Broadway fans? Question about the Le Miz movie

[Aloriality]

Ok, I started learning broadway at a VERY young age, at grade 5, in music class we studied a song or two from Phantom of the Opera, and I KNEW the lyrics, I just didn't let anyone know, cuz well, I was teased a lot back then.

 

Anyway, needless to say, I learned Les Miserables early too. And since then, It has been my 2nd fav musical of all time. I have recorded the Complete Symphonic Recording from cassette tapes I took out from the library, more than once, and found them at a music store for like $70, so my dad bought me the official cassettes.

 

I have the CD set too (I actually have 2 copies of it), the 'Original French Concept Album', and even the entire score to the Japanese version-I'm an anime fan (for those who are interested, the guy from the original Japanese Iron Chef, Chairman Koga, plays Jean ValJean on the Japanese album)

 

Anywho, so out of all that, it's always been one voice I have related to each character. ValJean-Colm Wikinson, Javert-Phillip Quast, etc, (not going to list the full cast here)

 

I was upset when I heart about movie-musical, sure Phantom did ok, but Le Miz...? Hugh Jackman... I have heard him before, HATE his voice, Russell Crowe... all I think of him is some painted on muscled roman guy. I haven't even looked into the other casting.

 

So for those who have seen it, and not just, out of the blue, but I mean REAL Le Miz fans, who saw it on stage, know the score, or a song or two at least, before going in, how was it?

 

Was the movie a good idea?

 

Or should this stay on Broadway?

[Angeló]

the movie was not a good idea at all in my opinion despite the superb cast

[Rebecca~]

I love this musical. I have seen it on stage numerous times, and I know the soundtrack back and forth. I started crying out of joy when I saw the first teaser trailer, just because I was SO EXCITED.

(I'm going to go into a lot of detail, so if you want to go into the movie with out exact examples, don't read the spoilers.)

 

I really enjoyed the film. It is definitely different from the stage production, but I think they played those differences to their advantage. On stage, you can't really have people wispering things, but you can on film. So parts of the songs that are more dramatic when done quietly were changed.

 

At the end of Come to Me, when Fantine sings, "I'll see you when I wake", and then dies, this is done in a whisper. I felt it was SOOOO effective, because Fantine is DYING, she doesn't have the energy to belt that out. And Anne Hathaway did such an amazing job as Fantine. I would go see it just for her, to be honest

 

 

A few songs had lines changed/new lines added, which is a little jarring to someone who knows the songs so well. Some of the new lines just help explain the backstory to the revolution a bit, which I thought was good (I'm so sick of people saying it's about the French Revolution. NO NO NO, WRONG). Others just seemed like the actors messed them up while doing the scene.

 

Hugh Jackman was surprisingly good. I kind of went in going, 'I don't know about this!', but he did really well, I think. He really became Jean Valjean, and I felt the emotion through his singing-- which is what I want in a musical more than anything.

Russel Crowe didn't do AS well as Hugh Jackman, and he certianly wouldn't have been my choice for a Javert, but he did well enough. He was believable, even though the voice wasn't really there.

 

Confrontation was one of the downfalls of the film for me, since the two tenors in the stage production during that song ALWAYS makes my arms go goosebumpy and stuff. It's just increadible. It was good in the film, but not enough to give me goosebumps. I think it was mainly Russel Crowe.

 

I don't want to make it sound like he was terrible or anything- he is far from a trained singer, but it worked.

Samantha Barks, who plays Eponine, was actually in a Broadway production (I think the 25th anniversary album has her in it?), and she was amazing.

Anne Hathaway just killed the role. She did such an amazing job as Fantine- there wasn't a dry eye in the theatre by the end of I Dreamed a Dream.

 

I don't quite know what else to say. I really enjoyed it. I've seen it twice in theatres already, and I will be seeing it again before the month is out, I'm sure. I recommend you see it, if nothing else, just for Hathaway's Fantine.

[hrtbrk]

/not a major fan

 

If it inspires/motivates people to not only see a musical genre of film, but to go to see Broadway/live theatre productions, than I say it is an excellent idea.

[Aloriality]

I just downloaded it, watching, not far in, I thought Hugh Jackman would fail, but he does a LOT better than Russel Crowe

 

BTW, anyone else notice that the Bishop is played by Colm Wilkinson?Edit-I'll read and reply to your post rebecca, when I'm finished watching

 

ok, it HAD a chance, but at Confrontation... failed...

 

I will always be a broadway lover, and well, after that, the rest is going to hurt, lucky I bought a case of beer today. I will finish, if i like it or not

 

 

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[LillytheGrundo]

I have not seen the movie yet but I saw the making of it on HBO. I guess its the first movie musical ever made where the actors are live singing and not lip singing to a recording they made months and months ago. I commend them for that! I am a huge fan of the stage but I keep my love for theatre separate from my love for Cinema. They are two very different entities.

[Wildbreeze]

I haven't had the opportunity to see Les Mis live, but I've loved the music for ages. I went to see the movie with my sisters and mom, and absolutely adored it. The cast, I thought, was phenomenal, and my mom and I were both in tears at several parts. The thing that really sets the movie apart is the live singing. It captures the emotions of the songs and characters very well.

[Rebecca~]

BTW, anyone else notice that the Bishop is played by Colm Wilkinson?Edit-I'll read and reply to your post rebecca, when I'm finished watching

Yeah, they had lots of people that played various characters on stage do smaller roles in the film. It was quite lovely. :)

[livvy]

I thought it was a bad movie but a pretty good film adaptation of the story.

 

Les Miserables was never designed to be a movie, so in order to stick with the story, the movie had to do a lot of things that are generally not "good movie" things. Like the totally ridiculous "OMG lurve at first sight!" thing between Cosette and Marius. Or the extremely rapid jump between Fontine's life/death. So I would hardly say it was a good movie. BUT it's also not the first movie adaptation out there, and as movie adaptations of Les Mis go, I thought it was one of the best.