Naturally I had to see Les Miserables as soon as it opened, and I’m relieved to be able to say that I’m generally pleased with the adaptation.
It’s challenging to see the movie when you know the stage version so well. I feared I would be easily distracted by minor changes, and at first I was. Thankfully, we meet Colm Wilkinson very early on and that relaxed me. Wilkinson, who originated the role of Jean Valjean in the West End and on Broadway, played the Bishop of Digne. This is usually a minor role, but somehow it felt more powerful with Wilkinson.
It’s interesting to me that they decided to go with Hollywood stars like Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway for some of the main roles, yet opted for theater veterans Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveit, and Eddie Redmayne for others. (We’re lucky to get both in one with the amazing Hugh Jackman.) I do think I would have enjoyed the movie better had they gone exclusively with actors who performed on Broadway or the West End.
Jackman is a wonderful Jean Valjean, but Crowe just didn’t do it for me as Javert. He has a nice enough voice and looked the part, but the timbre of his voice was off-putting for me. Hathaway was better than I expected. She is very believable as the hopeless young Fantine, desperate to see that her beloved Cosette is cared for.
The movie makes good use of camera angles to zero in on the actors who are singing. We get a lot of close-ups and that ratchets up the level of emotion. You don’t really see as much of those facial expressions in the stage production, even when you have good seats.
A few of the songs are done out of order, and others are omitted entirely. I didn’t miss the ones that were left out, and while those done out of order still worked well, I still found it disconcerting because I was expecting a certain song at a certain time. The new song, Suddenly, didn't add anything for me.
One of the things I’ve always loved about Les Mis is that I can still notice new things each time I see it. For instance, when I saw the show for the first time on a high school field trip, I didn’t pick up on the reappearance of the candlesticks throughout.
The movie makes it a little easier for someone new to the story. The imagery of the candlesticks features far more prominently. There are also a few bits of dialogue added in to clarify what’s happening. Javert’s suicide is always a powerful scene on stage and was well done in the movie. The sewer scene, also staged beautifully, added an extra level of filth and desperation in the movie version.
I will always prefer the stage version of this and any show, but I still appreciate the movie for what it is. I love that movies like this can bring musical theater to a wider audience and I hope its popularity will encourage more movie musicals. Hey Wicked and In The Heights… I’m waiting.
