jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,460
|
Post by jo on Dec 25, 2013 20:04:24 GMT -5
December 25 marks the first anniversary of when the film adaptation of LES MISERABLES was first released to the general public --  And reading what Hugh said in a recent interview -- makes this movie adaptation of my favorite musical even more special to me! Jo |
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,460
|
Post by jo on Jan 5, 2014 19:32:51 GMT -5
Almost a year ago, at the Oscars, Hugh led the ensemble of movie and stage stars singing ONE DAY MORE --  And if you look at who was singing behind him --- that's Ramin Karimloo. Film Valjean and soon- to- be Broadway Valjean! Jo |
|
|
|
Post by foxie on Jan 6, 2014 14:51:08 GMT -5
Thanks Jo. That's interesting!
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,460
|
Post by jo on Jan 6, 2014 20:30:02 GMT -5
Colm Wilkinson has agreed to do a one-off show, as the Bishop in the Toronto revival of Les Miserables, to benefit his favorite charity.  Karim tries to emulate the Hugh look in the movie, but sadly, it does not work for me. Hugh has brought a nobility, almost a sense of spirituality, to the look of Valjean, that was also present in Colm's countenance. Jo |
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,460
|
Post by jo on Jan 15, 2014 19:01:30 GMT -5
Soooooooo cute ... a Hugh Jackman-in-the-making tyke sings LOOK DOWN on a car journey smiley-happy096 www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5qT6eqsGfE#t=61I can believe this because two of my young boy relatives ( 7 and 11 years old) from California have the whole musical score memorized - I don't know how that came about. Their favorite -- " The Confrontation" smiley-cool13 |
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,460
|
Post by jo on Jan 18, 2014 23:48:00 GMT -5
This is not to diss the forthcoming Broadway revival ( I was even thinking of maybe catching it if I get to NYC to see THE RIVER) -- but this is an interesting account from an ATC poster of the Toronto production ( which is basically what is transferring to Broadway, except for some changes in the cast) --
The comment on the prologue and first act performance from Karimloo brings back memories of my previous encounters with the stage productions. I could never understand fully what Valjean says in the prologue and how his character eventually evolves.
I think this is the distinct difference from the film adaptation. Hugh's SOLILOQUY and what preceded that was so well-illustrated and portrayed. Someone even commented that if one had to choose an Oscar moment for him, it would have to be his masterful rendition of SOLILOQUY.
Also, there have been criticisms that some of the songs in the movie were not sung like they were done onstage. If you take the second epiphany of WHO AM I -- Hugh acts that one out also exceedingly well, with the right singing choices ( it would have been ludicrous if he had shouted "I'm Jean Valjean" in the confines of his room...before he proceeded at breakneck speed to the courts to finally shout out " 24601 !"....I wonder if the poster was comparing Karimloo's " screaming all the way through them" to Hugh's more nuanced acting/singing portrayal??
And the comment on "And he has many distracting affectations with certain hand gestures while he sings." - that could be how a stage actor enhances his portrayal compared to a film actor whose forte are with more economical body gestures and more with the eyes and facial expression? Or could Karimloo be not really a very good actor?
Also, the comment on the sets -- "It's all over the top and much too much. Where is the simplicity?" -- part of it may be because they are using screen projections for this staging, instead of the original and more barefaced sets. Or maybe there could be a rethinking of how Les Miserables should be portrayed/performed with some fans, even musical theatre ones? Film sets are of course usually better designed and can even be too opulent (but the only complaint in the movie are about the CGIs which of course are explained by budget limitations)... I hope that new impressions on this stage revival will cast a much better light and appreciation of what the movie, with its powerful and masterful storytelling, expressed through music ( complementing in a more appropriate choice of the song deliveries), had achieved.
