Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne
Director: Tom Hooper
Rating: 5/5
Les Miserables is one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2013 as the popular stage musical is brought to the big screen and Tom Hooper returns to the director’s chair.
Hooper has not made a movie since his Best Picture and Best Director success with The King’s Speech and this time around he has given himself a very different challenge.
Not only must he win over fans of the stage show but also bring a new and possibly younger audience to this wonderful story… and that is exactly what he has done.
Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption-a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit.
Jackman plays ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe) after he breaks parole.
When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever
Les Miserables is a triumph from start to finish as it not only looks wonderful but the cast deliver some truly fantastic performances.
While there has been some criticism of Hooper’s decision to have the cast sing live on set rather than in at recording studio it is something that really does work as the actors have been able to pour the energy and emotion they felt in that moment into the songs.
Anne Hathaway’s rendition of I Dreamed A Dream is one of the highlights of the film as the character of Fantine pours her pain, guilt and disappointment of life into that song.
Hathaway could have spent a year in the studio re-recording this song and she would never have been able to recapture this devastatingly powerful and emotional moment.
Hugh Jackman is simply wonderful as Jean Valjean and as a seasoned theatre performer the vocal side of the role is no problem for the actor.
But what works so well with this film is we are able to see a physical, mental and aging transformation of this character - which is something that obviously cannot happen on the stage.
You feel like you go on a real journey with this character like never before. Jackman delivers a haunting performance that is both powerful and yet incredibly moving - I would love to see him win the Oscar for this.
Hathaway is also tremendous and while she may only have around fifteen minutes of screen time she delivers a performance that is unforgettable.
Who knew that Eddie Redmayne had such a great set of pipes on him as he showed a very different side to himself as an actor with the role of Marius. Empty Chairs and Empty Tables is, much like Hathaway’s I Dreamed A Dream, his most powerful moment.
For many of these solo numbers Hooper uses a single take with a tight close up that truly allows us to see the emotion and the pain of the characters - and for these two numbers in particular this work incredibly well.
It is not all doom and gloom though as Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen bring some real comic relief as the Thenardiers. It is a genius piece of casting as the pair work incredibly well together and their musical numbers - especially Master of the House - are fantastic.
Les Miserables is a real joy to behold as Hooper has really captured the essence and spirit of the stage show whilst adding another level to it.
We are really able to see the characters develop and change throughout the film like never before while the tight close up give a real intimacy - both elements which cannot be achieved on the stage.
The music is both rousing and powerful and makes Les Miserables an emotional musical that really sets the bar for other films that follow in this genre.
Les Miserables is an absolute must see as it will keep fans of the theatre show happy whilst bringing in a new audience thanks to the popularity of the great cast.
Les Miserables is out now
Tagged in Hugh Jackman Les Miserables Tom Hooper