To get his gaunt look at the beginning of the movie, he didn’t drink any water or liquids for 36 hours. Despite his enthusiasm and desire to play Valjean, once he got the part he became scared that he wouldn’t live up to his and others’ expectations. Jackman said he “stalked Tom” the minute he heard Hooper was attached, and auditioned for his role like everyone else.“I don’t know what my problem is with just chatting.” Hooper said he went from directing a movie in which the protagonist couldn’t speak ( The King’s Speech) to one in which characters only sing to each other.Times Envelope Screening Series and Epix HD, Hooper, Jackman, Hathaway, Seyfried, and Redmayne came out to answer questions from the Times‘ Nicole Sperling. Notes from Q&A with Tom Hooper and Cast MembersĪfter the movie, presented by the L.A. Fans of the stage show, however, may have no problem with the length. The result is a movie that’s over two and a half hours long, when it could’ve been maybe thirty minutes shorter if some of the songs were trimmed. He spends another three minutes (all times are estimates) belting out “Bring Him Home” when no one doubts that Valjean would really like Marius to survive the revolution. Valjean spends five minutes singing “Who Am I?” when it’s already clear he’s conflicted about letting an innocent man go to prison in his stead. The internal monologue is made external when the audience already understands the message. ![]() Sometimes intentions and feelings can be expressed with just a subtle look or simple line, but actors in musicals are required to burst into song and spell out everything they are feeling. Some of the issues I had with this movie are ones I have with musicals in general: The songs make everything too on the nose. Russell Crowe seems detached, his Javert is one note, and his singing voice sounded strained, not a good match for musical-theater-style songs. Amanda Seyfried looks beautiful as the older Cosette (Isabelle Allen plays the younger version) but is overshadowed by the stronger performances. Her performance made me weep.Įddie Redmayne and Samantha Barks, in her film debut, are fine as Marius and Eponine, respectively. Hathaway makes Fantine’s suffering startlingly raw, and sings “I Dreamed a Dream” in one long take with no cutaways, just the camera lingering on her naked face. Jackman has a formidable voice and is a perfect Valjean, displaying talents not previously captured on the big screen. Ever tried doing that, when your throat is closing up? That’s why I appreciated hearing the gasps, sighs, and sobs in the live performances here. I’ve often rolled my eyes when watching someone produce perfect vocals while crying. ![]() I’m glad Hooper had his actors sing live instead of lip sync over prerecorded vocals because it made the songs more emotional and believable. The story is too long to summarize here so please Google it if you need more details. After his release, he seeks redemption following a bishop’s act of kindness toward him, becomes mayor of a French town, takes in a prostitute’s young daughter to raise as his own, all while being hunted across miles and decades by the police inspector Javert. The movie opens with an unrecognizable Hugh Jackman, eyes bugging from his emaciated face, as Jean Valjean aka prisoner #24601, who’s wrapping up a 19-year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread for his nephew and trying to escape prison multiple times. I even dropped tears into my bag of popcorn during a couple of scenes. The director makes everything more intimate with close-ups, pulling me into the story more. I sat way in the back and was emotionally and literally distanced from what was unfolding on stage.īut I enjoyed Tom Hooper’s film version and didn’t sleep a wink. I know Victor Hugo’s story, and liked the 1978 Les Miserables movie with Anthony Perkins as Javert and Richard Jordan as Jean Valjean, but the one time I saw the musical live, I fell asleep.
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