GENRE: Musical/Drama
RATING:
PG-13 for suggestive material and violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 57 minutes
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 57 minutes
STARRING:
Hugh Jackman (X-Men, The Prestige,
Australia)
Russell
Crowe (Galdiator) Eddie Redmayne (My
Week with Marilyn)
DIRECTOR:
Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, John Adams)
WRITER:
William Nicholson (Gladiator, Elizabeth:
The Golden Age)
PLOT:
Jean Valjean, flees from the law and ends up a changed man who helps raise an
orphaned child during a 19th Century French student uprising.
FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1
Some of the performances in this musical are simple riveting. Anne Hathaway
will definitely get her Oscar thanks to her impassioned role as Fantine. Her ‘I
Dreamed a Dream’ is the best I have ever heard and I’ve heard the Broadway
recording and seen the stage production four times. Jackman also brings it as
Jean Valjean and newcomer Samantha Barks plays a very touching Eponine. Stellar
acting and singing all around.
2
The film has some advantages over the stage productions especially allowing the
actors to whisper lines and allowing the audience to see clear facial
expressions with all the close-ups. However, there is something about a bunch
of people on stage belting out ‘One Day More’ that just can’t be touched on
screen.
3
I enjoyed
Russell Crowes acting and even singing as Javert (one of my favourite
characters on stage) but I just didn’t find him emoting much during the songs
which was disappointing. It looked like he was more concerned with getting the
right notes than showing the conflicting emotions of the inspector.
4
Another
film advantage is making full use of the setting and creating vivid and large
sets for the actors to play on. Truly epic in scope.
5
Loved the Thenardiers (Sacha Baron Cohen & Helena Bonham Carter). As usual,
they are the much needed comic relief in a film so full of pain and heartbreak.
I loved how Thenardier kept mispronouncing Cosette’s name. Fun stuff.
RECOMMENDATION: Definitely theatre-worthy
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Best of 2012, 2013 Film Preview
1 comment:
Seeing it today and I can't wait!! I heard the girl who played Eponine has actually played her on Broadway.
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