The only two musicals I have ever seen are Singing in the Rain and The Lion King. My parents were never real theatre goers and I think that might influence me when I choose to see something in the theatre.
A couple of days ago I saw the movie Les Misérables, directed by Tom Hooper who also directed The King’s Speech, which I considered to be a very good movie. When we were at the cinema to watch The Hobbit, they showed the Les Misérables trailer and we immediately wanted to see it.
In 19th century France, Jean Valjean is set on parole after having served a nineteen-year sentence for stealing bread and trying to escape. He is given a document which says he is an ex-convict and because of this document he is not able to find a way to make a living. A bishop offers him a place to stay, but Valjean tries to make a hasty and inconspicuous exit in the middle of the night with some of the bishop’s silver. He is caught by the authorities, but the bishop tells them he gave the silverware to Valjean and admonishes Valjean for forgetting the candlesticks. He tells Valjean to use the money he’ll earn from selling the silverware for something good. Valjean, touched by this gesture, decides that it is time he pays it forward and breaks his parole to create a new life for himself.
He helps Fantine, who’d become a prostitute to be able to provide for herself and her daughter Cosette, after she is abused and promises her on her death bed to take care of Cosette for her. He finds Cosette at some kind of Inn and buys her off of the Innkeepers. However, since he broke his parole, police guard Javert is chasing after him and Valjean and Cosette find themselves continually on the run. Valjean has not shared his past with Cosette, because he is afraid she’ll never look at him the same.
Of course, when Cosette is older, she falls in love with a guy she sees in Paris: Marius. Marius is a rich guy sympathetic to the poor people who are planning a revolution. Then Javert turns up again and Valjean and Cosette are again forced to run, but Cosette – now completely infatuated – is not willing to do this anymore without knowing the reason behind it all. Valjean continues to refuse to tell her about his real identity.
Then, when a revolution does break out it changes everything for the worse and for the better.
I never knew that Russell Crowe (Javert), Hugh Jackman (Valjean), Anne Hathaway (Fantine) and Amanda Seyfriend (Cosette) could sing. But they can! Helena Bonham-Carter is fantastic, yet again, as Madame Thénardier.
The Thénardiers
Of course, sappy and cliché as I am, I loved the song On My Own sung by Samantha Barks as Éponine Thénardier. Eddie Redmayne, who plays Marius, gives a completely believable and heart-wrenching rendition of Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. And the ending is just… wow! The three Golden Globes were well deserved
