Les Misérables (2012, Hooper)

[haqyunus]

authorial.

???

[Serhal]

I am most definitely a big fan of the show but guany's thoughts echo mine; that the whole thing feels claustrophobic. Hooper could have actually used some stagey direction in this. For example, when Marius and Cosette are singing to each other and Eponine is on the side feeling sorry for herself and singing it's great to see the whole thing play out in a single shot (on stage) so that you can decide who and what to concentrate on as well as seeing the physical geography of people. In this, everything is pure close up so you have no sense of that. It's a tragic mistake.

I totally agree with what you say here, Erik. This film felt so close at times that a more stagey approach at times would've helped it breathe more. I was also put off by the editing in places. The cuts in "At the End of the Day" felt so random and jammed together and the effect was completely jarring. That was especially disappointing as that's among my favorite numbers in the show.

I did really like a lot of the performances (Jackman, Hathaway, Redmayne, Barks) and thought the singing was pretty good throughout. There were some wonderful techs too. Unlike Hugo last year I actually enjoyed the comic relief of Sacha Baron Cohen and liked Helena Bonham Carter even more.

[James]

Maybe because I was expecting to hate Crowe so much, I came away actually enjoyed what he brought here. I mean he is the weakest singer, but he's hitting the right notes. I had more problems with how Stars was filmed that the singing itself.

Like Donezo and others have mentioned I loved the film, even if Hooper is far from skilled with the camera itself. As was said he is an actors director and he got good performances out of everyone here. I was impressed all-round by the acting. Hathway runs away with the role and does a great job with it. I don't normally like her (although, I wouldn't go as far as to say that I loathe her), but this is one of her strongest performances. Eddie Redmayne is gorgeous. And is really really good as Marius. And I would have liked to have seen wider angles particularly in Master of the House Cohen and Carter played the roles perfectly for the film (although, the same characterizations would probably be a bit far fetched in the stage version).

As much as she was fantastic Samantha Barks just didn't have all that much to work with. Which is a shame, because on stage her role is so flashy (more so than Fantine). I would have liked to have seen more attention played to Eponine and the full version of A Little Fall of Rain.

I really did love this, even if there were some problems with the film-making. Being a fan of the musical I was fully expecting this to be a disaster (especially knowing Hooper's affinity for close-ups and dutch angles). And I am excited for round 2 on Saturday!

[Rage Colored Glasses]

I imagine it must be daunting to take on a project with such familiarity, affection and expectation as Les Mis. There has to be confidence, talent and a certain amount of hubris and Tom Hooper certainly has those three things on display here, just in the wrong degrees.

Hooper's Les Mis is a chore. He's cobbled together some great talent both in front of and behind the camera but that confidence makes way for hubris far too many times in choices like extreme closeups so that we are 100% sure that everyone is singing live. Like incessant dutch angles (in fact, I hated about 90% of the cinematography) and chop-socky editing. Like thinking Russell Crowe had any right being within 10 miles of this set. Crowe is so far out of his league and strains for every note (most of which he can't reach) that I thought he was going to have a hernia or give birth every time he opened his mouth. While he's easily the worst of the bunch it's also partly because Hooper cast people with such a wide-ranging vocal style that almost no one seems like they're in the same musical at the same time. Eddie Redmayne sounds like he's in a Golden Age Hollywood musical, Amanda Seyfried sounds like a Disney princess. Hugh Jackman delves into vocal arrangements that are sometimes questionable and bizarre but he acts his ass off here. Anne Hathaway, for all her conviction and power sobs through 90% of her singing (but boy can she turn the tears off in a half second to get her belt on). But when she buckles down and sings she's brilliant.

But, it's not all bad by any means. The live singing absolutely works on every level and I'll hate to see another musical with lip-synched performances. The production design is great, I just wanted to see more of it (all of those close-ups seem like they're trying to hide it). Even through their faults Jackman and Hathaway are mostly superb and Redmayne is a show-stealer. Samantha Barks is good and she's done this part so many times that I didn't think she was able to create something different with it. But, her "On My Own" was a subtler and more emotional version than I've seen. Huge props to Daniel Huttlestone who plays Gavroche. That kid is a little pistol.