Jo
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,460
|
Post by jo on Jan 26, 2014 18:25:38 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by njr on Jan 27, 2014 1:03:40 GMT -5
My man Paul McCartney (along with Dave Grohl/Nirvana) won that! Paul won all 5 of the Grammys he was nominated for!!  ETA: The 5th Grammy was actually the Lifetime Achievement Award given to The Beatles. Nancy |
|
|
|
Post by mamaleh on Jan 31, 2014 15:57:37 GMT -5
I came across this really cute video of a toddler singing "Do You Hear the People Sing?" www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrQZ5Df1aAASomewhere I had also seen a video of a baby singing "Look Down" during a car trip. His parents obviously have played the LES MIZ CD numerous times. I can't find it now, but it was just as hilarious. Enjoy! Ellen |
|
|
|
Post by birchie on Feb 1, 2014 11:27:50 GMT -5
I came across this really cute video of a toddler singing "Do You Hear the People Sing?" www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrQZ5Df1aAASomewhere I had also seen a video of a baby singing "Look Down" during a car trip. His parents obviously have played the LES MIZ CD numerous times. I can't find it now, but it was just as hilarious. Enjoy! Ellen Here you go Ellen: Sue |
|
|
|
Post by carouselkathy on Feb 1, 2014 14:35:32 GMT -5
I hope that Hugh has seen these cuties! What fun!
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,460
|
Post by jo on Feb 2, 2014 3:18:47 GMT -5
BWW's report on the Toronto production of Les Miserables, including two videos with Ramin Karimloo in BRING HIM HOME and ONE DAY MORE ( except for Karimloo, I do not know which of this cast are coming to Broadway for the revival)-- www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-Recap-A-Look-Back-at-Les-Miserables-in-Toronto-20140201Is it because this is a stage production and where the singing is supposed to reach the rafters -- but why is everybody screaming ??I think the film adaptation has spoiled me -- there was not much finesse or subtlety in these stagings! Some of the actors in One Day More seemed so raw ( Marius - ugh! Enjolras - ugh! The marching barricaders -- ugh!). My memories of the nine live stagings I had seen were so much better -- maybe because I was lucky to have seen Michael Maguire as Enjolras and Hugh Panaro as Marius on stage...and have of course the 10th anniversary concert to renew memories of how the original stage Valjean (Colm Wilkinson), the original stage Marius ( Michael Ball) and the original Thenardiers ( Alum Armstrong and Sue Jane Tanner) created the roles, musically-speaking and stage acting-wise. I would rate that almost as good as how the film Valjean, Javert, Marius, Enjolras, the Thenardiers, Fantine, Eponine, Cosette, and the barricade boys/factory girls did justice to the film acting, complemented by the appropriate singing choices! Jo |
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,460
|
Post by jo on Feb 9, 2014 19:41:15 GMT -5
HBO Asia will be featuring LES MISERABLES for about a week starting this coming Saturday. But I couldn't wait and decided to watch the BluRay instead. After that, I re-watched the EXTRAs once again -- I only watched it maybe once or twice after the home video was released. After watching it this time, I realized fully how much has gone into making this movie musical! They have really put in such a great effort to turn it into a magnificent work of art! A much loved work of passion and dedication to excellence! Maybe I should have rewatched this much earlier, than sitting on my hands ( rather than typing some angry rebuts) and fuming at all the brickbats that still come to the movie Les Miserables on the IMDB board. There is a topic calling the movie "completely overhyped" --and it goes on for 3 pages, most everyone trying to outdo each other in thinking of the most hateful word to describe the movie. How infantile! Or maybe they did not even see the movie itself and simply gets satisfaction in posting something hateful ( which they think is cool) on IMDB! I especially dislike those who say they did not like it because it was a musical and, worse, a sung-through one at that! I know I am rather biased but why bother to post when you are not objective about the subject in the first place? But back to the EXTRAs -- the technical aspects alone are mindblogging ( such as how to create the perfect sounds from the movie - Simon Hayes did get nominated - not sure if he won). The search for the perfect locations to portray Paris and other French settings was painstaking and more importantly needed to fit their budget. The one foray into French territory on the first day of shooting had everyone carrying some type of equipment up the mountain ridge. Hugh says it was so cold ( he was wearing a thin costume and clogs) that steam came out of his mouth when he sang or uttered a word. Also, from some other source, Tom said he had to ask Hugh to bring up some of the equipment himself as they were shorthanded, plus I think he gave Hugh only coach seats on the plane, as they were operating on a $ 50 thousand budget for the whole filming segment in Provence! Wow - and we got such memorable early scenes in the movie! That shot of Hugh tearing up his yellow ticket was brilliant in the singing ( the veins on his forehead were also singing - lol!) as well as in the breathtaking view! The physicality requirements of the Valjean role should have convinced many people ( esp the theatre purists) that some stage actors could not have carried the movie as Hugh did in his portrayal! A puny and fragile-looking Valjean would not do! Not after seeing the scenes where he carries the torn flag, rescues Fauchelevent under the cart, carries Fantine up the stairs, confronts the sword-wielding Javert, and rescues Marius through the sewers!...Also, I was so impressed with his acting in the scenes in the bishop's lodgings -- he was basically acting with his eyes, the turn of his head, and his body language-- no spoken and sung dialog at all! And then he topped that with his "Oscar-moment" ( as someone calls it) SOLILOQUY! Truly his best acting moments ( although some would challenge that his finale moments were also emotionally-compelling)! The "singing" filming was also such a painstaking process - with only those pianos providing the actors the lead melodies. Loved watching the behind the scenes clips showing each actor with their special vocalizing sounds ( Sam Barks had the funniest - the meowing sounds of a cat). Hugh would vocalize every chance he had, as he had the most singing to do. In Hugh's case, he had to undergo an 8-9 weeks of rehearsals, most of them in singing parts...Also, he mentioned that live singing was necessary because the film carried a lot of recitatives ( sung dialogs) and they could not have done it well, had it been recorded pre-hand. I think that is an excellent point. It looks like Anne was the most emotional of the actors - she seemed always on the verge of tears ( including the first time she said they learned they had to do live singing - "what??!!!"). Tom calls Eddie his dream casting ( I think because they had worked together before plus that surprising Eton choir voice was such a revelation!), even if Tom also said that he would not have made LES MISERABLES if Hugh Jackman did not exist. Of the cast, it seems Aaron did not get much mention. No offense meant - Aaron has talent but there is something rather dry in his appeal - not such a big screen appeal. He looks much better than Eddie ( and has a better trained singing voice), but in their scenes together, one gets drawn more to Eddie than Aaron. Even the song delivery gets more emotional punch from Eddie's interpretations. Sorry!...Btw, I never realized that the opening part of EMPTY CHAIRS AT EMPTY TABLES was delivered a cappella. It was noted how that rendered the song even more emotionally charged. Russell's humor ( which we loved during his twitter days re Les Mis) was still evident. He said he kept dying during one day's filming ( he was shown falling from the ledge...into the foam... not of the water, but of something like we use in a mattress - LOL!). He loved being in the musical ( he showed how he vocalizes from the top range to the lowest notes) -- I just wished people did not "relish" putting him down. Someone on IMDB wrote how his interpretation of STARS was even more emotional and thoughtful than the bang-on, staccato belting of Quast and Lewis. Russell's take was an excellent delivery of how the character felt about his "confusion" (RC says he wants his confusion to be felt deeper) and how he arrived at his "conclusion" -the suicide? ( RC says he wanted Javert's conclusion to come from a different place). I like Sam's natural charm ( absolutely no put-on airs) and sense of professionalism - no wonder she got along well with the cast. Amanda's character was the bright light in this dreary and weary story of characters who went through their own sense of conflict. Sam described Amanda's singing as like " floating on air", if I heard it correctly. But Amanda also showed some spunk and spirit in some of her scenes, including scenes with her adoptive father. Btw, it looks like they used someone else's hands ( instead of Hugh's) in the scene where she tries to uncover his secret - the hands looked terrible and gnarly...same hands in the early scenes at the bishop's lodgings) because when Hugh's hands were used in other scenes. with him in the whole frame, they looked more normal. I wonder if the change was to emphasize his early sufferings? The characters of the Thenardiers are often viewed as being there simply for comedic relief ( in an otherwise solemn musical). I do not feel the same way - I think while they inject the comedic element, they are aslo there to characterize how others also lived and behaved, as a true microcosm of society in 19th century France. Their portrayals are witty and I feel actually true slices of sarcasm of life in that era, without the downright slapstick of some of the stage portrayals. I think I will spend a bit more time re-watching these extras...and then move on again to rewatching the movie with Tom Hooper's commentary. But watching all these ( the movie and its making) makes it even more conclusive that Tom Hooper's directing