Les Miserables - In Production/Post Production

[ocjackie]

Just in case anyone is interested, and also have a lot of money, there is a "movie prop" on Ebay from Les Mis that is signed by Hugh and Russell. I just have a feeling (and hope) it will become a really valued piece of movie history!!!

[jo]

Here's the trailer shown in Japan. It is still far from perfect - but the scenes are much clearer and the images can be discerned. No sound though ( just imagine what the scenes suggest )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzGlx0Iraro&feature=youtu.be

Maybe this will morph into the second trailer soon, for universal and official release!

Jo

[nevaeh777]

I hope so! It looks great! Why can't we have this yet in North America? In this one, we see the Thenardiers too! Very exciting. I got shivers. >

[birchie]

Oct 11, 2012 12:05:08 GMT -5 jo said:

Here's the trailer shown in Japan. It is still far from perfect - but the scenes are much clearer and the images can be discerned. No sound though ( just imagine what the scenes suggest )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzGlx0Iraro&feature=youtu.be

Maybe this will morph into the second trailer soon, for universal and official release!

Jo

I hope we get this version officially posted somewhere soon instead of having it filmed through a window. There are great new scenes in it and our first look at the Thenardiers so I'd love to make some screen shots of the new scenes. Anne getting thrown out of the factory and Hugh carrying her, presumably to the hospital are heartbreaking. Wish December would hurry up, I'm beginning to feel like I'm 10 years old waiting for Christmas!

[jo]

Is it just me -- but the Valjean and Javert poses seem to tell their own stories ( the eyes have it, the facial expressions say something and done well together with the appropriate taglines)

while the posters of the two ladies remind me of photos found in a high school yearbook?? Looking beautiful...but as if they posed in a studio and not acting out the roles - not much character ? I would have liked to see some anguish on the face of Fantine and the sparkle of innocent young love on Cosette!

I don't mean to be critical, but this is the vibe I am getting.

I wonder who directed the publicity material?

Jo

[jo]

Hugh is interviewed on what SUDDENLY is all about --

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/insider/les-mis-song-just-for-hugh-jackman/story-e6frewt9-1226495023480

>>>Les Mis song just for Hugh Jackman

Angus Hohenboken
The Daily Telegraph
October 14, 201212:00AM

resources2.news.com.au/images/2012/10/13/1226494/996882-hugh-jackman.jpg[/img]
Actor Hugh Jackman in New York. Source: The Daily Telegraph


HUGH Jackman has received one of the greatest honours in musical theatre. Not another Tony, a Drama Desk or a Laurence Olivier but a song.

Not just any song, but his own song; written by the creators of the Les Miserables stage show, tailored specifically to his voice, for inclusion in a film that could change big screen musicals forever.

And he is finally ready to reveal its subject.

Jackman drops down into the interview chair at Pinewood Studios, straight from the gym and still in his tracksuit and trainers. Though he is looking better fed now, he had to shed 14kg to sculpt his character Jean Valjean's tortured convict physique in the initial scenes of the Les Miserables shoot.

He has since regained 11 of those kilos and aged considerably his hair is tinged with grey.

It is this incarnation of Valjean, by now a prosperous but charitable mayor, who sings the much-anticipated new solo created by Les Mis lyricist Alain Boublil and composer Claude-Michel Schonberg.

They watched Jackman's one-man show on Broadway before putting pen to paper.

"It's kind of an amazing honour they came to see the show and I was singing for 2 1/2 hours so they saw every possible colour of my voice and they said 'right, now we're going to write it for you'," Jackman, 44, says. "I'll do my best not to screw it up."

He leans forward and tells in excited tones how the song reveals the inner emotions of the kind-hearted Valjean when he first meets Cossette (played by Amanda Seyfried) the orphaned daughter of the prostitute Fantine (Anne Hathaway).

Valjean fulfils a promise to take her under his wing after rescuing her from an abusive foster family. The Victor Hugo novel on which the musical is based describes how he suddenly finds himself overcome with a new emotion.

"Meeting Cossette is the first time he's ever experienced love," Jackman explains. "It's the most beautiful passage, because he says he never knew the love of a mother, a father, of brothers or sisters and vice versa, never loved anyone. So he meets this little girl who's in his care, he experiences this flood of emotion that for a 50-year-old man has never occurred. It's a pretty amazing invention of Victor Hugo and it's never really been dealt with in the stage musical."

