I teared up when I heard Anne Hathaway sing “I Dreamed a Dream” in the trailer for Les Miserables. I have been a fan of the book by Victor Hugo for so many years and I could sing you the songs to Boublil and Schonberg’s musical adaptation with ease, though you probably wouldn’t want me to. When I saw the trailer for this film, I was dying to check out this new edition. I did not get the opportunity to see it in the theatre and when it became available for rent, I had to quickly snag myself a copy.
If you heard anything about this movie it was more than likely about Anne Hathaway getting all of her luxuriously long hair chopped off in a scene or maybe because she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Anne’s Oscar was for playing Fantine, a young woman who was abandoned when she became pregnant, and whose life quickly spirals downward during the first part of the story. After Fantine dies, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) seizes Fantine’s daughter Cosette from the clutches of the Thenardiers (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter) but he is in constant fear that his arch nemesis, Javert (Russell Crowe), will find him. All of this reaches a climax as the June Rebellion is about to begin.
It’s a great story about getting second chances, falling in love, fighting for freedom and so on but when most of the cast starts to sing the musical numbers, I think that it might be better to just hit the mute button and put on the subtitles. Crowe sang lead in his band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts so I had assumed that he’d have a decent singing voice. If he does, he did not showcase it in this film. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter singing “Master of the House” was a disappointment as well. This is supposed to be a catchy tune, but just seems to fall flat with the delivery. For the short time that Hathaway was on screen her delivery was impressive, but there was no emotional connection. I found her featured clips for the movie trailers to be more moving, which were amped up, probably to entice viewers to go and see this movie. I guess I am used to hearing the music of the International Cast Recording so I am judgmental when different artists are reciting the same work and not hitting the notes the same way. My expectations of Hugh Jackman and Amanda Seyfried vocally were spot on since they are no strangers to lending their voices to musicals and actually have talent in this area.
Most of this motion picture was shot in close ups so you’ll only see the actors from the shoulder up. Granted, they are singing and it’s supposed to make it a more intimate moment for the viewer. I feel that it hurts the film; it’s good to have close ups but it is a nice balance to get to see the actor in their environment, not that there was too much to see in the surrounding area. I understand that it is the mid-1800s and that setting was not going to be sparkly clean but the first half of the film is so dark and gritty. Then later during the day when the rebels are waving their red flags the other colors seemed so washed out.
If you are looking for a great story, then read Victor Hugo’s book, Les Miserables. If you don’t have the time to pick up the book then I would suggest skipping Tom Hooper’s version and watching Les Miserables: 25th Anniversary Concert. It is a live production on a stage but it is way better than what you would be getting with this 2012 release. Overall, I think Hooper’s version of Les Miserables is decent, but I wouldn’t rush out to purchase it. I’m glad that I took the time to check it out before making an investment in it.