talent will win him one of the five nominations from the Directors Guild of America for the year! Why the very political Oscar choosing-process ignored him, I cannot understand! But any young filmmaker will appreciate the many lessons learned from his cinematic vision and the actual process of translating that into this wonderful, amazing film musical. Years from now -- I hope the musical theatre purists who scorned the movie would rethink their impressions and forget that the stage production was a different art form ( and I honestly think the stage production did not get the same level of utmost care and slavish dedication in the making as the film, maybe because of budget and artistic considerations - although of course much is owed to the creatives, including Trevor Nunn and the composing team in bringing the musical form to life!)... Hey, maybe Michael Cerveris, Stephanie Block, and even Adam Lambert would have had time to watch the movie again and the commentaries on how the film came about - and find a new respect for something they had initially put down  One final comment - it was said that the stage musical became a longtime legend because "it connected with its audiences!" Emotionally! Maybe for some, it was connection to individual characters. But for me, it was the whole storyline and its historical links which connected with me so well. Also, because I did have some personal experiences which were resonated in the story. As to the film, I find it the more natural and the more powerful agent for that piece of storytelling! The characterizations were excellent and their stories advanced the storyline in the most emotionally-charged and even mentally-challenging manner( if one is judging the motivations of the characters)! That is why I connect with the novel, the musical score, and the acting performances so well! ! Les Miserables is still my favorite musical 26 years since I first saw it onstage...and the film adaptation has made the emotional connection even stronger and even more uplifting!! Jo |
|
suefb
Auditioning
Posts: 228
|
Post by suefb on Feb 10, 2014 5:56:58 GMT -5
Wow, nice post, Jo. I never get tired of revisiting the movie. Unlike you, I had never seen a stage performance of Les Mis and was not that familiar with the music (obviously knew I Dreamed A Dream) nor the story, too much. So it was entirely the plot and the characters, as so brilliantly portrayed in the film, which sucked me into it and, in some ways, changed me as a person. Since then, I've read the novel and watched three other film portrayals of it, and it amazes me how much better and more completely the film musical conveys Victor Hugo's story and themes than the straight dramatic tellings. Anyway, I won't recount all of your details, but I definitely enjoyed the read. Thanks.
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,460
|
Post by jo on Feb 10, 2014 6:54:04 GMT -5
You're welcome, Sue  ...Glad to know that you have also become a true fan of Les Miserables. If you have a chance, you may want to watch any of the two concerts - but I would suggest the 10th Anniversary concert because it included a few of the original London ( Colm, Michael B, Alun A and Sue J Tanner, reprising the roles of Valjean, Marius, and the Thenardiers) and Broadway casts ( Colm again, Michael Maguire as Enjolras, Judy K as Cosette). Here in the concerts, the emphasis was on the singing aspects. But a few of us were even luckier re the film -- we were on the IMDB board early on...and a fairly large group of Les Mis fans followed all the developments together. There were some initial disagreements esp re the casting ( someone was leaking audition info - so we knew that Anne was a very likely choice...but that Amanda learned about her getting the part only 4 months after she auditioned). Who can forget the Taylor Swift brouhaha when she was seen leaving Mackintosh's London office. Happily, it was Sam Barks who actually landed the role of Eponine. We knew the West End would be represented by Sam and Colm and also those who will play roles as the barricade boys or the factory girls or the lovely ladies( some were actually stage luminaries in their own rights). LOL- I did get into some heated arguments about who should play Valjean because some musical theatre purists were insisting that only "beautiful" singing voices from the stage productions of Les Miserables should have casting priority! Ha - I told them that whether they like or not - Hugh Jackman was it! It had been reported on Variety that Hugh was approached by Universal in June ( the official announcements were much later in late August or early Sept), followed by the approach to Russell, by the mother studio ( Universal) itself and that it was even before Tom Hooper had officially signed on. Hugh wanted the part and I remember how he expressed that he was trying hard to get the role, as early as when he was in San Francisco for his one-man show in April/early May...Tom told Hugh when Hugh called him to ask for an audition ( which took about 4 hours - I think he was asked to sing the entire libretto involving Valjean, in front of a panel including