I would have to largely agree with the criticism of the movie as a whole, those close-ups really took away. Les Mis is supposed to have an epic feel to it, and you can't have epic when it feels like the actors' faces are constantly being trapped in boxes. The editing really made the flow of the movie feel choppy and rough, scenes were just crashing into one another without any sense of transition.

However, I will say that to my surprise I kind of liked Crowe. Maybe it was because my expectations were so low, but I thought that he was able to convey intensity without resorting to contorting his face into ridiculous expressions (looking at you Jackman). Stars left something to be desired, but he acquitted himself fairly well in the confrontation and suicide numbers.

Was not a fan of Jackman's performance through most of the movie, as I said above, his facial expressions were such desperate attempts to convey OMGDeepEmotion! that at multiple points that were supposed to be big moments I could only snicker. I will give him credit where it is due, he handled his last couple of scenes very well especially his death. Hathaway had much of the same acting style, but she made it feel more earned, partly due to the fact that her character is supposed to be in actual physical pain.

I really enjoyed Barks' presence whenever she was on screen and her " On My Own" was definitely a highlight. Redmayne was a nice vocal presence throughout, but holy crap did he step up his game " Empty Chairs at Empty Tables." Nailed it. SBC and Bonham Carter were their usual amusing selves, and Daniel Huttlestone was a lot of fun too. Seyfried was forgettable but that's the nature of Cosette I suppose.

[lucy.tp7]

I was disappointed by how much of Eponine's story they cut. That combined with how much they added to Fantine's felt as though the producers were purposely putting the emphasis on Hathaway to set her up for an Oscar win. I thought Samantha Barks was amazing, and I would have loved to see more of her.

Overall, I was not as let down by this as I was expecting to be, as a huge fan of the musical. I thought the constant Dutch angles and close ups got old really quickly, and Crowe and Seyfried were definitely the weak links, but neither ruined the show for me. The only part that truly disappointed me was "Bring Him Home" -- I thought Jackman was impressive throughout the entire film except for that scene, when he just seemed to be belting and reaching for the notes. A lot of the performances that worried me on the soundtrack (notably the Thenardiers on "Master of the House") ended up working really well in the context of the movie, I thought.

I must say, I won't be looking forward to watching any other musicals that are not sung live. That was definitely an innovation that worked really well.

[Habsburg]

Russian aristorarcy >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> French poor.

Lincoln is the best choice.

Danke.

[Jali]

Going to see this in 5 hours. Can't wait...

[forizzer69]

I really liked what Hugh Jackman did. He certainly had a very challenging role, he had to measure and detail this character as well as blow his pipes out, as well as be emotionally authentic, and he nailed it for the most of it. The latter especially - although I was bothered with the ending. I loved 1935's version of Les Miserables but that version is obviously a lot different. It ends after Javert ends his life, so Valjean lives, and that's poetic justice. In my heart, it fucking sucks to watch this angel of a man do everything good, and then die so thanklessly. It's a shame. At least in the book the way he dies is cruel. That makes sense - for the title anyway. It's just a lot of silly to me.

Hooper handled Javert's death with a pop , which made me smile. I like him - his style of direction is pretty, well, it's something (visually it's idiosyncratic and ugly, but there's such a beautiful production design around him and he handles it all pretty well; it's more visually entertaining than a lot of other musicals lately) but I love his use of far shots that show the sides of his characters against the backdrops he sets. It's practically the same cinematography he employs for The King's Speech with a lot more money to throw around on sets and the occasional swoop or intricate movement.

** or ***/***** : It has a lot of entertaining qualities and tells a big story in a big way, but ultimately I find it lacks soul. Maybe it needed some soul music?

