IT HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!!!
AND IT RULED.
It has been a long road from the initial cast, recasting decisions,
to finally have this Christmas present arrive.
[believe I was there on Christmas Day with Christmas bells on.]
- Hugh Jackman served as the backbone, brain, & beauty of this film in his performance of Jean ValJean. I initially thought he might seem too young, but that was a non-issue. His experience as a stage actor clearly infused his performance; his acting & singing were matched in excellence, awesomeness, & impressiveness.
- As Eponine, Samantha Barks brought a similar sense of theatrical professionalism to her performance; her singing was strong, her physical appearance was traditional & perfect (although her waist was freakishly tiny) & she presented an Eponine that was more pitiable than pathetic. Her role seemed more pivotal to this plotline in the film version & her rendition of “A Little Fall of Rain” was genuinely heart-breaking.
- The role of Gavroche serves as a tiny bright spot of sorts, Daniel Huttlestone’s performance of Gavroche provided an equally bright spot in the movie. The moment of Javert pinning his pin to Gavroche’s tiny, fallen body & the aligning of Gavroche to baby Javert (“I am from the gutter, too” ~ Javert, "The Confrontation") was my favorite moment of the entire movie.
- Speaking of Javert (incidentally, my favorite character), Russell Crowe was a great actor & sub-par singer. His singing wasn’t awful but it lacked the authoritative confidence that defines Javert; these short-comings became especially apparent during the confrontations between Javert & Jean ValJean.
- As Cosette, Amanda Seyfried was stunning in her effervescent beauty, created a fuller character than Cosette is often presented, & sang adequately. She had many moments of a perfect & bird-like twittery sound, but, more often than not, she reached for notes & barely reached them. One thing I loved about Seyfried’s Cosette: she was blond! Cosette is traditionally brunette in the stage version, which never made sense considering she is Fantine’s daughter & Fantine’s flowing blond hair is a defining characteristic.
- Speaking of Fantine’s flowing blond hair, where was it? I just want to know why they unnecessarily changed this iconic part of her character. Besides, the hair issue, Anne Hathaway was a pretty stellar Fantine. I really didn’t expect to like her in the role. In my nearly-never-wrong opinion, she peaked at The Devil Wears Prada & casting directors have been too generous in the roles in which they cast her (hello, Jane Austen). Apparently, I was wrong because she rocked as Fantine; her acting was thoughtful & she nailed the wide spectrum of emotions that fall upon Fantine. Her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" was refreshingly flawless & made me hear a song I’ve heard 10,000+ times in a new light (especially her angry growling delivery of “…he took my childhood in his stride, but he was gone when autumn came…”). Another perfect, gut-kicker moment was her dying eyes lighting up as ValJean carried her away from the whore-docks & promised to deliver Cosette to her. Well done, Anne! I’ll be rooting for you on Oscar night.
- Eddie Redmayne played Marius & he presented the perfect balance of man & boy. I didn’t realize he could sing, but was pretty impressed with his voice 90% of the time. I felt more understanding of this Marius: his past, his convictions towards the revolution, the crazy consuming feeling of first love, the need to take care of/provide for Cosette, & his relationship with ValJean…all of these aspects of Marius as an individual were more highly heightened & allowed the audience member a further investment in the future of his character.
- Helena Bonham Carter & Sacha Baren Cohen as The Thenardiers: Obviously, they were both funny, well-cast, & provided the necessary punctuating funny moments. However, they were what I expected them to be since these roles aren’t too removed from their normally-expected roles. Granted, S.B. Cohen doesn’t generally sing, but seeing H.B. Carter stuff meat into a grinder was a bit too much of a Sweeney Todd flashback for me. This is the lesson we learned from Samantha Barks beating out Taylor Swift for Eponine applies to the Thenardiers: even if a known face is a good fit for a role, an unknown actor might allow the audience to disappear into the story more.
- Lastly, having Colm Wilkinson [the original & impeccable Jean ValJean] play the Bishop who re-routes ValJean's life was the best casting choice of them all. He is an exceptional performer who can conquer any role; but casting him as The Bishop who guides ValJean when he is the actor who guides the actors who play ValJean was so crazy clever, sentimental for the long-time Les Mis lovers, & respectful to the stage-version of the musical that I was crying within the first 10 minutes of the movie. One of many smart moves by our director, Mr. Tom Hooper.
NOW GO SEE LES MISERABLES!!!
