Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne
Running Time: 157 minutes
Certificate: PG
Synopsis: When former prisoner Jean Valjean breaks his parole, he must spend a lifetime on the run from ruthless policeman Javert. But when Valjean takes a vow to care for the orphan girl Cosette, it proves a life-changing decision for them all…
Over a decade into Hollywood’s initiative to plunder every name value property possible, it seems odd that it’s taken so long to put ‘Les Mis’ on the big screen. But unlike remakes of 1970s cop shows and comic book adaptations, the ‘LES MISERABLES brand’ may not have the broad appeal the studios crave; it is, after all, a musical. And not the kind that has characters burst into song every time a pivotal plot point occurs, but the kind where the characters sing continuously, for pretty much the entire 157-minute runtime. For Les Mis fans, Tom Hooper’s adaptation is sure a dream they dreamed come true. The question is, will it work for everyone else?
The source material – Victor Hugo’s original novel and the long-running stage production – give Hooper’s version a head start; the story and songs have been drawing audiences to the theatre for over 30 years, and they continue to work their magic here. The extra layer necessary for the musical to appeal to the casual cinemagoer is the performances, holding the audience’s attention long after it feels like the songs have been ‘going on a bit’. Thankfully, LES MISERABLES is led by a stunning cast, with strong performances all round (including career-best turns from both Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway).
Director Tom Hooper understands the strength and importance of the performances, and shows surprising restraint for such an epic musical. For instance, his approach to Hathaway’s rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ is a master class in simplicity – it’s also one of the most powerful scenes we’re likely to witness in 2013, a testament to the songwriting and Hathaway’s heartbreaking delivery (take that, SuBo). That’s not to say Hooper doesn’t bring out the big guns; when the occasion calls for it, he does the ‘big number’ quite brilliantly. ‘One More Day’ and ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’ are particularly stirring, and feel like they deserve a little round of applause afterwards.
Overall, there’s little to deter casual viewers and much to enjoy – the performances, music, and grand production design are each more than enough to hold the attention for the film’s considerable running time. It’s even powerful enough to conjure the kind of empathy and emotion usually reserved for more realistic films (y’ know, the kind where people don’t sing), and retains the core themes that are so integral to the original novel – love, loss, redemption, and justice. Expect this to storm the box office; and expect Hollywood to plunder at least a few more musicals before the next decade is done.
LES MISERABLES arrives in UK cinemas 11th January.