For Schonberg, the song's sentiment is best summed-up by the line from the original text that inspired it. "There is a wonderful line by Victor Hugo where he says that two unhappy persons together can create one happy person," he says.

Lyricist Boublil brought this feeling to life with the lyric, "two hearts can beat as one".

During a quiet moment on the set, a rain-soaked 19th century Parisian street producer Debra Heyward describes Jackman's delivery of the heart-wrenching words as "absolutely amazing".

"He deserves 50 Oscars for what he's done already," she says, only half joking.

Director Tom Hooper made the courageous decision to record all vocals live, instead of using the standard safe option of pre-recording and having his actors mime. If the cast pull it off they will be leading a revolution in the musical film world.

Jackman acknowledges that it is not unusual to do 23 takes for one song in this brave new world, but the result is unmatched authenticity.

He recalls the first scenes he shot high in mountains in the south of France: "It was below zero, it was very windy, singing live, you can see the steam, you can hear the cold in my voice. I was literally freezing. To be doing that miming, that is a whole different thing."

Cameron Mackintosh, the musical theatre producer who brought Les Miserables to London in 1985 and is co-producing the film, initially thought that Jackman would play the part of Inspector Javert, the policeman who tirelessly pursues Valjean after recognising him as a prison escapee.

But it became apparent that the X-men star, whose philanthropic passions include battling poverty and disease, better embodied the spirit of the story's hero. The role of bad cop went to Russell Crowe.- ANGUS HOHENBOKEN

Les Miserables is due for release in Australia on Boxing Day.<<<[/i]




*The song is sung for young Cosette ( Isabelle Allen)
*It was written with Hugh's voice in mind -- maybe especially when they heard him singing Soliloquy in Carousel ( especially the " my little girl" portion) ?
*Oscar hopes for this song...and hopes he sings the song at the Oscars!


Jo

[ocjackie]

Thank you Jo for this article. One of the parts I like best is when Debra heyward says "he deserves 50 Oscar awards for what he's done already".I know we're all hoping for that. It's just this waiting that getting harder every day (at least for me)

[jo]

Someone on IMDB was kind enough to print out the passage from the book which inspired the song ( the translation in my copy by Norman Denny has some difference in the wording) --

Some new thing had come into [Jean Valjean's] soul.

Jean Valjean had never loved anything; for twenty-five years he had been alone in the world. He had never been father, lover, husband, friend. In the prison he had been vicious, gloomy, chaste, ignorant, and shy. The heart of that ex-convict was full of virginity. His sister and his sister's children had left him only a vague and far-off memory which had finally almost completely vanished; he had made every effort to find them, and not having been able to find them, he had forgotten them. Human nature is made thus; the other tender emotions of his youth, if he had ever had any, had fallen into an abyss.

When he saw Cosette, when he had taken possession of her, carried her off, and delivered her, he felt his heart moved within him.

All the passion and affection within him awoke, and rushed towards that child. He approached the bed, where she lay sleeping, and trembled with joy. He suffered all the pangs of a mother, and he knew not what it meant; for that great and singular movement of a heart which begins to love is a very obscure and a very sweet thing.

Poor old man, with a perfectly new heart!

Only, as he was five and fifty, and Cosette eight years of age, all that might have been love in the whole course of his life flowed together into a sort of ineffable light.

It was the second white apparition which he had encountered. The Bishop had caused the dawn of virtue to rise on his horizon; Cosette caused the dawn of love to rise. ...

Week followed week; these two beings led a happy life in that hovel.

Cosette laughed, chattered, and sang from daybreak. Children have their morning song as well as birds.

It sometimes happened that Jean Valjean clasped her tiny red hand, all cracked with chilblains, and kissed it. The poor child, who was used to being beaten, did not know the meaning of this, and ran away in confusion.

At times she became serious and stared at her little black gown. Cosette was no longer in rags; she was in mourning. She had emerged from misery, and she was entering into life.

Jean Valjean had undertaken to teach her to read. Sometimes, as he made the child spell, he remembered that it was with the idea of doing evil that he had learned to read in prison. This idea had ended in teaching a child to read. Then the ex-convict smiled with the pensive smile of the angels.

