Les Miserables (2012)

[oyceter]

This is the first non-Andrew-Lloyd-Webber musical I ever glommed onto, and though my interest in Phantom eventually declined, never to be revived, my love of Les Mis has waxed and waned. I think it's the central theme of revolution and telling the stories of the people who usually aren't the heroes (granted, with extreme sentimentality and focus on the shining goodness of specific characters) versus the love story of Phantom.

• We missed the first minute or so of the movie, which I am sad about. I wanted to see "Look Down"!


• Singing notes: I had very lowered expectations due to reviews and my own guesses.
  
  • Hugh Jackman was about as good as I thought he would be, and the out-of-range bits ("Bring Him Home," most notably) weren't terrible. Also, though I know they don't film the movie in one shot, it sounded like he had been singing nonstop the entire time, and by the end, his voice was pretty shot.
    
  • Russell Crowe was actually better than I had expected, since I was prepared for a Pierce-Brosnan-esque debacle. At least he could hold the tune mostly? Unfortunately, he basically didn't emote during any of his songs—how do you not emote for "Stars"?!—and instead of the very clipped, militaristic feel a lot of the production Javerts have, he felt very mumbly and OOC.
    
  • Anne Hathaway: so much better than what I had expected from the preview clips. Phew.
    
  • Amanda Seyfried: Er. Not terrible? Though Cosette is clearly very out of her range. (Seriously, director! Cosette's songs are hard! Why do this to Seyfried and us?)
    
  • Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen: You guys do much better as comedy in musicals where the comedy doesn't need to have singing chops! (I mean, really, Pirelli?)
    
  • And as with I suspect many movie versions of musicals, the secondary cast had much better vocal chops because they didn't have to cast any giant names. I particularly liked the Grantaire and young!Cosette.
  
  
• I was sadly not as enchanted with Enjolras as I was when I first saw it live in high school. Although I love that they managed to echo the original staging when it comes to Enjolras' death, even though it isn't on the barricade.


• Ahahaha, Marius and Cosette falling in love is just as ridiculous as always. Also, er, some more exposition before going on to "Now we will never part and all is well!" would make the relationship 1000% more convincing.
  
• I love that we get to see Eponine binding before going to the barricade. I'm not sure how I feel about the change with her concealing Cosette's letter as opposed to delivering Marius' to Valjean and Cosette. On the one hand, don't like seeing her being sneaky about the letter. On the other hand, really like that she gets to see a bit more action on the barricade than she usually does in the show.


• LOVE the second "Look Down" sequence. In fact, loved all the shots of Paris in general, all the crowd shots, all the scenery. Well, except for Valjean randomly climbing mountains in the beginning. It feels as though LotR cinematography is now so embedded in cultural consciousness that to show anyone traveling, they must be up on the peak of snowy mountains, silhouetted against the sky.


• Really wish there had been more blocking and less focusing on the singers' faces. It was fine at first, but by the time they got to "Empty Chairs," I was really, really sick of looking at everyone's teary eyes. I especially think "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Empty Chairs" might have benefitted from some hazy sepia-toned flashbacks. And just... the shots of Paris! The shots of the factory! All of these are great things for establishing location and scale and whatnot in a way that fits the movie medium. Also, I love things like period costumes and furniture and etc. etc. etc. and wanted to ogle more.


• The new song was so random. I mean, it's not like Valjean doesn't have enough soliloquies. Also, the lyrics sounded terrible, but that may just be because I'm so used to the other songs that I don't notice how terrible they are.


• I really hate the change in the ending where it's supposed to be "It's the story of those who always loved you. Your mother gave her life for you then gave you to my keeping." to something I can't quite remember about Cosette being the thing that redeemed Valjean. Yes, way to make it all about his manpain!


• Cosette and Marius: still boring. I suspect they will always be boring. Also, I am very sad about the general focus on everyone's faces; Cosette has gorgeous-lookingn 1830s clothes with the giant puff sleeves, and I really really wanted to see more of her outfits. /clothes porn


• I know the press is making a huge deal out of the live singing thing, which makes me roll my eyes, but I really did think it made a difference in terms of the acting and the emoting of everyone except Russell Crowe.


• Fantasy casting time! What Hollywood people would you want to cast in various roles? I'd probably try to replace Russell Crowe with Alan Cummings or John C. Reilly. I'm not sure I know anyone in Hollywood who has the range for Cosette... Other than that, I think I'd keep the rest of the cast.

ETA: OMG WHY DID I NOT KNOW COLM WILKINSON PLAYS THE BISHOP?!?!?!?! Eeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

Comments

[laceblade]

I haven't actually seen the movie (yet), but I was really disappointed when Lea Michele's name got taken out of the running for the role of Eponine, :/

[oyceter]

Oh man, I totally misread that as "Lea Salonga" and was all, "YESSSSSS!"

[littlebutfierce]

A new song?!? I have deliberately not been paying attention to anything about the movie, so this sacrilege is new to me.

Cosette/Marius = most losery boring couple ever. Srsly does anyone identify w/Cosette over Eponine ever?????

How was Gavroche??? Please tell me they kept him in (& "Little People" A K A THEME SONG).

[oyceter]

Yes! Sung by Valjean to wee!Cosette when they are heading off from the Thenardiers, something about how she's going to change his life or whatever.

I mean, I'm almost 100% sure they added it so they can get a "Best Song" Oscar nomination. Whatevs.

Bwahaha, I love how all the feedback I hear from people who don't know Les Mis is basically "Eponine!"

I really liked the Gavroche! He doesn't get the full "Little People," but he does get a fair bit in "Look Down" and of course the gathering ammo scene.

