Postscripts to Les Miserables

[jo]

Thanks, Kathy, for those observations!

Plus we do not know how many takes were needed when WHO AM I was being filmed

And where do you fit in the laughter and the plug-ins and the quips, while singing ( for the first time!)newly-minted lyrics

LOL - he wouldn't let go of the wayward note...he tried it again without the lyrics and he was pleased that he finally hit it.

He does better - he is serious this time -- in another public event!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRMUNVx-qzE

Jo

[foxie]

I just watched it again and sobbed for the almost 4 hours my eyes are almost swollen shut I loved it the first time but love it even more now it is a sin Hugh didn't get the oscar damn - Fountain,Australia,Prestige,Les Ms,Prisioners are all Oscar winning pics but Les Mis is so outstanding I can't think that any one can make anything so good!!,am I just prejudice ?

[birchie]

Mar 30, 2014 14:17:13 GMT -5 carouselkathy said:

The big differences between the high note endings of these 2 versions are time of day perhaps, singing with no warm up of course, and last, but not least, the syllable he has to sing. WOL-VER-INE! ends with the more difficult "eeeeee" sound, while TWO FOUR SIX O ONE! has the open throat "ahhhhhh!" You could tell Hugh knew it by the way he took a huge breath in the middle of the word, "WOL------VER-IIINE!" It almost worked. Bravo for the effort, big guy! smiley-happy096

Great point on the syllable sounds Kathy! I'm glad he didn't try to force it, risking potential vocal chord damage. The last little head note was probably OK...ever the trooper, our Hugh! <cheer>

This little musical improv is certainly getting a lot of attention which is very good publicity indeed! smiley-cool13
Sue

[jo]

While in London, he went to the premiere of NOAH --

Paramount Pictures ‏@paramountuk · 4h
Friend of @russellcrowe, @realhughjackman, is here ready for the film! #NOAHpremiere pic.twitter.com/mStZp7aijx

I may be wrong, but one of the two gents with their backs to the camera seem like Les Miserables's Tom Hooper. Hugh is looking very sharp in that suit smiley-love067...Hope a photo with Darren also turns up - the movie led the box office in the USA this past weekend.

Cineworld Cinemas ‏@cineworld · 3h
Did they have wolverines on the ark? Hugh Jackman is on the red carpet for #Noahpremiere Mind the adamantium claws don't puncture the hull

Good question about how long real w-o-lverines have existed!



No Confrontation this time

[foxie]

I have loved Russell lately on his promotion tour and listening to Les Mis again I even really like his singing!

[jo]

Someone on the feedback section of the JoBlo filmsite ( which featured the musical parody Who Am I) wrote this --

Jekkie24601+2
10:28AM on 04/01/2014Add as Friend |MFC Profile
Love the man :-)

Now for some theatre/music/Les Mis geekiness. The reason he didn't have that note was, they used the original Broadway key which ends with a high B. The song was lowered into Hugh's high baritone range in the movie ending with an A, which is basically the last note he has before cracking.

However... He's so damn charming, Who the hell cares that he didn't go for it :-)

Jo

[foxie]

Why does he have that horrible mustache and goatee?Ru smell is getting so much greater in my eye!

[mamaleh]

Carol, I'm assuming by "Ru smell" you mean "Russell"? LOL, you have me thinking of Ru Paul. (Good ol' Autocorrect, eh?)

Hugh needs to grow the facial hair for his Blackbeard role in PAN, of course. Just be patient: I'm sure it will be largely shaved off after he completes his role this summer.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Entertainment Weekly's snipes at Hugh, Part Two: The Bullseye blurb ("Watch your back, Hugh, there's a new Valjean in town") was so last week, so they had to offer this in the new issue's top 10 "Must List": "Ramin Karimloo may be the best Jean Valjean we've ever seen. Sorry, Hugh."

I guess the writer is a fan of the "park and bark" style of stage acting, where acting is way secondary to simply planting one's feet on the stage and singing (albeit beautifully; Karimloo does have a lovely voice) as loud as possible. There's a reason why golden-throated performers such as Alfie Boe and Karimloo are known more as singers than as actors who can convey subtlety and nuance. Preaching to the choir, I'm sure, but I really think Hugh was the perfect blend of acting and singing prowess in the role. But to each his own.

