So last night I finally got round to seeing Les Mis at the cinema (I know it’s terrible it took me that long) and I only just feel I have recovered my emotional stability enough to write this blog post. I shall warn you early on in this post, this film is not for the faint hearted. It will emotionally drain you to an extent you have never experienced before. Well, that is if you’re a sap like me, if you’re cold hearted (or normal) you will probably be able to keep yourself together. All I can say is, I have never cried so much or so ardently in a public place before.
If, like me, you are already a great lover of the storyline and the musical productions, I am pleased to say you will not be disappointed. I admit, at points the singing does leave something to be desired. Russell Crowe, as expected, has probably the weakest voice in the cast, but he fulfils his role as Javert very well with his deep tones. Now, as much as I love Hugh Jackman and his voice, I have to say he is no Alfie Boe. Then again, it seems slightly unfair to compare him to someone as great as that. Otherwise, he plays his role as Jean Valjean perfectly. I really do feel sorry for him having had to endure 36 hours of dehydration to look the part for the first few scenes of the film. Another cast member who went to extreme lengths to do their part justice is Anne Hathaway. Not that she needed to do much after her incredible rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, but she allowed her luscious, brown locks to be hacked off on camera! So when you see that, you should realise, they’re probably real tears.
It is amazing the amount of raw singing talent in this film, especially from those it isn’t expected from. After Mamma Mia, it isn’t surprising that Amanda Seyfried was cast as Cosette, and a fantastic job she did as well. But Eddie Redmayne was surprisingly good! He played the love struck student very well, not particularly surprising though considering his previous roles including Angel in ‘Tess of the D’Ubervilles’ and young Colin in ‘My Week with Marilyn’. Something I was very pleased with was that Samantha Barks was cast as Eponine which, considering she was so amazing in the stage production, was the right choice. In her final scene, I wept like a child.
But don’t worry, this film isn’t all about doom and gloom and dumbfounding musical performances. There is some light relief in the form of Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as the nibble fingered landlords of a tavern. Both of their performances are brilliant with Carter adopting the cocky accent as seen in ‘Sweeney Todd’ and Cohen being his usual hilarious self.
Even if you don’t like musicals or don’t think you can sit through 2 and a half hours in the cinema, go and see it. It is part cinematic history that is necessary to your cultural education. Trust me.
Picture from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/
The Weekly Squeeze 