He felt in it a premeditation from on high, the will of some one who was not man, and he became absorbed in revery. Good thoughts have their abysses as well as evil ones.

To teach Cosette to read, and to let her play, this constituted nearly the whole of Jean Valjean's existence. And then he talked of her mother, and he made her pray.

She called him father, and knew no other name for him.

He passed hours in watching her dressing and undressing her doll, and in listening to her prattle. Life, henceforth, appeared to him to be full of interest; men seemed to him good and just; he no longer reproached any one in thought; he saw no reason why he should not live to be a very old man, now that this child loved him. He saw a whole future stretching out before him, illuminated by Cosette as by a charming light. The best of us are not exempt from egotistical thoughts. At times, he reflected with a sort of joy that she would be ugly. ...

He loved and grew strong again. Alas! he walked with no less indecision than Cosette. He protected her, and she strengthened him. Thanks to him, she could walk through life; thanks to her, he could continue in virtue. He was that child's stay, and she was his prop. Oh, unfathomable and divine mystery of the balances of destiny!

Our IMDB poster also reprinted this part which was skipped in the above --

Nature had placed a wide separation -- a fifty years' interval -- between Jean Valjean and Cosette. This gulf was filled to the brim by fate. Fate abruptly brought together, and wedded with its irresistible power, these two shattered lives, dissimilar in years, but similar in sorrow. The one, in fact, complemented the other. Cosette's instinct sought a father, as Jean Valjean's instinct sought a child. To meet was to find one another. In that mysterious moment when their hands touched, they were welded together. When their souls saw each other, they recognized mutual need, and they embraced.

Have you read the book ? It is actually quite an easy read, despite its length and the inclusion of some political and social commentaries, because the narrative flows and the characterizations are very vivid!

Jo

[jo]

One of the parts I like best is when Debra heyward says "he deserves 50 Oscar awards for what he's done already".I know we're all hoping for that. It's just this waiting that getting harder every day (at least for me)

Maybe because the movie has not been previewed or released or maybe because there is a distinct dismissal of movie musicals, film bloggers and Oscar predictors have not been generally kind to Hugh's chances. Most rate him as maybe the fifth best among a crowded group of possible nominees with little chance of winning

Let's hope for the best! And maybe once the movie has been released, they will change their tunes and forget about DDLewis (Lincoln), Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), John Hawkes (The Sessions), and even Denzel Washington (Flight) - tough competition!!

Jo

[jo]

Have you seen this in your cinema complex ??

[nevaeh777]

Jo, I had to laugh when you said you hope after the movie is released, they'll "change their tune"! ;D

Thanks so much for posting that lovely part of the story! How can anyone read that and not feel a tugging on their heart? This passage, so beautifully written by Hugo, stirs up such emotion. (And with our Hugh as Valjean, hopefully will stir up an Oscar!) I had tears in my eyes reading this piece! Such pathos. You feel so much for Valjean and Cossette and how they've literally "rescued" each other from their individual dark pasts. No wonder it's hard for him to accept Marius at first entering their little world. I cannot wait to see this part captured on screen as Hugh sings "Suddenly".

Thanks Jo for now adding even more anticipation to what was already overflowing LOL!

[jo]

I had re-read the passage when it was first announced that a new song, which resonates to that passage in the book, was first written about.

In my book (Norman Denny), the translation is somtimes very, very slightly different but of course mirroring the real intent of Victor Hugo.

But when I was re-reading it then, this struck me the most --

"The bishop had taught him the meaning of virtue; Cosette had now taught him the meaning of love."

That sentence summarized the beautiful journey that Jean Valjean's life had taken, years after his life in hardship!

I knew then that if Claude Michel Schonberg and his lyricists Alain Boublil/Herbert Kretzmer had been deeply affected by this passage, then the song will likely reflect those sentiments.

The book is quite a moving experience in many of its passages!

Jo

[jo]

Do you follow GOLDDERBY Oscar predictions? It is arguably the most widely-read site for its predictions because it involves a very large panel of Oscar forecasters.