I'll rank the cast now:

1. Hugh Jackman (my third favorite of the potential nominees)
2. Russell Crowe (in my top ten for supporting actor - I love the way he holds himself)
3. Sacha Baron Cohen (his approach is so brilliant - flamboyant and subtle, sometimes all at once - a lot of fun)
4. Eddie Redmayne (he handled himself really well - I don't think there was a false note)
5. Helena Bonham Carter (boisterous and alive - I like her here more than in The King's Speech)
6. Amanda Seyfried (kind of boring, but she does nothing wrong)
7. Anne Hathaway (some moments were good, but I don't see anyone flare their eyes open like that ever, and definitely not that much; and nice reference to The Passion Of Joan Of Arc but by comparing Hathaway to Falconetti in that way you kind of fuck her over, just saying)
8. Samantha Barks (her eye flares were just as convincing, but she had less to do, sadly)

Oh yeah, and I think it'll get in for: Best Picture / Best Director / Best Actor / Best Supporting Actress / Best Adapted Screenplay and I'll do techs a few days before the Oscars, but I'm sure of Cinematography.

[McTeague]

Fuck it. I thought this was great. Yes, Tom Hooper is addicted to close-ups and Dutch angles, but I would be a liar if I said I wasn't totally caught up in the experience. Ultimately, I think the material is just too strong to totally screw up (McTeague, you were right!) I wish Hooper would have let the superb production design shine a bit more, and the chorus numbers (especially "One Day More" and "Master of the House") could have been staged more effectively, but I think some critics came with their knives out and weren't prepared to give his vision a fair chance. This is a big, hulking beast of a musical, yet the film adaptation feels very brisk and exciting. This could have been a slog, but three hours of nonstop singing (without intermission!) just flew by.

Despite his sometimes frustrating visual style, Hooper is an excellent actor's director, and this film is littered with strong performances. Anne Hathaway deserves all of the praise she's getting (no small praise from me since I kind of loathe her), but Hugh Jackman is best in show for me. Valjean is one of the most demanding male roles in musical theatre, and Jackman pushes himself musically and dramatically beyond what anyone has seen from him. Yes, his "Bring Him Home" is a bit labored, but I'll be damned if I didn't tear up anyway. The supporting cast is uniformly strong, though I still wonder where Sacha Baron Cohen's French accent went. Redmayne, Tveit and Barks are vocally best in show, and Seyfried is more memorable than your average Cosette. HBC and SBC do the same thing they always do, but they're perfectly cast. The weak link is Russell Crowe. He is an imposing physical presence, but his wimpy, unsupported vocals really undermine his credibility as Javert. "Stars" is a dud, and his suicide scene lacks the dramatic weight that a more powerful singer would have brought it. He does his best, but he was miscast.

This is honestly one of my favorites of the year, and will probably wind up being the Best Picture contender that I like the most. I would even say that this is the best movie musical since Cabaret.

This (and Dirk loving it) kinda made my Christmas. Thank you Santa!

[cirque]

It's been a few days since I've seen this - to say I'm a fan of this musical is an understatement, heck seeing it as a ten year old made me want to to be a musical theatre performer, granted i've become an opera singer since - but it was immensely inspiring.

I went in to this film distancing myself from everything I had experienced on stage, completely prepared for expectations not to be met. Twenty minutes in, I was not on board - I just wasn't feeling it. Then Anne Hathaway delivers what is probably the most powerful musical performance I've experienced in years - and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Hooper isn't an amazing director by any stretch, are there too many dutch angle and close up shots? you bet. Sometimes you wish he''d open up to let the film breathe just a little, but what he achieves here is something quite remarkable - the most emotionally devastating film of the year, and it's a musical! I haven't had a reaction like this to a musical since Dancer in the Dark, not that I'm comparing that to this, but what Hooper gets out of his performers, and the source material - is quite wonderful.

This is a great film experience, i felt every emotion and pretty much cried non stop for the last hour (and I have never heard an audience practically cry in unison as i did during this!) I really want to see it again, asap, so i can look at it without the emotional reaction i had in my first sitting.

For now though, definitely in the top 10 for the year.

[ewdot2480]

I went into this expecting, if not the worst, to be disappointed.

But what I got out of this in the end was one of those wonderful movie going experiences that you only get once in a blue moon.

My showing was sold-out. There was a huge range in demographics, and you could tell that a good amount of people probably weren't expecting 2.5 hours of allll singing or talk/singing. But let me tell you, I would say that most of the theater were sniffling throughout and/or clapping loudly at the end and buzzing on the way out.

