I just finished watching the newest Les Miserable movie a few minutes ago. I’ve had the original Broadway soundtrack for a long time and have always found it beautiful and emotional. The wonderful voices of Colm Wilkinson (who plays Jean Valjean) and the ones who played Javert, Fantine, and Eponine (sorry, I don’t remember the names) always send shivers down my spine. However, the voices in this newest movie lack that ability. I will admit, I felt the emotion of the movie mostly because of the story and the acting. But not really because of the singing. The thing that bothered me the most is that many times when they should have been singing from the heart, they were “talk singing”. I don’t know how to explain what that means, but I think some of you might know what I mean. It was frustrating because it wasn’t done that way in the original. I think they wasted Hugh Jackman’s voice in many of the songs. There were a few songs, though, where I wasn’t disappointed. “On My Own” is my favorite song from Les Mis, and I was afraid the woman portraying Eponine (Samantha Barks) wouldn’t be up to the challenge. As she belted out the tune, I said to my husband, “Yes, she nailed it!” It wasn’t as strong as the original, but it was good. Then when Hugh Jackman sang “Bring Him Home”, he was able to show us that he does have a wonderful, strong voice. There were a few other songs that were okay. The guy who played Marius (Eddie Redmayne) was pretty good as well as the one who played Enjalros (Aaron Tveit).
Now to Russell Crowe as Javert. As an actor, he was a good choice. As a singer, not so much. It’s not that he doesn’t have a good voice, because he does. But it’s not STRONG enough for this type of musical. The one who plays Javert on my original soundtrack has a VERY strong voice, so it was hard to hear a weaker voice in this role. He didn’t do a bad job on “Javert’s Suicide”.
I think the worst ones were Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, playing the Thenardiers. What they did wasn’t really singing. The original soundtrack was really funny when these two were singing, and the WAY they sang made it funny. This movie failed with this couple. Their acting was spot on in these roles…just not the singing.
All in all, I enjoyed this movie. Of course, I cried. This is a sad and depressing movie, but at the same time, it shows that people can be redeemed. The cinematography was good. The acting was good. The singing just wasn’t up to par. Not terrible, just not up to the standards of the original Broadway musical.
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I’ve seen Les Misérables 3 or 4 times on stage at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. I LOVE going to the theater!!! 🙂 It’s pure magic!
While the movie doesn’t have the same feel as watching it live on a stage, I thought they did a really nice job putting you in that time period in history. The opening scene with the ship…WOW!!! Oh! And seeing how sickly and poor those people were… I think the costumes and the scenery really added something to the performance. Seeing a play is sooo different from seeing a live performance. I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy the movie, so I was pleasantly surprised when I did.
I’ve never seen this on stage, but I’ve seen Phantom of the Opera in Atlanta. I agree that the theater is magical.
Les Mis was a great movie. The singing was the only thing that disappointed me. I don’t think it would have been as bad if I hadn’t heard the Broadway soundtrack first.
If you ever get a chance, you NEED to see it live!!! This is my FAVORITE musical. The first time I saw it, I was just a teenager.
Every time I see Eponine die, I have to drag out the tissues. I always feel soooo bad for Eponine! She’s my favorite character out of the entire play. She really got shafted. Strangely enough, I DIDN’T cry when the movie version of Eponine was shot. Hmm…
The live version of Les Misérables is really unique. The stage revolves around, like a GIANT lazy-susan, and the actors are dressed in these elaborate costumes and are CONSTANTLY moving around because the stage is moving. I don’t know how they do it! I don’t know how they can sing while running around. And you can tell, it’s NOT lip-synced. While the singing is WONDERFUL live, it’s not the same as a soundtrack. I suppose t’s like seeing your favorite singer in concert versus owning a CD. It’s…different. To me, the live version is better, though not as technically perfect. In fact, it was weird for me to hear a studio version of these songs, though I still liked them. I’m used to the actors feeding off of the emotions of the audience. Maybe that’s why they did all those extreme closeups in the movie? Don’t know, but it’s a thought.
Eponine is also my favorite character. And I thought she was prettier than the girl who played Cosette in the movie. She sang better, too. Cosette had this really high pitched voice that warbled a bit too much, so it got on my nerves a bit. I mean, I admire the fact that she can hit those high notes, but my ears almost couldn’t take it. LOL. Seriously, though, I always feel sorry for Eponine.
I would love to see this on stage. Like I said, I saw The Phantom and loved it. And I also saw Cinderella, the Rogers and Hammerstein version. I love the theater.
That was pretty much how I felt after seeing the movie version of The Phantom of the Opera. I haven’t seen the movie you’re talking about, but I can’t bring myself to watch it because I’ve heard it has a sad ending. Sad endings depress me for days.
I love your review of the movie and comparing is to the soundtrack.
I agree about the Phantom, although they at least let the actors actually SING. But Gerard Butler is no Michael Crawford (although much sexier, lol). Butler has a good voice, but it’s nothing compared to the way Crawford can belt out a tune. It’s again one of those situations where if you hadn’t heard a better version, it wouldn’t have mattered as much.
I’m not sure you would actually call it a sad ending. It was sad for some people. Some bad things happen. But I felt like the very end was kind of bittersweet. Definitely emotional. I’ve known the story forever because of the soundtrack, so I knew what was going to happen. 🙂
The singing might not have seemed polished because the director actually filmed them singing each song the whole way through live, rather than using a recording. He was going for a more immediate and realistic effect, and on the big screen and through all the loudspeakers in the cinema, it worked. I was blown away watching this. I cried when Anne Hathaway sang “I Dreamed A Dream” – pure, raw emotion.
Russell Crowe was the one part of the film that didn’t work.
My biggest beef with the singing was that they “talked” part of the songs, where in the original, the songs were sung. I don’t deny the raw emotions were there because I felt them. My eyes stayed glued to the TV. I cried. There was definitely a realistic effect. And I think the acting was great. But I’m kind of a music snob when it comes to stuff like this. I want to hear the song actually SUNG. Even “I Dreamed a Dream” wasn’t sung the way I’m used to. But it was definitely very sad, and tear inducing. I will rewatch this movie, probably several times.
I really thought Russell Crowe was okay as an actor, though not a singer. I’m not sure I would cast him in that role if it had been up to me, but I didn’t really have a problem with him. He was properly rigid as Javert is supposed to be. I think my favorite casting in this movie was Eponine. Samantha Barks worked in this role.
I didn’t even know this movie was available on DVD yet. I feel like an ostrich with my head in the sand lately. Oh well there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I will get to have some fun. Starting tomorrow.
I didn’t know it was out, either, until my husband bought it for Mother’s Day.
Don’t get sand in your teeth.