Anyone Else See Les Miserables? (page 4)

Juan Viejo2

I was fortunate to see one of the early (road) stage versions when it played in Fort Worth, Texas in the early 1990s. I also saw a concert where Betty Buckley ("Tender Mercies" and "Cats") who was from Fort Worth did a concert and sang one of the songs from the stage play. Unforgettable...

I've seen the Liam Neeson and Frederick March versions of the movie. Charles Laughton was the classic Javert.

My favorite of all is "Les Miserables," a 1995 French language version starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. You can find it on Netflix and Amazon.com with English subtitles. It is set in the 20th century around the time of World War 2. It's very intense and believable, not comedic or musical in any sense of the word. The characters and the plot are somewhat different, but Victor Hugo's story and plot lines probably come through in this version better than any other I've seen. Much in the same vein as "Jean de Florette" and "Manon of the Spring," this version really brings the story to life and tells a timeless story of intolerable inhumanity and the power of the human will and spirit.

My wife is pushing me to go see the new movie at the local theater, but like Skyfall and Lincoln it may pass through town so fast that we will miss it and have to wait and watch at home on our wide-screen HD TV screen with a glass of wine in our hands and our puppy in our lap. We'll each have a box of tissues within reach...

JV

THE GLADIATOR

Saw Les Miserables in London once. We have booked to see the film at a local cinema at 1pm on 13th. I hear that Russell has nothing to Crowe about but shall reserve judgement before deciding if he should stick to playing a gladiator. If you require other information about my leisure activity just ask.

J. Hofer

movies with sung dialogues make me cringe.

i like the one with liam neeson and also enjoyed the one with gerard depardieu.

brinjen

I want to see it... but the thought of having to hear Russell Crowe sing again puts me off also (yes, I've heard him "sing" before).

Rattigan350

The signing was annoying after a while. Should have been like a Grease musical.

I saw the 1958 Version with Jean Gabin playing Jean val Jean. Neeson version is best.

I like how this is an example to people as I am so tired of the Bible. Bible principles and Bible morality. Bible, this and Bible that.

Les Miz taught mercy and kindness. And it was inspired of God. The Bishop was kind and showed mercy to Jean and he followed that, because he was inspired by Godly principles. But we learn from the story.

Javert was mercyless and when someone showed mercy to him, he couldn't compute it.

I liked how Crowe's uniforms were always perfect and clean, showing of his attention to detail and law.

It also teaches against hellfire. Just like it is illogical to punish someone 5 years for stealing a loaf of bread, then extending it for trying to escape; sending someone to hellfire for eternity for petty sins here is illogical.

Chariklo

I went to see it this afternoon. It just came out yesterday in the UK. I can't believe some of these negative comments above!

In my town, the cinema was packed. It was wonderful, wonderful setting, wonderful acting, wonderful singing. The whole packed cinema burst into applause, even though it was a film and not a stage production. I have known this happen in the cinema just twice before.

I rarely cry in films. In this one I was in tears very early on and i just got through tissue after tissue throughout. All round us people were crying.

What on earth is the matter with you people who've found fault with it?!. Here, where I live, we saw it as wonderful. In fact, the cinema didn't raise the lights until after the last credit had rolled through, and people began to leave only then.

So what goes on in the States that people were unmoved by it?

THE GLADIATOR

Six days ago, a few post above, I said that w e have booked to see the film - Les Miserables at a local cinema at 1pm on 13th. We had seen it on stage in London already, so knew what we were in for. Well we just got back from seeing it. Now you either like this sort of thing or you don't. We have friends that can't stand this type of entertainment. As it happens we do like it.

It was fantastic, and even Russell Crowe impressed me, his singing was better than I had been led to believe, but he needs to lose a few pounds. He has been too well fed since he retired from being a gladiator. Unlike a musical, where people talk a lot and occasionally burst onto song, this is an opera, which means every word is sung. At least that is what they attempted to do, though it sometimes becomes talking to music.

Chariklo, above this post summed it up very well. At the end of the day I guess the British are just more cultured than our cousins who live over the pond.

BizzyBee

Some films work just as well on the small screen. Les Miz is not one of them.

Terry

Well, I too cried all the way through Les Miserables.

I'm open to musicals and always have been.

They are pure experiences. The usual rules of life don't attend.

Like any other art it approaches life from other angles.

The performance of I Dreamed a Dream was wrought with such total commitment and passion I was astounded at Anne Hathaway's performance!

I think I've never witnessed such a wrung out all-or-nothing leap over the cliff of profound humanity.

But, many cannot open themselves to watch and listen to such as this.

We have been living in an age of "keepin' it real" for so long it isn't cool to FEEL.

I look at it this way. The empathy in each of us will either grow or wither depending on our use of it. Certainly the world can use more empathy.

Theater, film, song and art extend self-expression in all avenues and ranges of pure expression.

Why concentrate only on so very few deemed "cool" enough for the crowd?

The original musical presentation had magnificent voices. The film concentrates on familiar actors who can sing and maybe draw in an audience who would not ordinarly pay to hear sung dialogue.

I think the gambit has achieved that to a certain extent. Russell Crowe was Gladiator. Anne Hathaway was Catwoman. Hugh Jackman was Wolverine. The fans of those characters probably would not be

caught dead sitting in a movie crying over a prostitute who is dying. They are likely to respond with contempt, mockery and ridicule. I say: their loss!

Not for everybody, but, certainly well worth seeing. For me it was a peak experience indeed.

notjustyet

I just watched the 1935 original with Charles Laughton. I have always loved the one with Liam Neeson and don't ant to mess it up with a Musial one.

NJY

Anyone Else See Les Miserables?

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