Who would have known that Wolverine and Catwoman can sing? Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)'s take on silver-screening the ever-so-famous Broadway highlight based on Victor Hugo's epic with exact title was an ambitious effort...
resulted well-done. His authentic approach to have the actors to sing live on set (yes, what you hear isn't a recorded separate performance ligated to matching scene. They did go through take by take vocals by vocals, compelling more than just few takes each scene to reach perfection) has showed an effective milestone; the acting and the singing are beautifully embodied in pieces of charming audiovisuals, enhancing the overall 'catch' of the stage. While as musical it is full of melodious dialogues that sometimes come pretty silly in mind, the awkwardness is easily mended by the heartfelt acts, cautiously deliberate designs, and supportive-if not captivating on its own-cinematography Danny Cohen is likely to put up.
resulted well-done. His authentic approach to have the actors to sing live on set (yes, what you hear isn't a recorded separate performance ligated to matching scene. They did go through take by take vocals by vocals, compelling more than just few takes each scene to reach perfection) has showed an effective milestone; the acting and the singing are beautifully embodied in pieces of charming audiovisuals, enhancing the overall 'catch' of the stage. While as musical it is full of melodious dialogues that sometimes come pretty silly in mind, the awkwardness is easily mended by the heartfelt acts, cautiously deliberate designs, and supportive-if not captivating on its own-cinematography Danny Cohen is likely to put up.
The story, set around June Rebellion of France, revolves around Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), an ex convict that soon found enlightenment and decided to start a new life under a new identity. He then rose into mayorship and ran a factory where the young and beautiful Fantine (Anne Hathaway) worked. Turns of fate led into the firing of Fantine after she was exposed to have had an illegitimate child instead of being-as believed-innocent. Fantine grew sore and her child was being reported to need increasing amount of funding, which dragged her into prostitution, and to the loathing of her ex boss Valjean. Both met again under unsavory accident when Fantine was almost charged into six months sentence by none other than Javert (Russell Crowe), an authority so ill-minded who at the first place set Valjean free just to imprison him again. To Valjean's grief of Fantine, he promised to take over the custody of the poor (whose face you see everywhere as if it's Les Miserable's own logo) child, Cosette (Isabelle Allen and Amanda Seyfried, respectively, age-wise), who at the time being living at the greedy Thenadiers' (the comical couple Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter) inn. The story then continues to the heat of June Rebellion when Valjean and grown up Cosette encountered the Les Amis de l'ABC, including Enjolras (Aaron Tveit) and Cosette's romantic interest Marius (Eddie Redmayne), as well as re-encountering the Thenadiers, now with their grown up daughter Eponine (Samantha Barks), not to mention still playing tag with Javert.
The cast ensemble are petty neat, and there's a bouncing adoration to Jackman and his character Valjean that had been pictured so well we could believe that there's actually a man a virtuous. He can sing, and even more, he can act. Anne Hathaway has been a spotlight and bore the honor to perform 'I Dreamed A Dream'. And boy did she put all her brokenness in it, as she stated that looking pretty would be selfish. Another highlight is Samantha Barks, who had been enormously compared to Lea Salonga-the reckoned best performer-for their Eponine counterparts. If there's anyone to have actually grabbed the exclamation mark, that would be her for her amazing breakthrough in the film industry. And in fact, it can be considered that she had the strongest vocals of the casts. Eddie Redmayne's part was also convincing in 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables' number. Amanda Seyfried is a sweet vanilla... as she should be. The duo Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter are needless to explain extraordinary as they always have been. The least strong chain though is Crowe's Javert, if only he had more of a bittersweet needy bond with Jackman.
The film is a clever combination of the play (you know, Eponine was depicted a lot friendlier, which is smart as it gives the character as much as it deserves to be) and the novel (well, Gavroche send Marius's letter instead of Eponine, and in the end of his take Enjolras was around the Red flag of Rebellion) making it a wee bit more relatable to any literature geek out there. The music is big (not huge, but big), thanks to Claude Michel Schonberg too, I guess. It even involved a new number Suddenly, performed by Jackman, highlighting the new bond of his role and Cosette. Also, it's not boisterous in the 'combat' scenes, but is very personal yet grand in some way.
A bit of a warning though, this film is a tear jerking machine so fast paced it almost leaves us no room to gasp. Don't whine (as I probably did) when you become so emotionally drained as it takes no break from one scene to others almost on its entirety (and I'm not saying if this is a good or a bad thing). But fret not; as somehow instead of feeling depressed (or ALONG with feeling depressed) you will feel some magically positive energy tingles from within. Enjoy it while you can, and if you can, take as much spiritualism to appreciate Hugo's message that reasoned him to write the masterpiece in the first place.
VERDICT: Emotionally draining, Tom Hooper's Les Miserables offers you stunning journey of the heart wrenching classic. It's all about humans living inhuman lives, but Hooper and his team pictured it very beautifully and deliberate. No one will leave the screen with dry eyes. Help yourself, bring tissues. (Rated: A)
Les Misérables (2012) | United Kingdom | Drama, Musical, Romance | Rated PG-13 for suggestive and sexual material, violence and thematic elements | Cast: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Samantha Barks | Screenplay by: William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer
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