In the latest update ( as October 14, 2012), LES MISERABLES in now predicted as top BEST PICTURE nominee!

www.goldderby.com/films/news/3488/'les-miserables'-pulls-ahead-%20%20%20%20%20in-oscar's-best-picture-race-'argo'-surges#html?utm_source=twitterfeed &utm_medium=twitter

Films Awards Blog
'Les Miserables' pulls ahead in Oscar's Best Picture race; 'Argo' surges

By Tom O'Neil
Oct 14 2012 | 22:59 pm

Miserable no more! "Les Miserables" just pulled ahead of "Silver Linings Playbook" in the Best Picture race based upon the predictions of top experts polled by Gold Derby.

Back on Sept. 26, 8 pundits out of 23 picked "Silver Linings Playbook" to prevail, giving it 5-to-1 odds. Place position: "Lincoln" (6 pundits). Show: "Les Miz" (4 gurus).

Now "Les Miz" leads with 7 experts. "Argo" and "Silver Linings Playbook" are tied for second place, having the backing of 5 pundits each. Three weeks ago, "Argo" had only one pundit's full support.

Predicting a big win for "Les Miz": Edward Douglas (Comingsoon), Tariq Khan (Fox News), Sean O'Connell (Hollywood News), Christopher Rosen (Huffington Post), Keith Simanton (IMDB), Jeff Wells (Hollywood Elsewhere) and me.

"Argo" backers: Pete Hammond (Deadline Hollywood), Scott Feinberg (Hollywood Reporter), Paul Sheehan (Gold Derby), Sasha Stone (Awards Daily) and Susan Wloszczyna (USA Today).

Still behind "Silver Linings": Thelma Adams (Yahoo), Steve Pond (The Wrap), Alex Suskind (Moviefone), Dave Karger and Chuck Walton (Fandango).

See the predix of all pundits polled by Gold Derby here. See racetrack odds here.

This update is as of October 14, 2012.

Here's the direct link to the individual predictions by forecaster/pundit --

www.goldderby.com/awardshows/experts/oscars-2012-nominations/best-picture.html

And the direct link to the racetrack odds by category ( which includes info on odds for best actor) --

www.goldderby.com/odds/experts/56/

The movie has not been seen - but most of the competition has been screened (Lincoln, Argo, Silver Linings Playbook, The Master, The Sessions). I suppose this is more of a reflection of dampened expectations for the screened movies so far. Unless by some chance these mainly Hollywood bloggers have heard from reliable sources how Les Miserables is turning out to be!


If you turn to the Best Actor predictions, Hugh is not among the top-rated. He is ranked 5th. Maybe when the performance is seen, the predictions will change for the better?

www.goldderby.com/awardshows/experts/oscars-2012-nominations/best-actor.html


Jo

[Jamie]

It is such a strong "Actor" year because so many critics loved Daniel Day Lewis or Joaquin Phoenix. Then there is the fact that an actor has only won twice in a musical so the odds are against Hugh. I have faith in his talent, whether or not that is enough to overcome the odds remains to be seen.

[birchie]

Oct 15, 2012 6:34:30 GMT -5 Jamie said:

It is such a strong "Actor" year because so many critics loved Daniel Day Lewis or Joaquin Phoenix. Then there is the fact that an actor has only won twice in a musical so the odds are against Hugh. I have faith in his talent, whether or not that is enough to overcome the odds remains to be seen.

It's unfortunate that nobody has really seen Hugh actually performing in this yet. I guess it's hard for the pundits to predict anything without first hand examples. All the sneak peaks, teasers etc really just show small glimpses and except for that one small part of Who Am I and the demo of soliloquy we haven't seen his acting at all.

The others like DDL etc, have all been seen much more. I think Hugh is going to blow them away once they see a longer clip where his acting is fairly demonstrated. Maybe the next, hopefully full length, trailer will make them sit up and take notice.

[mamaleh]

If Hugh is indeed nominated (please!), I'm thinking he could conceivably become the stealth candidate. That is, voters might be split about those in searing dramas, and because Hugh's venue and the talents needed to perform his role are so markedly different, he could manage to eke out just enough votes to come out on top.

At least that's my hope. Hey, anything's possible.