Ellen

[foxie]

That was so petty-hugh was perfect!!

[jo]

I've never seen this interview of Hugh and Russell hours before the Australian premiere of Les Miserables. The interview was done by Richard Wilkins, a veteran TV media man who has covered the two in their careers.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn4Fyal3uxY

There is so much respect between the two and the friendship has really strengthened during this project ...and Russell in particular is very articulate about Hugh. I miss those days when they were filming the movie and there were many ongoing tweets from Russell and TV clip shoutouts from Hugh! I hope they can work together again!

Jo

[mamaleh]

Cute new banner ad pops up for the current revival of LES LIZ on certain theater sites. Instead of the usual "new block of tickets on sale" it reads something like "24,601 new seats on sale."

Ellen

[jo]

The musical parody of WHO AM I, broadcast by BBC Radio, has now crossed over the 3 million mark!


www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvRtKMxc88Q


Looking back - while it was meant to amuse Wolverine fans and Les Miserables fans, too, -- this extemporaneous performance by Hugh is actually an acknowledgement of his strong versatility as an actor and performer! You couldn't find a more contrasting picture of two fictional but very iconic personas, Wolverine and Jean Valjean!


Jo

[mamaleh]

A Celebrity Family Feud sketch on tonight!'s SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE skewered poor Russell Crowe's Javert again. I still don't think that's a fair assessment, but that perspective seems to have taken hold in the popular zeitgeist, unfortunately.

Ellen

[birchie]

Thought this was cute:

Sue

[foxie]

the more I watch Les Mis I find Russell's singing better and better!

[mamaleh]

Sue, that cartoon made me laugh. Thanks.

Incidentally, it's said that the current Broadway revival cast Valjean (Ramin Karimloo) and Javert (Will Swenson) are being played as "hotties."

Ellen

[birchie]

May 12, 2014 12:30:26 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

Sue, that cartoon made me laugh. Thanks.

Incidentally, it's said that the current Broadway revival cast Valjean (Ramin Karimloo) and Javert (Will Swenson) are being played as "hotties."

Ellen

From the pix & tweets I've seen that's certainly true. They keep finding ways to freshen it up...as long as it's good and they still stick with the basics (story, music) it's probably not a bad idea.
Didn't you see it already Ellen?
Sue

[mamaleh]

No, I'm still on the fence (not the barricade) about seeing the latest revival.

Ellen

[jo]

The French Open Tennis Grand Slam at Roland Garros starts today!

A fanatic follower of Andy Murray puts up a poster for the games

[birchie]

I was reading a review for Jersey Boys which I'm going to see next weekend and I came across this line:

Rather than lip-synching to pre-recorded tracks, the performers all sang during filming to live behind-the-scenes musical accompaniment in the interest of maximum spontaneity and credibility.

Sound familiar? No mention of Tom Hooper or Les Miserables though! I think it's a shame that Tom's vision in making Les Miserables is certainly now going to be used in a lot of musical films but I think it will be a while before we see the filmmakers actually paying homage to Tom's genius in filming it the way he did. It may be an optimistic view to think that he will ever get the credit he deserves for the way he filmed his musical but I hope it happens eventually.

I haven't actually seen any interviews with Clint Eastwood so I might be misjudging him based on a reviewer not mentioning Tom & Les Miserables. Has anyone seen him comment on the use of live singing when he directed the movie? I know he's been on a couple of talk shows recently, but I don't watch them as a rule...only when Hugh is on.
Sue

[jo]

Ironically, in the earlier run ( not sure if it is still happening these days), a support singer was singing some of the high notes backstage, in lieu of John Lloyd Young who was Frankie Valli to the audiences of course. I think there was some sort of negative buzz when that stage fakery leaked at that time.

Sadly, a few of the early reviews for the film adaptation of Jersey Boys are not too good ( Variety, The Wrap) while Empire and Hollywood Reporter gave it mixed-but-still-"fresh" reviews. It seems that the live-singing aspect was totally ignored in the reviews.

