I don’t quite know what to say, and that’s pretty unusual for me. I usually have something to say about nearly everything. We just saw
Les Misérables and were both pretty miserable for the nearly three hours it ran. I’m a lifelong lover of music and musicals, but this one was more laughable than moving. I saw it on stage and was impressed with the singing and the set designs, but this film’s sets felt more like bad Disney than good theatre. Maybe it was the voices. Hugh Jackman can sing with the best of them, but Ann Hathaway and Russell Crowe should stick to straight drama. Especially Russell Crowe. He might be a great “gladiator” and have “a beautiful mind,” but he stunk as Javert. I could hardly wait for him to leap into the Seine near the end, and I almost felt like cheering when he did. I’d even rather have had them use real singers dubbing in most of the score. I mean, Audrey Hepburn had Marni Nixon dubbing for her in the film version of
My Fair Lady, so why not real singers here in
Les Miz? Or maybe it was the story. Hugo’s characters didn’t necessarily need realistic motives when Hugo penned this novel, but I need them, and too much of what happens to the characters doesn’t make any sense. Why would Javert so relentlessly pursue Valjean for simply breaking his parole after he served nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread? Why did Valjean need to break his parole? How did he manage to become so successful in the years following? Why did he feel so obsessed with caring for Fantine’s daughter? Sorry, Andrew Lloyd Weber, other than “I Dreamed a Dream” and “Bring Him Home,” I can get along just fine without the rest of the score, especially the operatic singing of every line of dialogue whether it deserved song or not, no matter how mundane the thought. And I’d rather have had them all do a Beyonce bit and lip synch the numbers than have the cast do it all live, especially when they had to shoot too many in full-face close-ups, noses dripping and eyes simply gushing tears as they emoted Weber’s words. Please let me know if you disagree with my assessment, but don't get violent. Just let me know where I went wrong. Or right.
1 comment:
I enjoyed the movie and I’ve been a fan of the musical since seeing it on stage many years ago, but I will agree that the quality of the singing could not compare to that of true musical theater professionals. I think you shared some of the same criticisms of the movie that I saw from a variety of critics and I won’t argue about any of that. I will, however, express an opinion on some of the questions you had about motivations, etc. I think Javert was so relentless in his pursuit of Valjean because he (Javert) had been born in a prison but managed to escape what promised to be a horrible life by succeeding in his job in law enforcement. Rejecting his criminal parents must have been psychologically scarring and perhaps caused him to become obsessed with ensuring the law was followed to the letter. By the way, Valjean’s original sentence for stealing the bread was not that long, but he tried to escape (which would have been particularly galling to Javert), which significantly lengthened his sentence. Valjean had to break parole (which included revealing his past to all potential employers) to get a job – the stigma of his criminal record turned everyone against him. I’m not sure how exactly he became so successful, but surely the money he got from selling the silver he stole from the priest gave him a leg up. I’ve never read the book, but I’m guessing that Hugo was implying that the fact that Valjean dedicated his life to God after receiving such incredible mercy from the priest allowed him to prosper. Regarding Cosette, Valjean realized that he was responsible, at least in part, for Fantine unjustly being turned out of his factory and into a fate of prostitution and consumption. He felt he was responsible for her death, and must therefore be responsible for her parentless child. So there you have my two cents.
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