Aside from a few issues that I have (few too many close ups, Jackman letting me down with Bring Him Home, shortening Eponine, grrrr). I really was quite caught up with this movie and admired and enjoyed it a lot. 88/100

[russen18]

Saw this yesterday and was pleasantley surprised. I really enjoyed this. Minus the obvious flaws the film has, it still proved to me that musicals arent dead. There was some stuff I could have done without. The editing was horrid, the cinematography extremely beautiful, but then really bad in some areas, and yah, Crowe was a miss with me. I mean I kind of wanted to admire what he was doing here, but in the end to me it was just Russell Crowe saying "Look At Me, I am motherfucking rock star" and it didnt work. Jackman over did it to the extent I wanted to laugh out loud at how bad he was. Great voice, but his acting/talking/singing was really really over done. To me in this film, the supporting cast ursurped the leads. Hence Hathaway, Redmayne and Barks for me along with HBC were best in show. Baron Cohen was ridiculous, and Seyfried was annoying as hell. The visuals are great, that production design I will admit, was better than Anna Kareninas. But I do agree that this needed some show/broadway theatricality to it. By the end I was in tears, and my audience clapped crazy for Hathaway, Barks, and especially the finale. I was only disappointed in a few things, but then again I hate Tom Hooper's shooting style, but other than that I will most def. see this again. It will get in for Picture at the oscars, but people saying this will win, are either crazy fanboys, or just kidding themselves. I can see the ampas going for it nomination wise, but wins I know for sure will win BSActress, production design, and possibliy song.

[Ms. M]

While he was far from my favorite actor in the film, I am going to attempt a slight defense of Crowe's singing in this film. He didn't belt out his numbers like they were done on stage necessarily, but you could say that suited the character as well as Crowe's clearly limited voice. Javert is a repressed person, so why should he sing with the passion of Valjean or Fantine?

I'll also give kudos to Redmayne, my third-favorite behind Jackman and Hathaway. I had never connected to Marius or his songs before - in the stage show that I saw twice, they always had some dull pretty boy playing the role. But Redmayne brought real character to the part and I liked his unconventional look. He really sold "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables" solely on his facial expressions and singing, as the director made the wise choice to not use flashbacks to add pathos.

[dlong5665]

See this soon but won't be able to give a full write-up until tomorrow.

[GEORGEIII]

I can see the ampas going for it nomination wise, but wins I know for sure will win BSActress, production design, and possibliy song.

I concur. I suppose it could contend for costumes too?

[Jali]

Well this wasn't bad but I quite understand the hate.
The directing of Hooper is awful, just terrible, and he destroys On my own (they cutted the song, right?) and I dreamed a dream. And I also disliked a lot Empty chairs and empty tables, I was expecting something more powerful. The problem, as everybody mentioned, are the close ups, the film doesn't breath and feels claustophobic and annoying. And the editing is rough and jumps from a escene to another.
My rank of the performances would be:

WOMEN:
01. Seyfried
02. Barks
03. Bonham Carter
04. Hathaway (sorry, but she doesn't deserve to be near an Oscar nomination)

MEN
01. Jackman
02. Redmayne
03. Cohen
04. Crowe (lmao)

[gee-nee-us]

I actually think Hooper did the right thing with I Dreamed a Dream, but there's no excuse what he did with Empty Chairs at Empty Tables and Bring Him Home. They're just awful.

[lucy.tp7]

Interesting, I thought Empty Chairs was a highlight. I think it really suited Redmayne's interpretation, and being a more emotional as opposed to showy song. Bring Him Home I thought was awful though.

I think I'd rank them

1. Hathaway
2. Barks (if only because she had less to do)
3. HBC
4. Seyfried

And

1. Redmayne
2. Tveit!
3. Jackman
4. SBC
5. Crowe

[gee-nee-us]

Interesting, I thought Empty Chairs was a highlight. I think it really suited Redmayne's interpretation, and being a more emotional as opposed to showy song. Bring Him Home I thought was awful though.

I liked Redmayne's rendition very much but I was like, "Really? You have to show us something other than his face. Seriously, this song is called Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."

[dlong5665]

See this soon but won't be able to give a full write-up until tomorrow.

You liar, you canceled so you could go to Mellow Mushroom. Fatass.