn't hold up well in a close-up camera application. I am sure others would feel differently. I didn't care for the performance.

   While we're here I'll address the Thenardiers. Sorry, but Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter just didn't work well for me. I love HBC - when she actually acts! She is an amazing actress who seems to only choose ridiculous roles anymore these days. But I'm sure my dislike was more due to the fact that Alun Armstrong of the original London cast spoiled me for all time for any other Thenardier.

   Cosettes, both young and old, were wonderful. Both girls had sweet, pure voices that really worked for me. Amanda Seyfried's voice is incredible! When she hit those high soprano notes they were so clean and pure I could hardly believe it. Just beautiful. And the casting for both was very well done.

   Aaron Tviet as Enjoiras was amazing, but for me the absolute stand-out star of this movie is Eddie Redmayne as Marius! Marius for me has always seemed quite a peripheral character, a bit too immature and easily led to attract my attention. Not so as played by Redmayne. He comes across as young, yes, but full of honor and fervency. I have seen this young actor in various British period pieces, but never have I seen the length and breadth of his talent. He brought off a performance that was first rate. His eyes expressed eloquently all the passion and energy of young love and revolutionary spirit, and his singing voice is truly amazing. His delivery of his lament at the loss of his friends and their cause is simply beautiful. Once again, as with Anne Hathaway's performance of Fantine's song, he is able to sing through intense emotion with control and effectiveness. Watching his face as he sang was just beautiful. I absolutely loved him in this! I can't say it enough.

   So...there's my critique. Keep in mind it's only my own opinion. Every person who sees the film will take away different things from it. These are my observations. All in all here's what it comes down to. Held up musically against the original soundtrack, obviously it doesn't hold up. But I don't think it was meant to. This version was meant to portray real people, and it did that admirably. Held up against the Liam Neeson movie version, it doesn't hold a candle to that either, as a retelling of Victor Hugo's story. Remember, it was a book long before it was a musical. That was a more enjoyable movie as far as just the acting out of a story line. Plus, I am a huge Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush fan. But, for what the makers were attempting to do, tell a story but not exclude the music, it was very good and I would recommend it wholeheartedly. It is very long so be prepared for nearly three hours. Some around me were unashamedly snoozing by the time two hours had gone by. Those who do not enjoy the musical format will probably get bored.