Review: Les Misérables

Kings Speech director Tom Hooper took on the mammoth task of directing the movie adaption of the world famous musical Les Misérables, which is based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel of the same name.

 For those who may not be familiar with the story of Les Misérables, it is a tale set in 19^th century France that follows a man named Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who was imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loath of bread. After being released on parole by the prison guard Javert (Russell Crowe), he faced a life of hardship and shame for his tainted reputation as a thief. Valjean was taken in by a bishop for the night after spotting him walking the streets as no one would give him shelter or work. In the night Valijean took off with the bishops silver but was caught and taken back to the bishop who confirmed to the police that Valjean in fact was given the silver as a gift, offering him a second chance. The bishops generosity saw Valijean vow to break parole and start a new life. Eight years later Valjean had become a successful businessman and mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. However, on stumbling upon one of his former employees Fantine (Anne Hathaway), who was very ill and on the verge of arrest, Valjean vowed to look after her daughter Cosette (Isabelle Allen/Amanda Seyfried). Despite taking in Cosette and making a new life for himself, Valijean was always fighting his past.

Although the performances of Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway have deservedly stolen the headlines, this is a film full of top class performances throughout. Hathaway’s highly anticipated rendition of ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ was as good as everyone hoped it would be. Despite being only on screen for fifteen minutes, Hathaway has gained nomination after nomination during the awards season and rightly so. Her incredibly powerful performance captured the struggles of Fantine superbly. Jackman’s performance as leading man Valjean is commendable and like Hathaway he has rightly been nominated for all the big awards. His performance of ‘Valjean’s Soliloquy’ is captivatingly sinister and brilliantly shot inside the church as he vows to change his life.

One man who should not escape praise is that of Eddie Redmayne who is excellent as Marius. The raw emotion he portrayed in his performance of ‘Empty Chairs And Empty Tables’ is only matched by Hathaway’s ‘I Dreamed A Dream’. Hooper used the power of the close-up to great effect for both performances, so the audience really got to feel the emotions the characters were expressing in those moments. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter also linked up very well as the scheming Thénardiers. Bonham Carter took a backseat to Cohen's skillful comedic performance, however the blend worked excellently despite Cohen's slightly questionable French accent.  

Russell Crowe's singing voice is one of few major criticisms that has been made about the film. Although Crowe is the weakest vocalist, his stage presence and manner sees him get away with it. As a character Javert is not meant to be liked. His ruggedness, both vocally and physically, helps turn this disadvantage in to a positive.

Tom Hooper has kicked the year of cinema off with an all mighty bang. Powerful, captivating and cinematically beautiful. The film deserves all the praise it gets.

 9/10