Les Misérables

Fight. Dream. Hope. Love. And weep uncontrollably. Actually, it was more of a continual leak out of my right eye, rolling down my cheek. And the odd snuffling intake of breath.

Yes it is wonderful. Not perfect, but truly wonderful. And I have been humming many of the songs since I saw it this weekend. Over and over. It is a family joke that my husband, The Squire, has been whistling the anthem on and off for 20 years since we saw the musical in Toronto. And now he has started up again. Oh, well...

Quick history of Les Mis for those who need it. A French historical novel written by Victor Hugo in 1862, it was turned into a musical in Paris in 1980 where it ran for only 3 months. Translated into English, it opened in the West End of London in 1985 where it originally was panned by critics but immediately embraced by audiences.

Beginning in 1815, Jean Valjean is finishing a lengthy prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his sister's children. He eventually becomes a force for good after an encounter with a kind Bishop, but is continually confronted with his dark past because he is pursued by Inspector Javert over a period of almost 20 years and ending just after the Paris uprising of 1832 .

The rest of the story you all know right? He helps Fantine who has taken to the streets to pay for her daughter Cosette's room and board with the terrible Thénardiers. After Fantine dies, Valjean finds Cosette and adopts her. They lead an itinerant life trying to stay away from Javert but constantly helping those in need. Cosette grows up and falls in love with student activist Marius (who Éponine has her eye on) well...here is the Wikipedia link for the full summary.

What you need to know is that the acting is superb. The singing is mostly wonderful and very surprising considering most of the cast are actors and not singers. The film draws you into the story and the emotion much more than the stage production can. It is long, but it is just so well done, I didn't mind the length.

I will say that extra kudos must go to Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and surprisingly, Eddie Redmayne for both acting and singing. The two children playing young Cosette and Gavroche are also truly brilliant. Samantha Barks played Éponine onstage and is both marvelously talented and in possession of the smallest waist I have ever seen.

So yes, Les Misérables is well worth seeing. Director Tom Hooper is on a run now (The Damned United, The King's Speech and now Les Mis). And might I add that Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter are hilarious as the evil Thénardiers. HBC could have used clothes out of her own wardrobe for this role. Actually, I am sure those little round sunglasses were hers. Or did she just lift them from the set?

Do you hear the people sing?

Singing a song of angry men?

It is the music of a people

Who will not be slaves again!

When the beating of your heart

Echoes the beating of the drums

There is a life about to start

When tomorrow comes!

Enjoy!!!

Hugo is magical!

Hugo in 3D

Apparently there are two types of people in this world. Ones who love this film and ones who hate it. I adored this film. Magical is a good word to describe the story and the gorgeous journey it takes you on. My dear readers will likely love this film. If you need lots of action, things flying at screen and constant plot twists, you should skip it. The fact that it was directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Johnny Depp says a lot about it.

Hugo Isabelle and the automaton

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but Hugo lives in a Paris train station in the 1930s. His watchmaker father has passed away (poor Jude Law) and the orphan is now living in the walls of the Gare Montparnasse train station and winding all the clocks there. His quest to repair the automaton his father was restoring takes him on a very different journey where he meets Isabelle and her unusual godfather Georges Méliès.

Hugo hanging from clock face a la Harold Lloyd

This film is a love letter to the movies and a love letter to Paris all wrapped up in a "family film". It is really a film for thoughtful bookish adults and older children. Don't take young kids to this one, or any older children who didn't truly enjoy the Harry Potter films. Do take anyone who enjoys a deeper more thoughtful film than Hollywood usually produces these days.

Hugo learning magic tricks from Méliès

The film is full of brilliant English actors (yes all of the French people in this have English accents) such as Ben Kingsley as Méliès, Asa Butterfield as the luminous Hugo, Sacha Baron Cohen as the hilarious Station Inspector and a plethora of Potterites such as Frances de la Tour (Mme Maxime), Richard Griffiths (Mr. Dursley), Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy) and so on. Emily Mortimer is adorable as the flower seller and Jude Law does a lovely job of Hugo's father. American actress Chloe Grace Moretz is quite enchanting as Hugo's new friend and assistant in mischief. 

Gare Montparnasse Train Accident of 1895

Harold Lloyd "Safety Last!" 1923

"A Trip to the Moon"  1902

So I hope all my dear readers get a chance to see this over the holidays, and if you love it as I did, try to spread the word to others who you think would enjoy it. Keep the wrong folks away from this one however, as it needs the right audience. We will keep it as our little secret!

P.S. It is adapted from the beautifully illustrated book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by American writer Brian Selznick  who, incidentally, is distantly related to the legendary film producer David O. Selznick.

P.P.S. The automaton in this film (self-operating machine) is a realistic depiction of what these machine/toys were like in the late Victorian period. "The period 1860 to 1910 is known as "The Golden Age of Automata". During this period many small family based companies of Automata makers thrived in Paris. From their workshops they exported thousands of clockwork automata and mechanical singing birds around the world." -from Wikipedia
The Franklin Institute's Henri Maillardet Automaton was a principal inspiration for Selznick's book