Les Miserables, the film.
A Theatregoer's Review.
I had been looking forward to the release of this film for over a year and today I took myself off to the local cinema to see it.I should explain right now that I am a huge fan of Schonberg and Boubil's masterpiece and have seen it countless times on various stages. I also own several different versions of the soundtrack, the two anniversary concerts at the Albert Hall on DVD and a copy of the original novel by Hictor Hugo. Bearing all of this in mind, I was a little trepidatious as I sat down in the surprisingly full auditorium: What if it's awful? What if the cast can't sing? What if, heaven forbid, it's as bad as the film version of Phantom of the Opera?? The thought that I would have to sit and watch yet another of my favourite shows butchered on screen all in the name of cinema was almost too much to bear. Nevertheless, I watched.
I don't want to ruin the film by taking you through every scene and reviews of that nature annoy me no end, so instead I shall simply give my opinion of the various performances. I have to say that on the whole I was pleasantly surprised by the vocal quality of the majority of the cast. There were obviously a few exceptions to this and I'll start with poor Russell Crowe. A great actor cast in a role that he was neither comfortable in nor suited for. His Javert was pitiful both in vocal ability and in the way that he was portrayed. The strong. steadfast, iron man of the law was turned into an unsure weakling by Crowe and this upsets me. I do not know if his acting was impaired because he was trying too much to concentrate on his singing or if the direction had simply been poor from the start, but it was not good.
The Thenardier's were also a great disappointment. They were amusing. They were not 'hold your sides hilarious' as they should have been. All the little nuances and side glances that we have come to expect from this couple on the stage were almost completely missed out in order for a more farcical approach. They lacked in personality and honestly looked more stupid than conniving in the majority of their scenes. And while we're on it, can I make a serious complaint about the fashion for casting comedians who cannot sing in comedy musical roles? This has to stop! Just because the role is funny does not mean that all of a sudden their technical ability on stage (or on screen) can be put to one side. Half of the time the music makes the part and if they can't sing, it is ruined. It's bloody annoying and all so that we can get more 'bums on seats'. Stop it please.
So much for the bad, now onto the good. And boy, there's a lot of good.
Enjloras (Aaron Tveit) and the rest of the revolutionaries were fantastic. Brilliant voices and great acting skill. The performances were as good as any I've seen on the stage. Marius and Cosette were also very well cast and sensitively played. Seyfried's very trained voice worked well with Redmayne's slightly rougher vocals and the two were well suited to their parts. Samantha Barks played a wonderful Eponine, and though not as forcefully as I have seen previously, it worked well. I was also delighted to see the absolute legend Colm Wilkinson had a part as the holy man. Not to mention little Gavroche (Daniel Huttlestone) who, considering his young age, proved himself a confident and competent actor.
Hugh Jackman, who I was originally quite worried about, carried the entire cast brilliantly and surprised me with the extent of his vocal range. He acted and sung the role of Jean Val Jean in equal measure and neither was impaired by the other. There were a few notes that seemed a little strained, but even the most seasoned stage performers have had a little difficulty with such a role.
Saving the best for last, the person who truly amazed me the most was Anne Hathaway. I cannot adequately describe how utterly mesmerizing she was, nor how devastatingly good her performance as Fantine was. She played the role with absolute raw honesty and an integrity that beggars belief considering we had never seen her play that sort of part. I would quite happily say that I have never seen the part of Fantine played so well and it will be a long long time before anybody comes close to the performance she gave. She made the entire film for me.
And the film was brilliant. Without the genius of Schonberg and Boubil the film would still have been an awesome piece of work, but the heartwrenching score elevated it far above just another historical epic. The settings were gritty but sumptuous and scenes such as the barricades were brought to life in a harsh, realistic way.
I would never advise watching the movie above going to see the show onstage - Les Miserables was made for, written for, and should be performed and watched on the stage. Nothing will take away the awe of the live performances. The actors on screen whilst good are not musical theatre stars and can never come close to the likes of Colm Wilkinson, Lea Salonga or Michael Ball. However, it is extremely well done and in the absence of a theatre tour it certainly warms the cockles of my heart. Go and see this film, but even more, go and see the show.
