To put it simply, I am a fan. As you know, I love history, and the history of the French Revolution and the later periods is quite fascinating. Les Mis is special because it offers a story of political and social strife, while also presenting an intimate tale of Valjean in this era of chaos.
To start off, Hugh Jackman nails this performance. From the opening scene at the Bagne of Toulon, to the reprisal at the end, Jackman is pure gold. To be honest, I haven't seen a lot of Jackman outside of his work in the average X Men movies, so to see him performing in such brilliance here is new to me. There is a real tenderness to his Valjean, If you any other good movies he was (no X Men Shauna), send a comment.
Anne Hatthaway, appears in the film as Fantine, a downtrodden member of society who tries to support her daughter Cosette in the cruelty of post-Napoleon France. Anne does an admirable job in the role, however she doesn't appear for very long, making her presence a little less felt.
Russel Crowe as Javert actually a surprisingly good job. At the start of the film, his singing is a little rusty, however he gets remarkable better as the film moves on, and I feel he really does the character of Javert justice.
The Friends of the ABC, a group of revolutionary republicans who lead the people against King Louis Philippe in the Paris Uprising are wonderful. The struggle between the low working class and the upper crust is a theme that we can still relate to in the modern world.
Finally, I need to mention Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as Monsieur Thénardier and Madame Thénardier respectively. They play a pair of of lovable crooks who are really just scumbags. Cohen is really good, however I feel that Carter is just playing the same character from Sweeny Todd. Not bad, but nothing special either.
That said, if you haven't seen it, watch it right now! You won't regret it!
I still haven't seen this version of Les Mis yet. Dustin said "I wasn't a huge fan". However, I love musicals, and I'd like to watch this sometime.
ReplyDeleteAs for Jackman, I've only really seen him in his hardened action roles (Real Steel, Van Helsing, Xmen, etc.)
This isn't a musical Shauna, it's an opera.
DeleteYou must always object, right?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't consider it an opera. Just because it is sung all the way through doesn't necessarily mean it's an opera. Is CATS an opera?
Just because some people sing some high notes from time to time, it's an opera?
I googled this to see what it's technically classified as, and it looks like Les Mis is one of those weird ones that can be classified as a musical, or by some as an opera, but many people are seeming to agree that it's technically a musical because of the style of singing and marketing of the show. While a couple of the songs sound a bit operatic, the majority of the songs have a more modern sound. It is often called a sung-through musical.
So I'm willing to let you call it an opera, if you like, but don't get all high and mighty at me about my calling it a musical. :)
SO THERE!
You mad?
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