)Les Miserables
I'll watch this one at home on DVD or Netflix. I've seen it live (Cleveland's Playhouse Square). It was great but entirely too sad to watch in public again. I felt pretty traumatized after the show. (My brother took me, and I remember being like, "Oh, thanks A LOT, Brother! Now I want to go slit my wrists!" )
)
That's the other thing that's bothering me about seeing the movie!Lalaith wrote:I'll watch this one at home on DVD or Netflix. I've seen it live (Cleveland's Playhouse Square). It was great but entirely too sad to watch in public again. I felt pretty traumatized after the show. (My brother took me, and I remember being like, "Oh, thanks A LOT, Brother! Now I want to go slit my wrists!"
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sauronsfinger
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That is the overwhelming feeling I walked out with also - both from the play on Broadway decades ago and from the film. Life sucks and so does the lot of the exploited masses. A sort of relief or redemption is only achieved in death when you all get together and sing joyously that you no longer have to be exploited or suffer.Lalaith wrote:I'll watch this one at home on DVD or Netflix. I've seen it live (Cleveland's Playhouse Square). It was great but entirely too sad to watch in public again. I felt pretty traumatized after the show. (My brother took me, and I remember being like, "Oh, thanks A LOT, Brother! Now I want to go slit my wrists!"
It is a real downer.
I do think that its worth the money just to see Anne Hathaway act and sing. And that street scene with the elephant sculpture is really great staging.
Is it a rule or law or part of the production bylaws that every couple cast in the role of the young lovers must be insipid and unappealing people? The ones I saw on Broadway were like this and the ones in the movie were far from physically appealing or likable.
But people who love music should go see it anyway just for Hathaway.
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.... John Rogers
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WampusCat
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That's how I experienced it. Sad, yes, but also uplifting and even joyful.Alatar wrote:Its sad, but also joyful. I'm surprised Lali, given your faith, that you don't see the ending as one of joy and hope.
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ToshoftheWuffingas
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I saw it just over a week ago. I've known of the popularity of the stage musical for years but it hadn't really sunk in. I had optimistic hopes to go one day. I knew a bit of the background to the novel and the politics of the time but that was all. So I didn't really know what to expect and feared Mrs T would hate it.
Oh boy! I haven't had such an experience for years and that includes LOTR. On one level I could analyse it as a conventional 19th century morality play with all the bells and whistles that come with that genre.......up until Ann Hathaway came on screen. I've never experienced such an impact before. After that I was just swept along on a tide of emotion. That is the mark of a clever director and not just the raw material. At one point I was crying at the screen and laughing at all the sniffles behind. The crowning moment was the final reappearance of Fantine
As to the singing, Hathaway did not sing her role, despite an etherial voice, she acted her little cotton socks off. No voices jarred for me but perhaps Crowe's voice was too 'nice' for the part. I might have expected more harshness or dourness. I didn't see it as depressing by the way. The message I took was that defeat does not destroy the spirit. That finale was absolutely essential.
..........as for Mrs T. The very next day she demanded the soundtrack as a present!
Oh boy! I haven't had such an experience for years and that includes LOTR. On one level I could analyse it as a conventional 19th century morality play with all the bells and whistles that come with that genre.......up until Ann Hathaway came on screen. I've never experienced such an impact before. After that I was just swept along on a tide of emotion. That is the mark of a clever director and not just the raw material. At one point I was crying at the screen and laughing at all the sniffles behind. The crowning moment was the final reappearance of Fantine
As to the singing, Hathaway did not sing her role, despite an etherial voice, she acted her little cotton socks off. No voices jarred for me but perhaps Crowe's voice was too 'nice' for the part. I might have expected more harshness or dourness. I didn't see it as depressing by the way. The message I took was that defeat does not destroy the spirit. That finale was absolutely essential.
..........as for Mrs T. The very next day she demanded the soundtrack as a present!
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Hmm... finally saw this on DVD this week. Have to say I was bizarrely underwhelmed. The story moved so fast it was hard to get any feeling of depth from it. Despite being easily moved, normally, I didn't cry...the only times I came near to feeling a few tears pricking my eyes was with the deaths of Fantine and Valjean - in the latter case I think it was more to do with Cosette being so upset than any sympathy for Valjean...
Perhaps this art form, like opera, is just not for me? I found the sung dialogue/recitative a real turn off, and a distraction from the main numbers. Watching Valjean agonize over his life-changing decision in the chapel, for example I found Jackman's words hard to follow, and couldn't get drawn into the story. Several times throughout the movie I found my attention drifting. That's not to say I didn't appreciate the vocalist's talents in many cases. I thought the actor playing Marius had a beautiful voice, in particular. Crowe's voice I quite enjoyed for the most part, though his Aussie accent betrayed him on occasions, compared to Jackman. Hathaway I admired, but the speed of her storyline left me cold.