Hooper, Boublil and Schonberg, Mackintosh, the casting director) that he ( Tom) had not even officially signed on. Russell had two auditions ( not sure, but I think in the first one, he forgot some lyrics)...but the two leads were Universal's first choices! These two actors had many vocal lessons and had really prepared well for the movie adaptation! Can you believe that when I had a chance for a very brief chat with Hugh at the San Francisco stagedoor, that after asking about his chances of getting the Valjean role ( He said he was working hard on it), I had told him Russell would be a great Javert! LOL - little did I know that my dream cast would happen! Maybe Hugh already knew but he only said "that Russell in the part would be very good!". There were many leaks on what was happening at the filming sites ( we knew that the rehearsal weeks were going to be long -- with Hugh having the most, at 9) and that it would include some acting ( including how to fire guns, for the barricade boys) and singing scenes. There were many twitter accounts of the daily occurences, led by funnyman Russell Crowe, the barricade boys, and even Sam Barks. Sam and the barricade boys were particularly ecstatic in their tweets about the filming of Bring Him Home... Early on, news about the new song SUDDENLY was leaked by Hugh on his twitter account ( they had to issue a fuller press release to back up his claim- haha!). We knew when filming was very difficult because it was so cold ( this was the finale -- where Eponine actually took part in the filming, as how it was staged onstage, but was later edited out to give way to the Bishop welcoming Valjean presumably to heaven), we knew that Anne was very emotionally charged during filming and even had a breakdown/diva moment, we knew that Hugh sang Bring Him Home 14 times, that Russell had to reprise Stars 28 times, that Do You Hear the People Sing ( sang early on during filming) was sung almost 50 times! Russell tweeted that Anne/Fantine died that particular day, will sleep that night, and then die again the next day -LOL! They were singing from morning till night! We tracked all their location filming...If only folks knew their difficulties, people would have been more appreciative of Hooper's and the actors's efforts to give us the best and most appropriate version! Interspersed during filming were clips of various set visits ( a lot involving Hugh)... I remember how we speculated about an early visit to Paris by Russell and Anne, thinking that they would be using the Montmartre area for filming. LOL - it looks like Anne was there at the invitation of a fashion house while Russell was visiting with a French police group to learn about early practices in law enforcement. We had a photo of Russell's beautiful rented house...where he invited many of the casts for weekend parties and sing-alongs. We knew Deb and the kids also visited and Hugh was once spotted at a local supermarket with Oscar. We also learned that Eddie's audition was an iPad or iPhone message sent to Tom, with whom he worked before. We were curious about his singing voice and were all so impressed when the first tape we heard of his voice was a clip of him singing the soloist part at Eton ( where he went to the school at the same time as Prince William). Aaron, we knew of him from Broadway ( I had seen him in Catch Me If You Can), but we were happy to see a clip where he clarified how the name "Enjolras" was pronounced - LOL! Just odds and ends -- but it was such a happy time as we anticipated many events. During post-production, we were ecstatic when we got a copy of the uploaded script ( I had my copy printed and bound!)...we learned that the original pass was 20 minutes longer but Tom wanted to cut it down to no more than 2 1/2 hours ( a number he mentioned very early on). I think he actually had almost 4 hours or so of usable clips/whatever you call the units of film...We speculated and speculated on what of the songs would be cut or changed...we speculated on the changes in the script vis-à-vis the stage musical...and eventually whether the screenplay would be same as what we would see in the cinemas! ( there were some changes, actually!). Of course we were all hoping for some awards recognition -- and that was part of our shared expectations! Too bad much of those topics and posts were phased out by IMDB ( policy)...but the memories linger on for some. Jo |
|
suefb
Auditioning
Posts: 228
|
Post by suefb on Feb 10, 2014 8:04:14 GMT -5
Thanks for the suggestions, Jo, I'll have to check those out as well. And of course, I feel a twinge of regret that I missed all the fun of the anticipation, but you take life as it comes, and I wouldn't trade in the moment of revelation when I saw the movie, with all my low expectations (my teenage daughter insisted on seeing it), and had my eyes opened. So I make do with re-living those moments vicariously through accounts like yours. |
|
|
|
Post by mamaleh on Feb 10, 2014 10:18:50 GMT -5
Sue (Birchie), thanks for finding "Look Down," toddler-style. Little ones are such sponges, aren't they? It's amazing how they absorb things without our even realizing.