Ellen

[jo]

I was reading some older articles re the filming of Les Miserables and this comment from Anne Hathaway struck me in particular ( I thought it was a remarkable comment when I first read it , but even more so now that we have seen many glimpses of Valjean in the movie) --

"Hugh is going to blow people’s minds in the movie,” Anne predicted. “There’s something so deep and almost spiritual about his performance. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

That is the element that I hope will blow away critics, film bloggers, and movie audiences in general! And most importantly the members of the Academy!

Jo

[birchie]

Oct 14, 2012 22:08:27 GMT -5 jo said:

I had re-read the passage when it was first announced that a new song, which resonates to that passage in the book, was first written about.

In my book (Norman Denny), the translation is somtimes very, very slightly different but of course mirroring the real intent of Victor Hugo.

But when I was re-reading it then, this struck me the most --

"The bishop had taught him the meaning of virtue; Cosette had now taught him the meaning of love."

That sentence summarized the beautiful journey that Jean Valjean's life had taken, years after his life in hardship!

I knew then that if Claude Michel Schonberg and his lyricists Alain Boublil/Herbert Kretzmer had been deeply affected by this passage, then the song will likely reflect those sentiments.

The book is quite a moving experience in many of its passages!

Jo

You are so right, Jo! There aren't a lot of books that can make me cry but there are several passages in Les Miserables that had me teary. (spoiler below) The one described here is one of them. I can't wait to see Hugh and little Isabelle playing these scenes out. The brief glimpses we've seen make me think that she is a terrific little actress. The pathos in her face in a couple of the clips we've seen and her loving smile when she meets her new papa are wonderful even without hearing any words or music.

Anyone who hasn't read the book should give it a serious try. It's long but most of the writing is so beautiful that it shouldn't be missed. The characters are so well drawn that you absolutely feel everything for these people, both good & bad. They become very real! Also I don't think anyone is better at creating a sense of place. Not only do you know the people that populate Les Miserables, but you can see and practically smell and taste their surroundings.

!!SPOILER ALERT!!



The chapter describing Fantine's last moments and the confrontation between JVJ & Javert is another one that gets me and one that I'm so looking forward to seeing. The tenderness with which Hugo writes that scene where JVJ tells Javert after their fight that he would be best to give him a few minutes and then he gently closes her eyes and fixes her covers and takes her hand....just heart wrenching... :'(

One of my other favorite parts is the final scene of JVJ when he's dying. It's written so beautifully that I can almost see the ghost of Fantine and the Bishop there waiting for him.

[Jamie]

Anyone who isn't tearing up at least a little on the finale, has the soul of a rock

Fantine:
Come with me
Where chains will never bind you
All your grief at last at last behind you
Lord in heaven, look down on him in mercy!

Valjean:
Forgive me all my trustpasses
and take me to your glory

Eponine & Fantine:
Take my hand, and lead me to salvation
Take my love, for love is everlasting
And remember the truth that once was spoken
(Valjean joins)
To love another person is to see the face of God!

[jo]

Sasha Stone is a film blogger/podcaster who participates in the Goldderby predictions. She is somewhat skeptical about predicting wins for a movie which is sight unseen --

www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2012/10/15/les-miz-takes-imaginary-lead-at-gold-derby/

She analyzes the films that have been seen ( she is an ARGO supporter) and muses over why Les Miserables is now in the lead -- all with some skepticism.

But look at the UPDATE she provides at the end --

>>>"UPDATE: The tally shifted a bit this morning. SLP lost a supporter who defected to Les Miz. Tom O’Neill says there was a test screening of Lez Miz at the Arclight Hollywood last Saturday, Oct 6, that went extremely well. It’s possible his poster “Snuggle4” may have attended that event. It doesn’t appear any journos have seen the film, but persistent buzz from the Arclight screening could be triggering this new stampede."<<<


So, a lucky few have seen the rough cut?

I wonder if the orchestrations were added earlier than originally scheduled?

Jo

[nevaeh777]

Well our countdown to this movie is something like 10 weeks and I'm going crazy. I hope they have some earlier special screenings as there's no way I can get out and see it Christmas Day!

I saw ARGO last Friday and it is definitely an excellent film. Ben Affleck has done a great job and I highly recommend it. The LES MIS trailer is also attached to this film as are several other films looking for an Oscar nod such as LIFE OF PI.

