Les Miserables 8: Still Miserable

[erikdean]

A few thoughts from my friend Rachel over at The Backstage at the industry screening in NY last night:

Hathaway's is a performance that will never ever ever be forgotten. It's that good. There are some changes, most of which open up the scenes more, and one song cut that I thought deserved to be cut all along ( "Dog Eat Dog" ). All of the things you wish for are there, everything is expanded and it's expansive and natural and beautiful, and the live singing was a miracle idea. Jackman will get in. He carries it, he sings it, you go on this journey with him. Crowe will not get in and I was not the biggest fan of his but the audience around me seemed to be pleasantly surprised. Redmayne is the best of the supporting men and tears the place down with "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables." Barks is good but I am not sure she will hold up as memorable stacked against Anne and also does not come back for the duet with Fantine at the end. Additionally, there was nothing in the narrative about Marius acknowledging that she is at the barricade in drag...they cut the whole "God Eponine, the things you do / I know this is no place for me, still I would rather be with you" scene. It made Eponine's choice less clear to me . I was not the biggest fan of her in the concert and was torn on her casting because at least it wasn't Taylor Swift but it also felt slightly lazy to go with the person who did it most recently in the stage show. Eponine is a standout role and Barks does sing it well but I don't know if it's enough to make a dent. The Gavroche is terrific and I have seen so many hammy kids do it on stage. Seyfried has that weird vibrato but that doe-eyed thing she does so well works as a character choice for Cosette, who is always somewhat of a dishrag.

[with_one_voice]

Redmayne is so happening. Crowe is so not.

[erikdean]

Here's from another friend of mine who was at that screening, and who apparently didn't know that the songs were sung live:

Well, I don't know the "source material" and by that I mean the musical. I read the book when I was 17, but this is obviously an adaptation of the musical and it is glorious. It's incredibly impressive visually. The hand-held shots during the Paris scenes only contributed to the pace, and certainly didn't bother me.

I honestly can't think of one thing I disliked about it. Russell Crowe's first sung line made me fear I wasn't going to like him, but he pulled through and had great shining moments. But to me this was all about HUGH JACKMAN. I haven't seen "Lincoln" yet but I truly believe he is a fair match to Daniel Day Lewis. Every single person in the cast was spectacular, yes even Hathaway who I genuinely dislike. She wasn't the standout for me, but Barks, Tveit and Redmayne were sensational. I enjoyed Seyfried too. I think Baron-Cohen and Bonham-Carter were too over-the-top for their already over-the-top characters, but I got over it pretty quickly.

And of course - the music. The orchestration is beautiful, the soft spoken-yet-sung dialogue is never distracting, all the numbers are acted as if this were a stage musical -- you never feel like they're singing to a pre-recorded track, and the tracks themselves have fantastic raw moments in them (crying, breathing heavily) that sync with the scenes. No actor failed in this. Seyfried was the least convincing I thought.

[steve4922]

The orchestration is beautiful, the soft spoken-yet-sung dialogue is never distracting, all the numbers are acted as if this were a stage musical -- you never feel like they're singing to a pre-recorded track, and the tracks themselves have fantastic raw moments in them (crying, breathing heavily) that sync with the scenes.

I assume that "as if this were a stage muscial" means the cast appeared to be singing live (which, of course, they were). On the stage, many of the songs are performed as belted-to-the-balconies showstoppers; from what I can tell, Hooper seems to have completely done away with the belting (thank God) for a much more intimate and natural singing style.

[erikdean]

I assume that "as if this were a stage muscial" means the cast appeared to be singing live (which, of course, they were). On the stage, many of the songs are performed as belted-to-the-balconies showstoppers; from what I can tell, Hooper seems to have completely done away with the belting (thank God) for a much more intimate and natural singing style.

Yeah, she meant that it sounded live since she didn't realize until after that it was recorded live.

[Orlean]

Damn!
I so wished Anne's role was leading..... Last year Meryl, then her.... that would have been epic!
But whatever. She's getting an Oscar!

[crazyfists3600]

Looks like Crowe isn't as dead as people want him to be. These notices clearly show that he pulls it off and is liked. He may not be loved, but he may not need to be to get in (and some have noted loving him).

