Les Misérables

[MacGuffin]

Release date: Dec. 14, 2012

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe

Directed by: Tom Hooper

Premise: An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France, in which a paroled prisoner named Jean Valjean seeks redemption.

[Pedro]

I'm a little embarrassed to say it, but I'm excited for this.  I've always liked this musical, ever since I saw it performed in my high school in the 9th grade.  I hope it's nice and long. 

[Sleepless]

I'm kind of excited too. I didn't get anything out of the stage version when I saw it years ago, but I was a punk kid back then. Based on the trailer, the film version appeals to me more. Probably a very smart marketing move to have Hathaway singing Dream throughout the trailer too - not just because it's the most famous song, but also because there will probably be some expectation as to how she copes with it given that the version most people know is Goddamn Susan Boyle's.

One thing: this better not sweep any fucking awards away from The Master.

[Pubrick]

One thing: this better not sweep any fucking awards away from The Master.

Let it. If PTA is as great as the bible (PTA forum) claims, he'll have to suffer the consequences and never win any awards.. like a true messiah.

Also, I'm very excited by this trailer..and I hate Tom  Hooper and Hugh Jackman.

Wasn't there a great version of this made in the 90s? I'll have to revisit that.. if it exists. Impossible to find out.

[polkablues]

There was a version that was great in that it wasn't the musical.  But it had Geoffrey Rush in it, and I'm pretty sure you don't like him for some reason or another (because he's an Australian actor, possibly).  I think the main guy was Liam Neeson, but I don't remember for sure, and again, there is unfortunately no way to verify that.

[RegularKarate]

I've been pretty excited about this for a while. 
It's strange, I've never seen the musical live (it's here this weekend, but I can't go), but I've listened to the soundtrack and read the descriptions and I was pretty interested in who they were casting during casting.

I think part of what makes me so into this is that they recorded the vocals on set, it's not lip-syncing. 

This video showed up a while ago where Huge Ackman is just belting it out as he walks toward the camera.  No need to watch the whole thing (happens again at about 39 seconds), just great that you can hear him from so far away...

[Pedro]

Here's a great look into the REALLY COOL WAY that they're doing this. 

[Pedro]

Bad trailer, but I think that might have to do with the fact that the film will be almost entirely sung.  I can imagine cutting all the songs (in their various keys) into a cohesive teaser of the major plot elements is a big challenge.  Or I'm being easy on someone. 

[brockly]

i'm a fan of the musical, and that's important to note before giving an opinion on this. i loved it a whole lot, as expected, even though it has its problems. the main issue here is Tod Hooper's direction, which is pretty uninspiring and messy throughout much of it. but almost everyone else involved does such a spectacular job that i'm pretty ok with that. i'd say an element of familiarity with the musical is vital before going into this. it's sappy, melodramatic and sometimes just downright lame. and i think i would have really been bothered by all that hadn't i been expecting it. but this is hardly a guilty pleasure. far from it. i think there's some real genius behind this, and the performances really do it justice (Sacha Baron Cohen aside). surely it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but i had a ball with this.

[samsong]

this is one of the worst movies i've ever seen, and i'm saying that as a fan of the musical and someone who went into this with fairly low expectations after the critical buzz seemed to be divided at best.  it's as if in their attempt to bring the musical to the screen they focused so much on staying true to the show that they forgot to think about how to make it a good movie.  pacing is incredibly bizarre and awkward throughout, and this is for someone who is familiar with the show--how it worked on stage does not translate directly to film, and they don't seem to have given that much thought.  i can't even imagine how this will come off to people who know nothing about the stage musical.  performances across the board range from awful to mediocre, and the singing is generally abysmal with the exception of eddie redmayne and colm wilkinson.  and about the singing... what the fuck is the point of shooting a musical with live takes if all you're going to do is cut the shit out of their performances and then mix it all to sound like studio recordings so that the movie looks lip synced anyway?!  the way this film is shot and edited is almost as awkward and inept as tommy wisseau's the room.  WHY IS RUSSELL CROWE IN THIS?!  the new song might as well have been sung by sarah mclachlan.

it's an unmitigated, embarrassing disaster. 

[brockly]

i didn't think i would find myself defending this, but that review is so grating that i feel i have to. the screening i attended was met with moans throughout and sighs of relief when the credits finally rolled. it was one of the most unpleasantly awkward screenings i've ever attended. i think that has a lot to say about how audiences oblivious to the musical will respond to this, and perhaps just your general reaction to the sometimes sloppy filmmaking. and being someone who's both passionate about film and generally hates the idea of musicals, i totally get that. i already know i'm going to be in the minority on this one. i think this was always going to come across as an awkward movie because there's an awkward logic behind the concept, which probably explains why it took so long to be adapted for the screen. the stage show was a historical epic that was translated into a broadway musical. there's a logic there, but it was never going to translate to film without straying too far from the broadway show. so they made tribute. something like Sweeney Todd lent itself so much better to the screen because it was a genre piece that could be helmed by and accommodate Tim Burton's style. i'm not familiar with enough musicals to know if and how well something like this has been pulled off before. all film musicals that i can recall have some form of concept that justifies them being musicals. this movie doesn't have that, and for that reason i don't think it takes itself seriously enough as a movie. maybe i should be harder on it for that reason, but i couldn't help but enjoy the hell out of it. as a tribute, i thought it was pretty wonderfully executed and i loved it.

i don't get how you can be so harsh on the performances. i thought most of them were really fantastic. and the live singing really does make it so much more enthralling. it's really unclear where your complaint about the mixing is being directed. of course there was going to be a degree of editing involved, but i don't recall anything overly distracting about the mix and none of it looked lip synced at all. most of the solo numbers are done as single shot close ups, and for me they were extremely effective and absorbing. particularly I Dreamed a Dream and On My Own. how could you make such a bitter critique about the performances and sound editing and fail to mention this? it seems you are being relentlessly negative on this without accounting for its worth. this is hardly an "unmitigated, embarrassing disaster", i just don't think it worked for you.

[samsong]

you're right.  now i LOVE the movie.

[Alexandro]

I've read several interviews with Tom Hooper and in every one of them he manages to sound like a major douchebag absurdly in love with himself. Here's an example, go to page 3 for the best quote:

"I do find it hilarious that you can read reviews where they mention the close-up, but at the same time they mention that they were sitting in a row where people around them were balling with tears, and they don't see there's a connection. The truth is, the only reason I'm getting this level of devastation from people's response — sometimes people literally can't speak afterwards for a few minutes they've been crying so much. And that's happening because of the close-up, because of the intimacy of the film."


http://www.indiewire.com/article/les-miserables-director-tom-hooper-the-one-q-a-you-have-to-read?page=1#articleHeaderPanel

[Reel]