My Cinema - Les Miserables

Sensationnel!

Everything I'd heard about "Les Miserables" is so true! The movie is trés magnifique! From the opening scene to the closing credits, I was mesmerized...hooked!

The movie stars Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried, and Russell Crowe, directed by Tom Hooper and is set in 18th century France.

Truth be told, I went to see this movie not knowing what it was about. I heard all the hoopla and buzz but never saw a production of it nor had I read the story anywhere. I  kind of liked it that way. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the epic tale unfold before my virgin eyes. And for that reason, I won't go into great detail about what the story is about in case you haven't seen it yet; don't want to spoil it for you! But I will tell you the story is captivating and superb.

Admittedly, this probably isn't seen as a manly kind of film, but guess what? Hubby accompanied me to see it! (He's such a great guy, eh? Think I'll keep him!) And....he liked it too! Maybe not as much as I did, but he thought it was very well done and he wasn't turned off like he thought he'd be with all the singing. I believe he was pleasantly surprised to find that he liked it as much as he did. (Think he went in believing he was sucking it up and being the good hubby and that it was going to be a "ho-hum" loooong movie but voila! It wasn't so bad!)

So yeah, there's lots of singing. Matter of fact, it's all singing. There's very very little spoken dialogue (a few words that were more spoken than sung). But the music and songs really keep the action moving along. Not to mention every now and then, between scenes, the screen would have a paragraph or two of information about events occurring outside the scope of the film that aren't being depicted (but are pertinent to the storyline); the words helped to pull the story into the next time period or chapter. 

I was very impressed by the singing talent in the movie. Ok, so I know Hugh Jackman, star of stage and screen, has a great set of pipes. But Anne Hathaway? Really? She has a great voice! I don't think I would have guessed it. She totally deserves the "best of" nods at the awards shows. I was surprised by Amanda Seyfried's singing talent also. But who totally surprised me was Russell Crowe. No, he's not the best singer I've ever heard; not even close. But he did impress me. His growly, gravely low timbred voice really matched well with his character. Kudos to him!

I totally recommend this movie but maybe not for the younger set. The themes are very adult and might be a bit overwhelming and frightening for the kiddos, and not sure if the amount or kind of singing will keep them interested. (This is NOT Top 40 nor Justin Beiber-like.)

I also suggest seeing the movie in an afternoon showing or, if you're waiting on the DVD release set aside a few uninterrupted hours, as it's rather long. I just couldn't bear to think of seeing this at night knowing I wouldn't get out of the theater until after midnight.

The film has already won some honors and accolades leading up to the Academy Awards. I believe it's a strong contender for the Best Picture Oscar because of its talented cast, beautiful music, artful sets and scenery, and compelling storyline. But I'm puzzled and saddened to hear that the director was not nominated. How a movie could be considered the best but not its director is beyond me. The director is the captain of the film, and without a competent and talented leader, a film would most certainly flounder and suffer. And with this film, it's very evident Tom Hooper is a master of his craft and made what could have been a difficult movie to watch quite entertaining (even for hubby!).

Great film! Go see it if you get the chance!