Les Miserables is on Netflix and drawing much attention. Some negativity towards Hugh, Russell and Tom Hooper because of how fans ( especially the fans of the stage musical) compare it to the stage version and not fully appreciating that the film adaptation is not a note-for-note, word-for-word, gesture-for-gesture reproduction of the stage production.
I have decided to summarize a
personal comparison of both musicals versions. I have seen the stage version 10 times ( Broadway/London/Paris/Manila) over a long period of time. The first time I saw it was on Broadway towards the end of the first year of its run ( early 1988) and I have seen the original long versions and the truncated version that Mackintosh also produced. It is my favorite stage musical. I have read the unabridged version of the English translation of Victor Hugo's book twice -- the first time was when I first saw the musical in 1988 and when they were filming the movie adaptation in 2012. I do have a large collection of Les Miserables recordings, both the cast recordings, compilation recordings, and the concert recordings. I also have the original concept recording based on the original Paris version in 1980 which was the album that prompted Mackintosh to produce the original English stage version. On a trip to Paris, I did try to see some of the supposed settings of the storyline ( I only found a few).
I saw the film adaptation many times ( 6 times in cinemas...and many times on home video and cable TV). During its filming, I was in a group of IMDB fans who monitored the filming daily. It was easy because so many were contributing something they found...and because some of the cast members ( Russell, Sam Barks, the Barricade Boys) were tweeting practically everyday on what's happening on set...while Hugh helped to shed light with the occasional set interviews or set messages or social media posts he would send out...
to the time of the awards-time when we happily discovered a script version that was downloaded for the Awards community.
Btw, I have seen 3 other non-musical film versions of Victor Hugo's literary work.
While I do love the stage musical version also, after seeing the film adaptation of the musical I realized the stage version missed the following --
*the lack of emphasis on Valjean's epiphany of redemption. Whichever Valjean was onstage would breezily sing it so they could move on to the next phase of the musical ( the moving of the original turntable became the focus and
Valjean's Soliloquy was used only as a transition song.
*it completely ignored the second epiphany ( I have read the book twice) - that of his discovery of love thru little Cosette ( cured in the movie, with
Suddenly), which has also been ignored by the so-called Les Mis fans who swear only by the stage musical they have seen. People say that it was irrelevant and was inserted only so they can have a Best Song candidate in contention. Wrong - it filled in an important aspect in Valjean's life that served as his second inspiration. If you read the book - Hugo spent so much time writing about that epiphany!
*Always, Bring Him Home is hailed as a simple prayer -- that it can never be interpreted otherwise. Ignored in the stage musical is the fact that Valjean was actually jealous of Marius ( because Marius was taking her away from him) - of which a certain element was recognized in the film version ( when Gavroche gave him the Marius letter to Cosette and as Valjean verbalized his thoughts after reading it). That is why he also wanted to go to the barricade - to really know more of this young man who is stealing his Cosette away. When they lay sleeping, his thoughts must have been a little unsure -- is this young man good enough for his Cosette...but later on, he realized that his Cosette loved this young man...and he, as a good father, asked for Marius's deliverance ( and it became a prayer)...to the extent that he wouldn't mind taking his place if harm will come to the revolutionaries. This he showed when he carried him to safety.
Also, in the first Les Miserables musical in Paris (1980), the role of Valjean was composed for the baritone range...and actually sang by a baritone. It fitted more with the image of a longtime hardened convict. It actually sounds a little laughable when you think of a rough convict singing in the tenor range and those notes float in the air. But the range was transposed to tenor because Nunn et al could not find a good actor who looked like a convict but could sing very well. Actually it was Tim Rice who suggested Colm Wilkinson ( I have read the book on the show development by Edward Behr many times) for the role but he was a golden tenor. Bring Him Home was written for him ... and therefore the song was originally in the tenor range. But it doesn't mean that it should always be sung that way ( as it is incongruous with the personality of Valjean, who was not only a hardened convict... but before that was of peasant stock - can you imagine a tree-cutter singing vigorously with tenor notes??)
Since Hooper adapted many aspects from the book - he may have directed Hugh to sing it in a more dramatic fashion ( and not simply as a simple prayer) -- also, singing to a movie audience without moving much looks more like a recital.
*The Confrontation in the stage version was also presented more like a musical declamation by two characters. There is no sense of conflict and they do not interact much. It was actually Russell who suggested that it be sung during a violent fight between Valjean and Javert! What a brilliant idea! And how brilliantly executed!