[erikdean]

Looks like Crowe isn't as dead as people want him to be. These notices clearly show that he pulls it off and is liked. He may not be loved, but he may not need to be to get in (and some have noted loving him).

Well, his is clearly the most divisive performance so it might be difficult for him. I'm still keeping him in for now.

[guany]

Looks like Crowe isn't as dead as people want him to be. These notices clearly show that he pulls it off and is liked. He may not be loved, but he may not need to be to get in (and some have noted loving him).

[kevinywong]

Richard DeWitte, age 34 at the time. He had a sweet voice. I wholeheartedly recommend the original French concept album (with DeWitte). Most, but not quite all, of the music was already there for adaptation to the London stage. "Do You Hear the People Sing?" is unquestionably more authentic in French, IMO, and I would say the same of Fantine's brilliant chanson.... it's more naturally passionate.

Couple things changed for London Barbican. Rebecca Caine added the top B flat and C for Cosette and Michael Ball and Frances Ruffelle came up with their harmonies for A Heart Full of Love. Patti Lupone added the rising scale during I Dreamed a Dream (which is why it sounds really awkward in subsequent french versions because there's still one last word to come after the scale is finished). Colm Wilkinson added the crazy B or B flat (can't remember) at the end of Who Am I.

[crazyfists3600]

Well, his is clearly the most divisive performance so it might be difficult for him. I'm still keeping him in for now.

I admit, with these reviews he's not a sure thing at all, but he seems to have some who really liked him, and like McTeague said, passion votes could go a long way if those who did really want to make sure he's there.

guany can suck it.

[FredArtik]

Damn!
I so wished Anne's role was leading.....

Patti LuPone played Fantine in the Original London Production in 1985 and was nominated (and won!!) for BEST ACTRESS in a Musical at the Laurence Olivier Awards.
I don't know how it's possible but it happened!

[Tracy]

I'm so conflicted on Barks. The Eponine fangirl in me wants her to get the nomination. But the Oscar watcher side of me kind of feels that based on these reviews, she'd be getting the nom just because of the baitiness of the role and not because she do made anything of it. Looking at the reviews for Redmayne and Hathaway, it's hard not to be disappointed. Had they not wasted their time with that Taylor Swift mess, maybe they could've found someone just as strong for Eponine.

[crazyfists3600]

But...some of Barks reviews are calling her a revelation and a treasure. Like, not every review is going to read the same, and people have differing opinions, but I'd say she'll have some seriously passionate supporters.

[steve4922]

Patti LuPone played Fantine in the Original London Production in 1985 and was nominated (and won!!) for BEST ACTRESS in a Musical at the Laurence Olivier Awards.
I don't know how it's possible but it happened!

The Olivier Awards didn't have a supporting category for musicals until 1991; prior to that year, all of the actresses (supporting or not) were nominated in a single category. When LuPone won (in 1985) the actoring playing Thénardier was nominated for "Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical," along with Wilkinson. To this day, the Olivier awards only have a single category for "Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical", for which both male and female actors are nominated.

I'm sure this is more than you ever wanted to know about this subject.

[Howard Beale's Toothpaste]

But...some of Barks reviews are calling her a revelation and a treasure. Like, not every review is going to read the same, and people have differing opinions, but I'd say she'll have some seriously passionate supporters.

How many of those reviews are from hardcore Les Miz fans already invested in the character of Eponine, though?

[guany]

Isabelle Allen singing some of "Castle on a Cloud" at 0:46 (not from the film, she's just singing for the interview).

[FredArtik]

The Olivier Awards didn't have a supporting category for musicals until 1991; prior to that year, all of the actresses (supporting or not) were nominated in a single category. When LuPone won (in 1985) the actoring playing Thénardier was nominated for "Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical," along with Wilkinson. To this day, the Olivier awards only have a single category for "Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical", for which both male and female actors are nominated.

I'm sure this is more than you ever wanted to know about this subject.

[Jeff Beachnau]

[Sage]

This this the first time I've actually had interest in this movie!