[ginny_t]

I have the same theory about the new song being Oscar bait. I hope they don't even get the nomination. It's just so bad.

[holyschist]

...I don't identify with Cosette (not raised in a box by a weirdo who won't tell me why we keep picking up and moving in a big hurry) or Eponine (not raised by an abusive family and living on the streets). I'm not really vested in either of them in the musical, but I do actually think Cosette is a better fit for Marius. They're a boring couple, yeah, but I don't think Eponine putting all her hopes for happiness in this unattainable dude she has a crush on is a great idea; I wish there were another way out for her.

*ducks*

[nestra]

I'm not sure I can see Alan Cumming as Javert. They should have just gone with Terrence Mann. You know he can sing it! HE WAS JAVERT. (I love Terrence Mann.)

I was not impressed with Emmy Rossum in the Phantom movie, but she gets excellent reviews for Shameless, and I seem to recall she trained with an opera company somewhere. She's the first one that comes to mind as actually having those high notes.

[oyceter]

YESSSSS Terrence Mann!

I actually have no idea if Alan Cumming could do Javert, but I'd be really interested in just seeing him try, since it's so antithetical to his general persona.

Oooo Emmy Rossum! Yeah, I wasn't impressed with her in Phantom, but if she could hit the notes, I think the lack of personality I thought she showed in Phantom wouldn't make much of a difference. (Eheh, sorry. Not much of a Cosette fan.)

[thistleingrey]

Yes, Emmy Rossum, who at least is ± the correct age.... I was going to suggest Cyndi Lauper, facetiously (who may not be able to hit those notes anymore at this point?).

[jinian]

She could a couple of years ago!

[oyceter]

I am now having a very fun time imagining Cyndi Lauper in 1830s clothing.

[thistleingrey]

She'd enliven the role, definitely!

[merisunshine36]

Cosette and Marius: still boring. I suspect they will always be boring

Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis.

I 100% agree that the film's imagining of Paris was beautiful, tho.

[oyceter]

Yes! I was kind of hoping for a Trojan Elephant, haha.

[skygiants]

. I'm not sure how I feel about the change with her concealing Cosette's letter as opposed to delivering Marius' to Valjean and Cosette. On the one hand, don't like seeing her being sneaky about the letter. On the other hand, really like that she gets to see a bit more action on the barricade than she usually does in the show.

I haven't gotten to this part in my reread yet, but my memory is that the stealing-the-letter part is straight from the book -- which I actually quite like, because Eponine is a much more complex character in the book all around from what I remember, much more bitter and frustrated about her circumstances, and actively fighting to be an ethical person against great pressure not to be. Much like Jean Valjean actually! So I was glad they had the callback to it even if it doesn't quite fit with the sweeter musical Eponine.

My roommate and I were talking about the potential of Ewan MacGregor as Javert. I mean, if nothing else, we know the man can belt!

[oyceter]

Oooooooo Ewan McGregor.... Oooooo.

Also, I am having tons of fun reading your Les Mis posts!

[skygiants]

He would have SO MUCH FUN with it too. He would chew ALL the scenery -- and there was so much scenery to chew!

(Or, as an alternative, they could have plastered Neil Patrick Harris with old-age makeup.)

Oh good yay! Heh, I am trying not to feel sheepishly like I should apologize to all the people who follow me and did not sign up to read All Les Mis, All The Time . . .

[ginny_t]

Yeah, I confess I spent the whole movie wishing it were Ewan McGregor instead of Russell Crowe on screen. *sigh*

[oyceter]

Niiiice. My new idea is now Tim Curry as Javert!

[oyceter]

OMG now I am all: Tim Curry as Javert!

Hee, I like knowing more about the books! I read it once in middle school or something and was bored silly by all the non-musical bits.

I was so amused in the movie when they included cart-guy!

[havocthecat]

Cosette and Marius: still boring. I suspect they will always be boring.

You are so, so very right. Or I agree, at least.

Thank you for the review! I'm still probably not going to get to see it in the theater, which makes me sad just for missing the spectacle of it on a very big screen. But I do like hearing what I can expect.

[oyceter]

Thanks for reading! I was happy to see it on big screen, but because we got in late, we were in the front section. And wow. I don't think I needed to see anyone's mouth magnified quite that much!

[holyschist]

Someone suggested Jeremy Irons for Javert--he could definitely do it vocally, although I think he might have to tone down the scenery-chewing he's capable of.

I love that we get to see Eponine binding before going to the barricade.

I got the "THAT'S NOT HOW BINDING WORKS" rant, so now I will just lol at that scene every time.

(Phantom is...something, but, huh, I'm not sure I'd call it a love story. Although I did once upon a time, it doesn't look like one from where I am now.)

I was actually pretty fond of Amanda Seyfried. I mean, I tune out Cosette whenever she sings, but I think she made Cosette as sympathetic as possible, given that the character has almost nothing to work with (which is not Cosette's fault: she's been raised in a box).

[oyceter]

Oooo I did not realize Jeremy Irons sang! That would be awesome!

What is the binding rant btw?

I thought Seyfried was about as good as one can be playing Cosette, who is not so much a character as a plot device to motivate various people. Poor Cosette....

[holyschist]

People have probably heard Irons as Scar in The Lion King, but there's a recording of him with Kiri Te Kanewa in My Fair Lady out there. He has a really distinctive singing voice (much like his speaking voice), but he is a baritone and had the power and ability to hit the notes.

The binding rant mostly boils down to "that is a terrible way to bind! Breathing is important! Also ribs!" I kind of figure Eponine doesn't know what she's doing, anyway.