Hooper's 'Les Misérables' Leaves Dreams to be Dreamt for a Better Film

By Karolyn Castaldo on January 2, 2013

Les Misérables (2012) by Tom Hooper was one of the most anticipated films of the year due to a large fan-base from the stage

Photo from policymic.com

musical since the 80s and the 1998 non-musical version starring Liam Neeson, Uma Thurman and Clare Danes. However, there was great debate about whether this movie would live up to the hype it stirred during production. After sitting through the two-and-a-half-hour film, here’s what I thought:

The opening scene, during which “Look Down” is sung, sent shivers down my spine, and I knew there was going to be something special in each of the songs featuring the whole cast. There was such power and emotion that resembled the original stage musical, but had a new ring to it because of the singing-while-filming aspect that Hooper employed. This, paired with the 100-instrument orchestra, kept the feeling of the musical alive during the film, even when it felt more acted than sung.

I had reservations going in about Anne Hathaway, but she played the heart-wrenching role of Fantine incredibly.

Photo from Universal Studios by James Fisher via IMDB.com

Though her voice is not as strong as some of the woman who have played this character in the past, the emotion she brings to the scenes, shot with a focus on only her anguished face, are enough to amplify her singing. Samantha Barks as Eponine was also a tear-jerker. Because her character is young and in love, it is easy to come off as childish and annoying, but Barks’ performance was spot on. She also had one of the more impressive voices in the cast. Paired with Eddie Redmayne, who played Marius, the two made a lovely duet. However, Eddie’s close-up shots missed the mark because he often smiles when he sings, and therefore, lacks the emotion of many of his songs. Daniel Huttlestone, the young boy who plays Gavroche, was also one of my favorites. Though his accent seemed more British-Cockney than French, he carried himself with great passion and really captured my heart.

Where I felt this film lacked in casting were in the roles of Jean Valjean, Javert, Cosette, and the Thénardiers. Hugh Jackman left much to be desired as Valjean, because though he brought a lot of passion to each scene, his singing completely threw everything off. I felt this was a poor choice for such a critical role. Russell Crowe as Javert was not a bad choice, but not a good one either. His singing was unemotional and for such an intense character, this was disappointing. He doesn’t even seem phased each time he nears death. Amanda Seyfried had a better voice than I expected, but she was pitchy. I’m not a fan of the character of Cosette, but Seyfried made her even more dislikable with her squealing alongside Redmayne’s well-toned vibrato. Isabelle Allen, who plays young Cosette, was much more impressive. Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen were just okay as the Thénardiers. Though they provided some comic relief, there was not enough to warrant the repeated scenes that they entered with their over-the-top accents.

Finally, the cinematography and set were brilliant, but there was a little to be asked for in terms of CGI. Though I realize that there’s no way to feasibly shoot in Paris today and have it look like the Paris of the 1800′s, it was very easy to see that the scenes were fake when they panned out to view the city. There could have been less of this, because the sets were so wonderful on their own, but Hooper had a vision to make this greater than the stage, so we have to respect that.

Overall, I was disappointed with Hooper’s rendition of Les Misérables, especially after all of the hype. There were so many changes he could have made to make it a mind-blowing experience, and though I approve of the live-singing, it loses the ‘musical’ feel. If you are a musical theatre nerd, you probably won’t enjoy how some of the actors butcher the songs. However, if you are more into acting and cinematography, you may appreciate Hooper’s changes. Unfortunately, I dreamed a dream of a more impressive Les Misérables.

What did you think of Les Mis? Leave a comment below!

 

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