Jo, your insights on LES MIZ are always right on the money. For myself, I try not to get involved in any online imbroglios on such sites as IMDB. People will always believe and write what they want to. I derive satisfaction from knowing that the musical version of LES MIZ that will be viewed as definitive, especially as the years go by, is, of course, the film adaptation, as it is the most accessible to millions of people around the globe.
Ellen
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,460
|
Post by jo on Feb 10, 2014 11:41:56 GMT -5
Ellen,
I share your viewpoint about what is going to be remembered for posterity -- it is the film adaptation that has been viewed in many parts of the world on such a large scale that will be remembered and constantly referred to. Plus Hugh's nomination will always be a reminder that he is a damn fine actor!
Jo
|
|
|
|
Post by Jamie on Feb 10, 2014 12:52:52 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by ADMIN on Feb 10, 2014 13:49:33 GMT -5
Thanks, Jamie. I think that's one of the most "accessible" Les Mis audios available; highly recommended for those unfamiliar with the story and/or the theatrical production. BTW: That concert, and much more, has been posted here before. For anyone "playing catch-up" with Les Mis, "background info" has an interesting thread here: Les Mis - including the concert you mentioned, downloads of the original novel and some nice, vintage artwork. Click ONLY the green rectangle that says, "Download 121.66MB" - and don't click anything else. There is also a link to a FULL audio of Hugh's movie version (including all the dialog, not just the songs) here: Download, or listen online |
|
suefb
Auditioning
Posts: 228
|
Post by suefb on Feb 10, 2014 13:59:02 GMT -5
Thanks, Jamie. I think that's one of the most "accessible" Les Mis audios available; highly recommended for those unfamiliar with the story and/or the theatrical production. BTW: That concert, and much more, has been posted here before. For anyone "playing catch-up" with Les Mis, "background info" has an interesting thread here: Les Mis - including the concert you mentioned, downloads of the original novel and some nice, vintage artwork. Click ONLY the green rectangle that says, "Download 121.66MB" - and don't click anything else. There is also a link to a FULL audio of Hugh's movie version (including all the dialog, not just the songs) here: Download, or listen onlineThanks for the link to the full audio mp3's! I didn't know that existed. Yay. |
|
|
|
Post by birchie on Feb 10, 2014 15:45:51 GMT -5
A few thoughts... Jamie, thanks for the download! I had that on my old computer & it was lost when my hard drive crashed-along with almost everything I had  This time I'm burning it to a CD! I love John Owen-Jones, he's one of my favorite Valjeans. If anyone is interested in seeing a full staging of Les Miserables starring JOJ on the Westend it's on YouTube in 14 parts. Here's pt 1: youtu.be/vYbPZRl_v0sthe list on the right of the video can lead you to the other parts OR I also have all of them in a playlist along with several other full stagings if anyone is as obsessed as me www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2844BBC895B998B8The JOJ staging begins at #17. Ellen, You are quite welcome Love the videos with the kids! It's amazing how much they soak up listening to their moms CDs LOL! Jo, Always nice taking trips down the Les Mis memory lane with you! It was a magical time being part of the main group of passionate posters on the IMDB Les Mis board for those (about 2+?) years. It's the only time I've stayed on a message board there, as most of the message boards on IMDB are hazardous to one's mental health  For the most part, except for a few idiots, the conversations were fun and intelligent and I always got a kick out of helping some of the newbies understand the history and the story. It was fun debating some of the finer points of what should or should not be changed from the musical into the movie version. As I've mentioned (ad nauseam) I love all things Les Miserables related! It was my favorite book as a teen, fell in love with the music from the OBC recording I got in '89 or '90, watching every film adaptation that's ever been done...that I could find anyway...Have the 10th Ann. concert on an old home made video from the original PBS broadcast & bought the 25th Ann. concert DVD after seeing it on TV in 2010, and of course the pièce de résistance, following the progress of the musical film which so beautifully combined all the elements from the book, films and the stage musical into one "history making masterpiece"! That's my term for it anyway!! Other Sue, its so nice that you are getting to love it too! You might rightly call me a Les Miserables fanatic! I personally like the 25th anniversary concert better than the 10th... I'm quite in the minority there for most