Even
viewers who have not read Victor Hugo’s novel or seen Cameron Mackintosh’s
stage musical know Jean Valjean spent nineteen years in prison for stealing a
loaf of bread. Such a fate is undeniably
unjust, but it is important to keep in mind it was a very nice sourdough. For years it defied cinematic adaptation, but
now Tom Hooper brings the musical Les Misérables
(trailer
here) to the big screen, with all its
bombast. It opens today nationwide, so
Merry Christmas everyone.
Distilled
from Hugo’s cinderblock sized novel, Les
Mis follows Valjean after he is released from prison. He has been freed from the unyielding Javert’s
lash, but the terms of his parole make him a desperate outcast. He finds temporary refuge with the truly
pious Monsignor, but he abuses the kindly cleric’s trust. Yet much to his shock, his betrayal is met
with forgiveness.
Thanks
to the Monsignor, Valjean reinvents himself under an assumed identity. He becomes a factory owner and the mayor of
his hardscrabble community. Then Javert
is transferred to his jurisdiction. For
a while they circle each other warily, until Valjean confirms the copper’s
suspicions to save an innocent man arrested in his place. Thus begins his life on the run (albeit a
relatively well-heeled one), with Cosette, the daughter of a tragic former
employee, in tow.
Yes,
this is Les Mis, a rather odd
combination of Christian fellowship and proletarian solidarity. Barricades will definitely be stormed, but at
least the church is not part of the apparatus of oppression. As the publicity campaign is quick to point
out, Hooper returned to old school movie musical production techniques,
recording the actors in performance live on the set, rather than have them
lip-sync to pre-recorded tracks. This
allows them more in-the-moment interpretive freedom. However, as your TV talent show judges might
say: “it gets a little pitchy, dog.”
Frankly, it is hard to understand why they did not clean some of that up
with Pro-Tools or a similar program.
Critical
reaction to Hooper’s Les Mis is also
something of spectacle, ranging from adulation to castigation. Word that Russell Crowe was making a movie
musical may have led some to fear the worst.
When Les Mis did not completely
bite, many evidently concluded it must therefore be awesome. In truth, it falls somewhere in the middle.
To
be fair to Crowe, he has been unduly hammered as Javert (a small irony there),
but in the story’s abbreviated stage form, his character’s actions during the
third act are jarringly problematic. Likely
Oscar contender Anne Hathaway knocks “I Dreamed a Dream” out of the park,
completely reclaiming the signature tune from Susan Boyle, and then promptly exits
the narrative. Hugh Jackman has the
perfect presence for Valjean and his performances of “Who Am I” and “One Day
More” are fairly stirring, but the show definitely peaks in the first act. Frankly, all the third act barricade songs
and revolutionary anthems just blend into a faux Internationale blur.
While
Jackman, Crowe, and Hathaway meet or exceed expectations, the rest of the
supporting cast is a dramatically mixed bag.
Eddie Redmayne sorely lacks romantic lead credibility as Marius, but his
voice is not bad. The real standout
though is British fan favorite Samantha Barks. She is the real deal as lovesick
Éponine, probably boasting the finest voice of the ensemble.
In
contrast, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen quickly become tiresome as
the felonious innkeeper Thénardier and wife, the show’s ostensive comic relief. A little of them goes a long, long, long way.
You know the Nile River? That long.
They must have assumed they were in a Tim Burton movie when they saw the
period sets and started hamming it up accordingly. In fact, the Nineteen Century Paris recreated
by the design team often looks like it was the work of the same Neo-gothic
architect responsible for The Dark Knight’s
Gotham, particularly when Javert compulsively paces about on high ledges.
Nonetheless,
Les Mis its moments, like “I Dreamed
a Dream” and “One Day More,” which might be Hooper’s best staging, utilizing
the cross-cutting toolkit of music videos more than traditional movie musical
production numbers. Elements of the
show, like the touching relationship between Valjean and Cosette, prove to be
absolutely bullet-proof.
