Austen Goslin
How does one translate one of the most
well known, beloved, and bombastic musicals of all time from stage to
screen? By taking it even farther of course, and that is exactly what
Tom Hooper has done with Les Miserables.
An adaption of an adaption of an
adaption, the film is based on the operetta, which is based on the
Victor Hugo novel of the same name. Hugo's melodramatic opus is
essentially a series of vignettes connected by the transformation of
Jean Valjean from a bitter convict to a merciful saint, all set to
the back drop of a post-revolutionary Paris. The story is a bit
absurd, but that never stops it from inducing sobs from an entire
theater full of people. Despite the clearly over the top story, it
never feels out of place in a film whose dialog is nearly all handled
in song.
Valjean is in nearly every scene of
this two and a half hour epic, and Hugh Jackman makes every moment of
it a treat. Having been given next to no serious acting roles, it is
fascinating to see Jackman's, Tony winning stage presence translate
so well to the silver screen. Jackman effortlessly manages to balance
the beauty of the songs he sings and the emotion with which they
deserve to be imbued.
As talented as Jackman is, it is most of the cast that surrounds him that makes this film so much fun to
watch. This star studded cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena
Bonham Carter as the comical and blundering Thénardiers, whose
lighthearted scenes do well to break up what is other wise a solid
two hours of sadness. This film also plays host to a new comer of
immense talent, Samantha Barks, who plays a hopeless lover of a boy
already in love with another. This role demands every bit of attention for the
few scenes she is in. Based on her already remarkable theater
career, it is no surprise that she possesses one of the finest voices
in the cast.
While most of the cast has overwhelming
talent and plays their parts well, there are disappointing
exceptions. One of these is Russel Crowe's Inspector Javert, the
films almost unrelenting antagonist who seems to be almost entirely
without consistent motivation. This is of course a problem with the
adapted material itself, but it is one that should have been
addressed when the re-writes occurred. While these rewrites may worry
long time fans, they are entirely necessary, and help the films
translation from stage. The second of the films few disappointments
is the star crossed lovers, Marius and Cossette, both of whom
struggle to rise to the talents of their fellow cast members. The few
flaws are vastly out-weighed by the performance of Anne Hathaway.
Her turn as a mother struggling to
support her daughter is breathtaking. From her songs to her sobs, she
delivers easily the best performance of her career. For all of her
almost half hour screen time, Hathaway shines orders of magnitude
brighter than anyone else in the film.
All of these performances are captured
rather gracelessly by director Tom Hooper. While his visual styling
fits the story well, his framing is often awkward and pointless. He
seems to have only two settings for the film: huge, epic, far shots,
or way too close-ups. The few times he does find a middle ground, he
turns the camera to odds angles that have no practical or narrative
purpose. It seems as if he was consistently afraid that the singing
in the film would turn people off, so the directing had to be
startling and unique, however, this attempt falls flat more often
than not. For all his faults Hooper's decision to make cast members
sing live with the full orchestra gives the film the life that the
story needs desperately in order to thrive.
Conclusion:
While its problems are sure to be
overlooked by fans, those less familiar with grandiose, over the top
nature of theater may find less to like. Despite its noticeable
flaws, Les Miserables is a wonderfully acted and gorgeous film that
seeks to return movie musicals to their former glory.
Note: Les Miserables was review at a pre-screening event hosted, for Stubs members only, by AMC Theaters.
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