who saw or heard the original cast can't seem to get beyond that and they insist on referring to it as the dream cast, which was originally a marketers creation. But if you watch both you can decide for yourself. There are parts I love on both of them. The biggest exception is Nick Jonas who for me is almost unwatchable as Marius in the 10th. I've always said it would be perfect if they could copy Michael Ball out of the 10th & insert him into the 25th!! I did love Alfie Boe's singing the role of Jean Valjean in the 25th concert, he has an amazing voice. There were many who thought he should have gotten the role in the musical film but I wasn't one of those. First, he's a great singer but I don't think he has the acting chops to pull it off in a movie and he's entirely too small to play the Jean Valjean in a movie & be believable! Thought I'd provide you with a few links if you want to watch other adaptations or read more info... 10th Anniversary concert-There was another one on YouTube but it's gone so this is the latest that someone has uploaded and it includes lyrics. I haven't watched this version yet so I don't know if it has good audio/video quality. youtu.be/NAVrm3wjzq8The 25th Ann. concert was on YouTube for a while but doesn't seem to be available now. Both DVDs are available from Netflix if you have an account. 1978 full movie w/Anthony Perkins as Javert was a TV movie but a pretty good adaptation. The ending was a bit of a stretch but it's one film that depicts the stealing of the bread and Anthony Perkins alone makes it worth watching! youtu.be/tj-VmrMYtUI1957 full movie w/subtitles Jean Gabin as Jean Valjean My main objection to this version was that I thought most of the actors were too old for their roles. A pretty good adaptation otherwise. youtu.be/9h4PFAhr6soTwo of the best adaptations (until 2012 of course) have been the French. One a 1982 3hr movie starring Lino Ventura but that one is hard to find in it's original form, there's a dubbed version on Amazon. Another favorite of mine was from the '30s-sometimes referred to as 1933 or 1934. This is a French film NOT to be confused with the 1935 Charles Laughton American version. The very good French '30s version stars Harry Baur as Jean Valjean and if you have a HuluPlus account it's available in the Criterion Collection...I can't remember if that one has sub-titles or not. DVD is also available Netflix so I think you could play it w/subtitles on the DVD. NOTE: both Netflix & HuluPlus offer free trials that are long enough to see some of these movies. There was one done in 1952 with Michael Rennie as JVJ that I didn't like at all. I think it was on YouTube for a while but don't know if it still is. Don't recommend it. For more info on the various media versions... A woman wrote in depth comparing many of the adaptations here: www.pontauchange.com/Media/I don't agree with her 100% but she shows a lot of the things that were put in or left out of various film adaptations compared to the book. So it's good insight for anyone who loves the book. I agree with her assessment of the 2000 Gerard Depardieu French mini-series. The fr version is 6 hrs, they made a chopped up American version that was, well...take 6 hrs of something bad & chop it down to 2 hrs and you get something worse. I call it the creepy version because they made the relationship between JVJ & Cosette almost incestuous...in the fr one they are even shown in bed together...utter trash. The woman who writes the site hasn't updated in a few years. She's a bit of an odd duck but that's another story... My final comment is to ask if you (other Sue) saw the '98 movie with Liam Neesen? I love Liam but hated that version for too many reasons to go into here. The acting was good but for anyone who loved the book it was a travesty. Wondered what you thought? So that's it for now, I think I've rambled enough for one day I think... Sue PS: Jo, Simon did win the Oscar for sound! |
|
suefb
Auditioning
Posts: 228
|
Post by suefb on Feb 10, 2014 17:42:58 GMT -5
Oh, thanks for the nice summary of the different versions, birchie Sue! I've watched the Charles Laughton version and the Liam Neeson version, and I agree that the latter was just awful. First of all, why have him be illiterate. It just makes it that much more complicated, and for no reason, as Victor Hugo was able to justify how he'd taught himself to read, so why not just leave it at that. Other than that, the portrayal of Cosette is ridiculous, she's just so stupid. And then, the ending. Enough said about that. I've been tempted at various times to make a spreadsheet comparing all the various aspects of the different versions to the novel. I'll probably never get to it, LOL, but I honestly do think the movie musical version is true to the novel in many more ways than those others. I'll have to check out the Perkins version and the French versions.