I can see why SF thought little Gavroche stole the show, (him and young Cosette, to my mind,) though why a French urchin had a Cockney accent is beyond me...
Everything Wrong With Les Miserables In 6 Minutes Or Less (you need to keep watching right to the end!
)
Perhaps this art form, like opera, is just not for me? I found the sung dialogue/recitative a real turn off, and a distraction from the main numbers. Watching Valjean agonize over his life-changing decision in the chapel, for example I found Jackman's words hard to follow, and couldn't get drawn into the story. Several times throughout the movie I found my attention drifting. That's not to say I didn't appreciate the vocalist's talents in many cases. I thought the actor playing Marius had a beautiful voice, in particular. Crowe's voice I quite enjoyed for the most part, though his Aussie accent betrayed him on occasions, compared to Jackman. Hathaway I admired, but the speed of her storyline left me cold.
I can see why SF thought little Gavroche stole the show, (him and young Cosette, to my mind,) though why a French urchin had a Cockney accent is beyond me...
Everything Wrong With Les Miserables In 6 Minutes Or Less (you need to keep watching right to the end!
)There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes
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I saw this today. I liked it but was still underwhelmed.
I had lots of issues with this. I haven't seen the stage show but the novel is one of my all-time favorites.
For one, Les Mis should bring tears to people's eyes. And it never did for me. Not once. (I don't say I am a soft-guy but I am not that hard as well!
)
Point two, I can appreciate the musical-approach but I do not think that singing each and every diaolgue fits the story well. Why not say the plot-point dialogues traditionally (at least some of it) and sing the rest, ala, Sound of Music?
Thirdly, I loved Anne's voice and acting. I loved Marius' voice. I loved the little Cosette and Gavroche too. But that's it. I didn't feel for any other character. Not even Valjean. (I thought Jackman's singing was the most mediocre among those who sang). I loved all the songs by Crowe, as they had a certain energy and often broke the monotonous slow-singing by the rest of the cast. But Crowe himself didn't suit the role. He looked quite kind.
Fourth, Bonham Carter's make-up!
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT???
fifth, I don't think I was moved by any of the scenes except Enjorlas and Gavroche's deaths. But Valjean's came close. I expected Javert's death to be heart-wrenching, but it just wasn't. And I feel it was mostly the director's fault.
Sixth, favorite song? "Red, the Colour of dawn". I actually loved all the chorus and group songs. But I was left cold by the individual songs, especially Jackman's.
And lastly, the most annoying aspect of the film was the shaky-cams and close-ups! Whee, they must've rendered PtB catatonic!
Overall Score: 5/10
ETA: I wonder how many here have seen the 1999 adaptation of Les Mis with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush? I saw it a couple of years ago and remember being in a pool of tears when Javert dies. Geoffrey Rush as Javert was exceptional.
I had lots of issues with this. I haven't seen the stage show but the novel is one of my all-time favorites.
For one, Les Mis should bring tears to people's eyes. And it never did for me. Not once. (I don't say I am a soft-guy but I am not that hard as well!
)Point two, I can appreciate the musical-approach but I do not think that singing each and every diaolgue fits the story well. Why not say the plot-point dialogues traditionally (at least some of it) and sing the rest, ala, Sound of Music?
Thirdly, I loved Anne's voice and acting. I loved Marius' voice. I loved the little Cosette and Gavroche too. But that's it. I didn't feel for any other character. Not even Valjean. (I thought Jackman's singing was the most mediocre among those who sang). I loved all the songs by Crowe, as they had a certain energy and often broke the monotonous slow-singing by the rest of the cast. But Crowe himself didn't suit the role. He looked quite kind.
Fourth, Bonham Carter's make-up!
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT???fifth, I don't think I was moved by any of the scenes except Enjorlas and Gavroche's deaths. But Valjean's came close. I expected Javert's death to be heart-wrenching, but it just wasn't. And I feel it was mostly the director's fault.
Sixth, favorite song? "Red, the Colour of dawn". I actually loved all the chorus and group songs. But I was left cold by the individual songs, especially Jackman's.
And lastly, the most annoying aspect of the film was the shaky-cams and close-ups! Whee, they must've rendered PtB catatonic!
Overall Score: 5/10
ETA: I wonder how many here have seen the 1999 adaptation of Les Mis with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush? I saw it a couple of years ago and remember being in a pool of tears when Javert dies. Geoffrey Rush as Javert was exceptional.