Les Miserables:
Prisoner Jean Valjean, a man who was condemned for the simple act of stealing bread to feed his sister's baby, is released on permanent parole, and is outcast by society. He escapes to a cathedral, where he becomes a new man, and rips up his parole papers, and starts a new life. Eight years later, he is a successful businessman, and mayor of a town. His foreman fires a poor worker (Fantine) behind his back, who is just trying to feed her daughter. She becomes a sickly prostitute, and Jean delivers her to a hospital. She dies, and he promises her that he will go rescue her daughter from two innkeepers. Unfortunately, there is a man on trial, who Javert (Jean's former prison guard, now a military man) mistakes for Jean. Jean goes to clear the man's name, but no one believes him. He returns to the hospital, and must engage in a duel with Javert, who knows it's true that he is Jean. Jean escapes and is able to pay off the innkeepers and take Fantine's daughter, Cosette, into his care. Nine years later, Cosette falls in love with a student named Marius, who is part of a French revolution group. The innkeepers return for their money, Javert begins to hunt down Jean, the French armed forces close in on the revolution group's barricade, and the innkeeper's daughter, Eponine, is torn because of her feelings for Marius, which aren't being returned. The film is nearly 3 hours, and is nonstop singing. The songs are spectacular, but, if musicals aren't your thing, you're going to hate this movie. I'm not the biggest fan of musicals, but this film was amazing. The sets are incredible, the atmosphere is great, the musical numbers are well choreographed and fantastic. The performances are convincing and touching. Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway (who's role is a lot smaller than advertised), Amanda Seyfried, Samantha Barks, and Eddie Redmayne give great performances, and have great singing voices as well. They all play somewhat miserable, torn, emotionally distraught characters, which fits the mood and title of the film. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter are good as the comedy relief characters, the somewhat villainous Innkeepers. Original actors from the play: Colm Wilkinson and Frances Ruffelle makes cameos. Ironically, at the 83rd Academy Awards (an infamously bad one, at that), Anne Hathaway did a parody of the muscial's song "On My Own", in which she complains that Hugh Jackman would not sing with her. The songs are very long, and the only non-singing parts are when characters connect the songs with bits of dialogue. The score in the film is epic. The camerawork is gorgeous, and the film is directed by extraordinary director Tom Hooper, director of the Academy Award-winning drama The King's Speech. This is a big Oscar contender, and it shows. Les Miserables is a heartfelt, spectacular, emotionally investing drama, with great musical numbers and engrossing characters. 4/5 stars.
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