|
|
jo
Ensemble
Posts: 46,460
|
Post by jo on Feb 11, 2014 8:52:42 GMT -5
Some things I picked up from Tom Hooper and his team -- The handheld closeups were criticized by some as too claustrophobic. During the initial filming, in the mountains of Provence, there was a scene with Tom Hooper holding the camera following Hugh trek on top of the ridge with Hugh singing some recitatives. Tom said that he discovered that using a handheld camera gave him a better hold on keeping tempo with the music! I think I heard that right -- that because the scene had a musical tempo to follow, the use of a handheld camera allowed him to sort of dance with the music ( I think those were the words, or something to that effect) Also on the use of CGIs -- Eve Stewart, the Production Designer, said that the opening scene was meant to give the movie a historical and epic heft. They probably had to use CGI to portray such a large ship to show the power of the state ( a bit lamed though, as the stricken ship was getting ready for repair) during that era. Can you imagine how much would have to be spent to create a real ship of that size for filming purposes?? I am not sure if there exist real ships like that in this age ( even those docked as museums probably would not have the right look). To construct such a ship -- it would probably cost the entire budget to make the film ( $ 61 million) -LOL! To give the perfect sounds, Simon H said they had to carpet the floor ( in lieu of the noisy cobblestones)...so he said when the shots did not include feet at the Parisian scenes, it was because they could not show the carpeting. |
|
|
|
Post by birchie on Feb 11, 2014 12:37:51 GMT -5
Oh, thanks for the nice summary of the different versions, birchie Sue! I've watched the Charles Laughton version and the Liam Neeson version, and I agree that the latter was just awful. First of all, why have him be illiterate. It just makes it that much more complicated, and for no reason, as Victor Hugo was able to justify how he'd taught himself to read, so why not just leave it at that. Other than that, the portrayal of Cosette is ridiculous, she's just so stupid. And then, the ending. Enough said about that. I've been tempted at various times to make a spreadsheet comparing all the various aspects of the different versions to the novel. I'll probably never get to it, LOL, but I honestly do think the movie musical version is true to the novel in many more ways than those others. I'll have to check out the Perkins version and the French versions. You hit the nail on the head about the Liam Neeson version...that ending was just horrible! Like Jean Valjean would ever just watch someone kill themselves and stroll merrily on his way smiling!!! What were they thinking? <wtf> So many things wrong with that movie  <boo> Our Hugh is in the best adaptation hands down! I've watched a dozen, maybe more, adaptations & the musical film is the one that comes closest to the book for me. Sue |
|
...Glad to know that you have also become a true fan of Les Miserables. If you have a chance, you may want to watch any of the two concerts - but I would suggest the 10th Anniversary concert because it included a few of the original London ( Colm, Michael B, Alun A and Sue J Tanner, reprising the roles of Valjean, Marius, and the Thenardiers) and Broadway casts ( Colm again, Michael Maguire as Enjolras, Judy K as Cosette). Here in the concerts, the emphasis was on the singing aspects.
This time I'm burning it to a CD! I love John Owen-Jones, he's one of my favorite Valjeans. If anyone is interested in seeing a full staging of Les Miserables starring JOJ on the Westend it's on YouTube in 14 parts.