Is there still a possibility that a new trailer is coming out on the 16th for LES MIS 'cause that's tomorrow?!

[jo]

The abovementioned screening was a test screening !

From what I can gather from reading about test screenings - they are not usually announced in advance ( as to what the movie is). They may just tag passersby at the cinema and ask if they may want to participate in a test screening. Sometimes they will interview the potential audience members and if you admit knowing something about the movie -- they may disqualify you. Usually, a confidentiality agreement is signed. On some occasions, the director himself may be there ( I remember Aronofsky doing a test screening session for The Fountain) and may participate with selected audience members for a focus group discussion.

It is going to be a much longer wait for me - we don't get the movie released until January 16 :'(

Jo

[Kelly]

Oct 15, 2012 14:58:34 GMT -5 nevaeh777 said:

Well our countdown to this movie is something like 10 weeks and I'm going crazy. I hope they have some earlier special screenings as there's no way I can get out and see it Christmas Day!

I saw ARGO last Friday and it is definitely an excellent film. Ben Affleck has done a great job and I highly recommend it. The LES MIS trailer is also attached to this film as are several other films looking for an Oscar nod such as LIFE OF PI.

Is there still a possibility that a new trailer is coming out on the 16th for LES MIS 'cause that's tomorrow?!

[Kelly]

Oct 15, 2012 14:58:34 GMT -5 nevaeh777 said:

Well our countdown to this movie is something like 10 weeks and I'm going crazy. I hope they have some earlier special screenings as there's no way I can get out and see it Christmas Day!

I saw ARGO last Friday and it is definitely an excellent film. Ben Affleck has done a great job and I highly recommend it. The LES MIS trailer is also attached to this film as are several other films looking for an Oscar nod such as LIFE OF PI.

Is there still a possibility that a new trailer is coming out on the 16th for LES MIS 'cause that's tomorrow?!

I saw ARGO, excellent, but no interesting preview trailors in my showing.

[jo]

More interesting discussions and speculations about Les Miserables - this time, from Jeff Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere.

hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/10/what_if_les_miz_1.php

What If Les Miz Isn't Earthshaking?

A few days ago a Tom O'Neil-fed notion about Tom Hooper's Les Miserables becoming a "monster" Oscar sweeper crept into the conversation. Okay, maybe. But a couple of nights ago a counter-notion was implied (i.e., not firmly asserted) by a fellow who knows a Les Miz contributor. The notion is that it might be more of an acting vehicle thing (particularly benefitting Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway) than an overall Oscar fireworks thing. A solid, admirable, workmanlike job but that's all.

This is joined in my mind with observations...reminders, I mean...from Gold Derby's Tom O'Neil as well as Glenn Kenny on yesterday's Oscar Poker that the Les Miserables material is familiar and classic and not exactly thrilling in and of itself, and that the stage musical is over 25 years old and quite traditional and retro-defaulty by today's standards, and Tom Hooper's innovation of having the actors sing live on the set is (this was a Kenny riff also) doesn't necessarily mean that the film will work splendidly. Live singing may seem to some like an exciting new approach to shooting movie musicals, but what will finally matter is whether or not Les Miserables works altogether...whether the entire working mechanism harmonizes in a way that inspires "wow, that was truly exceptional!" or "that was an entirely respectable rendering of a classic musical that was all the rage in London and Broadway back in the '80s."

If the latter impression dominates and Les Miserables becomes merely one of the Best Picture contenders instead of (according to O'Neil's maddeningly coy tipster) possibly the Best Picture contender, then you'll have an uncertain and perhaps even mysterious Best Picture race on your hands -- an egalitarian race without a frontrunner or heavyweight contender, a competition among jacks and knaves and outliers without a big gorilla (or gorillas) that everyone's looking to beat.

I fully expect, mind, that many of your typical 62 year-old white male Academy members will default to Les Miserables because of its traditional, classical bones and humanist aspirations and because of its (presumed) showiness and those (expected) emotionally grandstanding performances, blah blah. But if it finally settles in as a highly respectable venture rather than a revolutionary knockout, the stage will be set for some kind of Best Picture street fight.

Les Miserables is the new favorite among the Gold Derby contributors....a sudden "massive shift," in the words of Tom O'Neil.

Jo