Les Miserables was great… just face it
I saw it last night at the People’s Plaza Regal Cinema. It was great. And that isn’t some empty praise from a musical theater fanboy. I typically hate the modern Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-Cameron-Mackintosh bullshit musicals that are all singing. (Throw some dialogue in for Christsake so people know what the hell is going on. Would a couple sentences of exposition kill you Sir, Lloyd-Webber?)
Anyway, I know you want to hate it, but suck it up. It was great.
My one quibble has to do with the fact that the musical compresses time so much that it appears the Revolution of 1848 lasted for one day. In fact, the socialists swept the Bourbon monarchists out of France for good and for a time ran a government with a government under the banner of Liberté, égalité, fraternité, establishing that ‘The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789’ would be a guiding force in France going forward.
#AnneHathawaywasawesomebuthatersgonnahate
#sowasRussleCrowandIreallyhavenoideawhypeopleareshittingonCrowe’sperformance
#idon’tundertsandhowhashtagsworkbutIseepeopledoingingthemsowtf?IthinkI’llthrowsomein?
oh my god it WAS awesome. Russel Crowe wasn’t BAD… he was just the weakest singer in the main cast…. which isn’t awful, the rest are just better. They could have dropped Javert’s songs a key or 2 and he would have had a more comfortable time with it. (he strained a bit)
Anne Hathaway should win ALL the Oscars, then they should make up a few new ones and give her those too.
I didnt like the new song.
I thought it was good, but, not great. For me, it just didn’t compare to the stage production.
What have you done to our Jason, and what will it take to get him back?
I’ve seen the entire Miserable Cats at the Opera cycle on stage (Broadway even) and I don’t get the hype. I mean, it was a pleasant enough way to spend and evening, but I was glad I didn’t pay for any of those tickets and I don’t quite get what people love about these musicals. The good news is that there is an awful lot of good stuff in the theaters right now, so this version of Miserable will go on without me.
The uprising in Les Miserables was not part of the Revolution of 1848, but a failed uprising in June 1840. This was a prelude to a short revolt in July that did result in a short overthrow of the monarchy. Victor Hugo built his story around actual events in France from the restoration of 1815, following the final defeat of Napolean to the revolts that eventually led to the end of the Bourbon dynasty in 1848 and the presidency of Napolean’s nephew, who became Napolean III.
I also thought the film was good as well but not as good as the stage production. I appreciate the challenge the cast had in having to sing, when it is obviously not their core competency.
I would like to see the same cast on stage so I could see how much the venue/environment adds or detracts from the presentation. Some stories are more suited to the stage than film. I think this may be one of them. Still, a Broadway show has a certain je ne sais quoi that one doesn’t get from film. I guess it’s the whole NY thing.
Jennifer Lawrence is going to win Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook. The film could be an upset, even as good as Lincoln is. Just sayin’.
Saw Les Mis last week and loved it (although I did think the play was better, because the staging was so spectacular — I’ve seen the play about 6 times), and the amazing thing is that my husband did not fall asleep (that is the highest praise — he also doesn’t like the Andrew Lloyd Webber singing/dialogue). Russell Crowe was better than the criticisms of his performance made me expect.