Movie Review: Les Miserables

"Oh, my friends! My friends, don't ask me what your sacrifice was for! Empty chairs at empty tables, where my friends shall sing no more."


So, I'm sure you have all already seen Les Miserables.  But I hadn't until this evening.  Caleb and I had both not seen it, so we made a sibling-date out of it watching it in the basement.  So, I really like Les Miserables.  I also really like Les Mis.  Yes, there is a difference.  I have read Hugo's masterpiece twice--once in English and once in French.  In French, it took me a very, very, very long time, but I achieved it.  I have the soundtrack in my iTunes, and I know the story and the musical well. 

It is, like most of classical literature, a work beyond what literature today usually achieves.  It analyzes so many questions of life and puts itself in the perfect place in history to ask those questions.  There are a lot of really great songs from the musical (and a few recitative passages that are completely forgettable). 

I must say that when Caleb and I first started the musical, I was thinking, "This is going to be two-and-a-half hours of pure torture, because this free-singing isn't working out so well."  Even if you have more liberty with the music, you still need to do down-beats and things.  Caleb felt this way too. It got a lot better. 

In the end, it was well-done.  I don't like their Cosette choice.  I think she is kind of funny looking and kind of piercing, especially as a soprano.  The rest was very well done.  I also know that my MLS training has effected my viewing, as I started thinking of the most likely wound infections for Marius post-sewer. 

Moderate to lots of stars.

Comments

cg.gwhatch said…
In the movie I felt like the performances were not nearly so well polished as in the Broadway performances I had seen. I did enjoy it, however.
May 2, 2013 at 10:36 AM
Hannah said…
I definitely agree, Grandpa.
May 2, 2013 at 11:42 AM
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