In the Empire review of Les Miserables, the reviewer noted that while the singing was occasionally not up to par ( vis-a-vis stage singing), ironically, that actually made the " drama" even stronger. Also, this was the interesting final verdict on Les Miserables : " Occasionally, like its characters, ragged around the edges, this nevertheless rings with all the emotion and power of the source and provides a new model for the movie musical."

Back to Jersey Boys -- I do remember seeing the stage musical in its first months of its run ( it was tooth and nail-fighting to get tickets then) -- but in a sense, there was a bit of a letdown for me. The second act became more like a concert rather than a book musical. The songs were familiar and resonated with me, but I would have preferred a better book of the musical towards the second half. I wonder how Clint has addressed that particular issue ? Maybe glimpses rather than full songs ( as it was onstage) to show how their life on the concert stage went on.

Btw, I saw Les Miserables on cable again -- I must say that from the distance of time, the movie musical is looking even better and better to me -- masterfully crafted and exquisitely performed ( acting choices dominating, singing choices complementing)!

Jo

[jo]

I don't know how we missed this interview with Sam Barks when we were all ( or at least some of us were ) in the throes of Les Mis --

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/les-miserables-star-samantha-barks-400546

'Les Miserables' Breakout Star Samantha Barks Takes Eponine From Stage to Screen


11:57 AM PST 12/11/2012 by Jordan Zakarin


Having played the role on the West End in London, the 22-year-old British singer-actress is soaking up her first taste of American stardom.


If you're in America and had heard the name Samantha Barks before, it was likely because you are either a massive fan of foreign musicals or followed the gossip magazines closely enough to know that the young British actress was once reportedly dating pop star Nick Jonas.


After Christmas, that word association is going to change quite drastically.

Barks plays the role of Eponine in Tom Hooper's film version of Les Miserables, a role with which she is quite intimate: Between June 2010 and June 2011, she handled the broken-hearted young woman in the London stage version. That experience helped give her a leg up on some formidable audition competition, including, reportedly, Taylor Swift and Broadway/Glee star Lea Michele.


Barks, now 22, was glowing as she walked the red carpet at Les Mis' New York premiere on Monday; it's her first film role, and she's already earning Oscar buzz. Not bad when you're sharing screen time with Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried.


Barks spoke with The Hollywood Reporter at the film's premiere.

THR: Beyond singing in shows every night versus sustained, hours-on-end takes, how else was performing on film different than on stage?

Samantha Barks: There was a huge difference between projecting to the back of the theater, and having to heighten your performance so that everyone could sort of go on that journey with you. But I feel the intimacy of the camera was such a thrill. So there was similarities in playing the role -- they’re the same character -- but Eponine in the novel and Eponine in the musical are two kind of different girls, so to me it was the thrill of merging those two together, to get something that still had that heart and soul that we all connect to in the musical, but also the awkward, self-loathing teenager that we see in the novel, trying to merge those two together.


THR: Were you able to be more subtle in your movements on film?

Barks: Absolutely. The camera being so close, you can be so intimate, and all of the details that you can get from the book, all the little things you want to say in your eyes and the decisions that your character is making, they all show. For instance, when I do "A Little Fall of Rain," Eddie Redmayne is right here, so you want to be intimate, and it plays.



THR: You read the book, you saw stage sets, but it’s a lot different from seeing it fully realized on a movie set.

Barks: Well that’s the thing. Being onstage, there’s a fourth wall where you create that wall, and you have to bring that audience along on that journey with you. But there’s something incredible when you walk on set, and there’s that Parisian street that you dreamed of, you sang of. It actually made me so emotional, it’s almost like a strange deja vu, but it really means something to you. It was incredible to see. The set was stunning. It blew my mind.



THR: It’s also very timely politically.

Barks: I mean, my character isn’t so much linked to those storylines, I’m sort of the heartbroken girl flying the flag, but definitely it seems like the appropriate time to be doing a piece like this. There’s a lot of anger against the machine, and social injustice and anger at that. It seems to be something that people are really connecting to, especially now. Tom always says, "This musical has been around for 27 years; this is the right time to do this film."

THR: How are you handling your first film, being in America, all the press?

Barks: This is a brand-new world for me. It’s exciting. The media side of it is so new for me to get used to, definitely. But I’m just trying to take it every day as it comes, and I’m enjoying it. Trying to remember all these memories. I’m writing a diary actually, trying to jot it all down because a lot happens in every day and I’m trying to just soak it up for the moment.

