‘Les Misérables - far from miserable!

The movie ended in a grand crescendo & I sat down quietly, in the dark cinema hall, giving myself a moment, to catch my breath. ‘Les Misérables’, an audio-visual treat, stirs your soul, fills your heart with music & leaves you breathless!
Translated, ‘Les Misérables’, means “The Wretched”. The brilliance of Tom Hooper is, that despite the grim period of the French Revolution, the horrific first scene, where prisoners are treated as slaves, the presence of the cruel & relentless police officer, the utter poverty, the pathos of a woman having to succumb to the oldest profession to feed her child …. the director creates a movie where the music soars in your heart, & the story moves forward, yes through depressing times, with a sense of hope & optimism!

When the creator made Hugh Jackman, he was being unfair – talented actor, drop dead gorgeous looks, essentially good guy …. & now we know that this dude also sings magnificently! Jackman, as ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, carries the movie on his sexy shoulders & through the length of the movie, in his journey from prisoner, to thief, to Mayor, to being a father, to being a man on the run, this powerhouse of an actor/singer leaves you spell bound!

But it is Anne Hathaway, playing the wretched Fantine, a factory girl, who has to sell her hair & her dignity, for money to send for her daughter, Cosette, who haunts you with her song, the iconic “I dreamed a dream” & whose pathetic state, tugs at your heart strings – this Princess from the Diaries, can sing, & how!!! Long after you have left the theatre, images of the waif like Fantine, her desperate eyes & her beautiful voice, linger on … I think with this performance, ‘the best supporting actress’ category, in the awards season ahead, are in Ms. Hathaway’s pocket already!

When Fantine dies, you wonder whether the film will also die a slow death. But Tom Hooper has other characters up his sleeve and the best parts of the book summarized for screen, so the treat continues; with the awesomely talented Sacha Baron Cohen & Helena Bonham Carter ... as the evil caretakers of Fantine’s daughter, Cosette, they simply light up the screen with their perfect comic timing & madness! The pair look so good at being bad & are perfectly cast!

The Gen Next of ‘Les Misérables’ impress; the young pack is led by the immensely talented, Eddie Redmayne (My Week with Marilyn), as Marius. In fact, when this very handsome & gifted actor sings, he transports you to Broadway. Hope we see more of him! Amanda Seyfried, despite her 27 years of age, manages to look fresh, dew-drop innocent & has a sweet voice to match her pretty self!

My daughter, our resident expert on everything ‘Les Misérables’, tells me that the only actor from the actual Broadway version, to be cast in the movie, is Samantha Barks, as the hopelessly in love, Eponine, who loves Marius, who loves Cosette, who loves her papa! You wait, with fingers crossed, for the best song of the movie, "On My Own" & then you give Ms. Barks, a willing thumbs up, for her rendition of the famous song!

Perhaps the only error of judgement, is the casting of Russell Crowe, as the policeman – he sings uncomfortably, like he has a laddoo stuck in his throat & not quite sure what it is, but is a misfit in this otherwise perfect ensemble cast, who get it so right.

Warning: you have to be a fan of musicals, to be able to enjoy the movie.

‘Les Misérables’ is far from miserable! An uplifting experience, in almost Bollywood style, the story celebrates the ultimate triumph of good over evil, has a pretty love triangle, drives home the virtues of patriotism, friendship, love, gratitude, loyalty & goodness, proving that every dark movie, set in depressing times, has a musical, magical silver lining!