*There is also much disappointment with Russell's version of STARS. But Javert was not a one-note villainy character. He was rigid in his belief of the letter of the law but he also had internal struggles about how he made sure of its compliance. Hence, the moral struggle aspect that beset Javert saw itself emerge when he was contemplating his role as lawman, while singing on one of the top towers. It seemed he was seeking spiritual guidance as he sang about his moral code on that rooftop ( was that Notre Dame?). The belief became further reinforced when Valjean freed him... and later when he saw Valjean rescuing Marius in the sewers. Has his life and moral beliefs been truly and correctly lived? Hence, the suicide!
The stage interpretation was too stark - from full-on belief as a crusader of the law to complete change in his thinking when he was freed by Valjean and he deliberately plunged into the River Seine!
*In the stage play - two songs had long versions. Drink With Me and A Little Fall of Rain. In the movie version, they were edited simply to embue the sense of camaraderie and the sense of doom for Drink With Me without going thru the entire song (in the interest of brevity). Also, A Little Fall of Rain in the stage version made it signal that Marius cared more for Eponine than he actually did. Not so in the book - in Hugo's novel, Eponine was not attractive at all and was not such a good person. She befriended Marius but he never showed any romantic regard for her. I think that was a wise decision to edit that ( to show her sacrifice) but not to emphasize that there could be something romantic between them. Many Les Mis female fans identified with Eponine ( unrequited love), putting her on the heroine pedestal ( On My Own) and resenting Cosette. That carried over to the resentment of the movie adaptation.
If you have heard the original concept album ( based on the 1980 Paris original version) -- the music of On My Own did not belong to Eponine. Rather it was a song called La Misere ( something like that) and sung by Fantine! I do not know how it came to be sung by Eponine - but I have some suspicion.
At this point, I must enclose the following because this is purely speculative gossip on my part --
Trevor Nunn's assistant director who was very much married ( I think his name was John Caird) had a long romantic affair with the actress who had the role of Eponine --
I suspect he made her role more important than it really was...because the original book certainly did not cast her in such prominence.
**She took over a Fantine song
**She appeared in the finale with Valjean and Fantine when it made no sense ( that was corrected by Hooper, when he put the Bishop there during the finale showing Valjean ascending to heaven).
**She transferred to Broadway - when the initial plan was to take Michael Ball ( Marius) to Broadway together with Colm.
Btw, she got dismissed from the role eventually in the Broadway run because she got pregnant by that director.
*Hooper also restored a missing time span that was completely ignored in the stage musical. He showed their escape to the convent in the movie. That explained where they spent their time for that passage of time. It explained how Cosette became gently raised - she was raised by the nuns. Valjean became the convent gardener, having been a tree cutter before he became a convict, while living there for many years.
*Hooper also filled in an important question on why Marius was a key persona... and not just the young lover of Cosette. In the stage musical, he was simply there and it was not very obvious that he came from a totally different background than the other rebels. Marius actually came from the other end of the spectrum of society - belonging to the very rich...and therefore represented how someone of that background can become a social justice believer.
*Hooper also strengthened the characterization of Enjolras. In the novel, he was an impassioned and very strong leader of the society of young men and citizens who believed in social justice. In the stage musical - so long as he had a booming voice -- that was Enjolras. Aaron Tveit restored the seriousness of purpose and how he was regarded by his followers in his interpretation. The only thing missing in the movie -- the book hailed him as physically looking like Apollo ( a truly beautiful man who attracted followers).
*Hooper also suggested towards the end that Valjean was weakening in physical health. On stage, he simply died!
*Hooper decided to elevate the song DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SONG as the anthemic musical theme of the movie! That was as it should be! The French version "A La Volonte Du Peuple" is as compelling. I think it deserved to be the theme song more than the role some people ascribed to One Day More. No flag waving but the spirit of the rebellion and the cry for social justice was embodied in that song. Always, that song has been my favorite from the musical since I first saw it in 1988.
I am as much a fan of the work ( book, stage musical, film adaptation) as many. But I have learned to rationalize why I am more moved by the film adaptation. Of course having an actor like Hugh Jackman portray the role was a true bonus! The only regret is that the AMPAS did not have enough courage to recognize his portrayal as the best acting performance that year! In the words of Russell Crowe, in a tweet he posted ( but later deleted presumably because the AMPAS may have advised him to do so ) -- he voted for Hugh Jackman because of --
*the whole character arc
*the difficulty of delivering such a portrayal
He called it right!
Jo