THR: Did you get any tips from your castmembers on how to deal with it?

Barks: They’re all so humble, so they very rarely would offer a tip. But I watched and learned. I watched someone like Hugh Jackman, who is the most calm, level-headed, wonderful human being I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. And then "action," and this incredible character bursts out from his soul, and I just found him fascinating to learn from, and I feel like that’s the way it should be done.

Musical theatre actors and musical theatre purist fans should read her comments on the nuances between film acting and stage acting, so they can better appreciate the cinematic vision of the film adaptation and not expect a clone of what they had performed or seen on stage!

Jo

[jo]

Maybe this has already been posted before, but it is worth re-reading the exclusive look by The Hollywood Reporter at how Les Miserables was finally brought to the screen. It will also do away with some misconceptions about the casting process.

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/les-miserables-anne-hathaway-russell-398099




I overlooked this part when I first read this article --

Crowe initially was reluctant to take the role because he felt “it wasn’t something that suited me,” until he was persuaded by Hooper to turn “my reservations into my responsibilities.” He then undertook exceptional research, watching nearly all the previous film versions (with Charles Laughton, Anthony Perkins and Geoffrey Rush, among others, as Javert). But his real breakthrough came when he visited Hugo’s home in Paris, where he spoke to a curator.

“She told me about [19th century detective Eugene Francois] Vidocq, a man who had been both a prisoner and a policeman, the man credited with inventing undercover police work when he established the Brigade de Surete,” an early investigative unit of the French police. This was the person, says Crowe, on whom “Hugo had based both Valjean and Javert. So the source for both characters was one man. That was very influential.”

To be honest, I think Hugh and Russell could have reversed their roles and they could have also been equally effective!

Also, on Page 2 there is a video clip of the major cast during the THR photoshoot, with Eddie and Amanda providing more insights with their annotations.

Reading through the article again, I feel even more disappointed that the reactions of some audiences ( including some members of the theatre community) and critics were to focus on finding fault with the concept of live singing for movie musicals ( which enhanced the drama and the acting performances), fuss on how different the singing styles of the film actors were from the stage actors...or that the camera angles were distracting!

There were also some criticisms about how the streets of Paris looked like a stage set! If you read this article, it is evident that no real streets in today's Paris exist as it did during the time of the story of Les Miserables ( because Paris was completely relaid out eventually).

And with a $ 61 million production budget ( I did not realize the UK was generous with tax credits), it is completely amazing how this majestic movie ever got made. Of course we know that the major leads were not paid " full freight" according to Hollywood observer Anne Thompson...And look at how this film adaptation actually paid off ( $ 442 million in box office receipts and $ 64 million in USA Blu-Ray/DVD sales, not to mention the revenues from the soundtrack and the licensing of the film to TV). Also, the current Les Miserables revival on Broadway would not have been likely had the film adaptation not awakened the strong interest in the musical!


How wrong many of the criticisms were! And to know about the efforts that went into this film adaptation, I am almost sure that had Victor Hugo lived, he would have applauded this recreation from his historic literary work!

Jo

[jo]

From the THR article --

There was some question whether Les Mis would clash with Jackman’s commitment to The Wolverine, but Whitesell managed to juggle his schedule and even got him enough time for a monthlong road trip across France to discover his character’s country.

Remember when he used to post images of road signs which bore the name of VICTOR HUGO, until he said he realized that most cities or major towns would likely have a street called VICTOR HUGO?

He also regaled us with all the French cuisine treats he came along the way.

He had his family ( and I think also other members of the extended family) with him -- who would say that he was actually combining research for a film role, with a family holiday? And this was not a first time visit to la belle France for Hugh and his family!

Did he learn to speak more French words? I do remember that in the film, he did say " Pardon" completely with a nasal French accent ( the scene where he leaves Javert to rescue Fauchelevent)


It was such an exhilarating experience for Hugh - being in the role of a lifetime. With it came the acknowledgement that he could go toe to toe with the likes of multiple Oscar winner Daniel Day Lewis. Too bad the timing could have been a year later for the release of Les Miserables - who knows whether Mr. Oscar would not have been so elusive


Jo