LES MISERABLES: THE OFFICIAL 2012 MOVIE TRAILER
COMING CHRISTMAS 2012
Russell Crowe looks like a great Javert & I can completely envision him as the obsessive, harsh, hounding officer. I'm just curious if Russell Crowe is going to be able to pull of Javert's character equally well through his singing and acting. STARS is one of my favorite songs ever & he better not drop the ball. As Jean ValJean, Hugh Jackman seems like a cop-out casting. He really is the only/obvious Hollywood name who is as synonymous with musicals as with movies. However, for this specific role, he seems too soft around the edges, too young, too pretty, & too familiar. I would have loved to see a seasoned Broadway veteran playing ValJean. Not only is he an iconic literary character (who I always prefer to see performed by an unknown actor rather than a familiar star), but ValJean is pretty much the pinnacle male role in musical theatre. Of the 13 film adaptations of Les Miserables, this is the first translation the stage musical to the screen. It would have been refreshing & in much better taste to give the honor of the role Jean ValJean to a deserving stage actor over a familiar Hollywood face.
Where were Sacha Baron Cohen (Thenardier) & Helena Bonham Carter (Mme. Thenardier) in this preview? Talk about a bad marketing move. Not only are they some of the most popular & pseudo-beloved actors in the cast, but the Thenardiers are the only fun part of the musical. I would think an excerpt of Master of the House would draw a more excited potential audience than constant shots of a busted-up Anne Hathaway.
I admit I am not an Anne Hathaway fan, but I don't think I'm biased when saying she was miscast. Her acting has never impressed me; I've liked her in the contemporary, girl-next-door-with-a-twist roles (Devil Wears Prada, Love and Other Drugs) but have not been impressed with period pieces (Becoming Jane) or oppressively emotional roles (Brokeback Mountain). She's not all bad, but she is not a chameleon & Fantine is not a role that does not rely on her strengths. Anne Hathaway actually can sing [even though her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream in the preview was warbling, weak, & lacked conviction]. I was really surprised at her Oscar performance [specifically spoofy-singing On My Own] because you could actually hear her skill behind the farce. Seeing her in this video makes me wonder, WHY WASN'T SHE CAST AS EPONINE? I'm very glad that Samantha Barks ended up in the part, but I'd rather it had gone to Anne Hathaway, so they could have put someone in the more critcal role of Fantine. [BTW, It's annoying Eponine/Samantha Barks only got one side shot in the preview. Eponine wasn't a huge role in the book or 1998 film adaptation, but she is very pivotal & present in the musical. I'm sure her absence in the preview wouldn't have occurred if the originally-casted Taylor Swift hadn't lost the role.] Even Amanda Seyfried would have been a better choice because she more conveys the hopeful, wide-eyed, desperate vibe that Fantine requires (and was perfected by Ms. Ruth Valentine Henshall). PLUS, SHE IS BLOND. I'm all about the physical re-interpretation of classic characters, but Fantine's flowing blond hair is one of her defining characteristics that was completely ignored in this film's adaptation. Even though she'd be a better Fantine, I am confident Amanda Seyfried will be a picture-perfect Cosette. I am equally confident that our underdog Eponine Samantha Barks will shine in her role & soon become a household name.
BEYOND THE TRAILER...
P.S. I still think THIS CAST of Les Miserables would be pretty awesome.
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