Les Misérables 2012 Musical Review

Les Misérables 2012, directed by Tom Hooper, is a cinematic adaptation of the stage show by the same name, written by Claude Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil. The stage production is a layered depiction of the epic novel, Les Misérables, written by Victor Hugo in 1862. Tom Hooper’s film version tells the story of the July French Revolution (1830), through multiple perspectives.

Tom Hooper grounds the film in the same grit that has captivated audiences since 1985. The film holds a constant dance between beauty and ugly, dirt and shine, delicacy and chaos, rich and poor. The scene of which Anne Hathaway sings, I Dreamed a Dream, opens from a high angle, displaying her raw vulnerability in this moment. She lies in a wooden box, padded with cloths and cushions. She appears both as a dying corpse lying fragile in a coffin, yet simultaneously, as a young baby in a cot. Her hair short and tufty, cheeks rosy and skin bare. There is a cast of light across her brow, signifying both heaven and the light of a new day. As she sits upright, we become aware of the dusty and creamy tones in her skin, appearing as an oil painting against the pitch-black backdrop, shadowing the footprints of the man who violated Fantine only a few moments before. Tom Hooper plays upon the juxtaposition of dark and light, life and death. We see this throughout the film. Later, when Jean Val Jean embraces his death in the ‘Epilogue’, his appearance is ashy, his robe rough like his features. Hooper captures Hugh Jackman from a low angle as he sings to Cosette, a bride, who with her groom Marius literally sparkle in their wedding attire. They look up into the heavenly light that surrounds Val-Jean, just as it surrounded Anne Hathaway. His spirit walks through the same church that housed the Bishop who gave Val – Jean a life out of prison. Each shot is washed with a dark green tinge that softens the black tones, and complements each candle, a hazy gauze plunges the Epilogue into visual beauty as Val-Jean concludes the story in a cyclical way.

Musically, the singing style reflects the same tough realism as the visuals. Each actor sang live, with real time accompaniment. We can feel the pain of the actors emotionally as they immersed themselves in such melancholic songs, but also the physical tension they faced belting and singing for days on end. We can hear and see the rasp and strain on their voices, as if they were real life characters expressing real emotions. Their voice quality is different to the stage productions. Many of the lead actors, including Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, Anne Hathaway, Helena-Bonham Carter are not traditional musical theatre singers. As non-professional singers, the imperfections of their voices give a gritty-authenticity to the singing. It has attributes of cinema verité, you can hear the voice tremors and cracks, rasps and breathless nature. However, potentially this use of non-professional singing goes too far. When we see Javert, played by Russell Crowe, we are met with a voice that reflects the role of a policeman. It is un-agile, sturdy, somewhat emotionless and direct, assertive. Of course, these are necessary characteristics, but the lack of musicality is perhaps too disjunct for the ear. When watching a musical, the viewer wishes to hear passionate singing, and sometimes Crowe’s performance is lack-lustre, as though he is self-conscious about the quality of his voice. When compared to Eddie Redmayne’s transcending performance of ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’, Russell Crowe’s performance is a little dull and emotionless. Aside from this small criticism, the general use of non-professional singers gives a rawness to each performance. The actors seem more concerned with the conviction of expression, than the perfection of their vocal agility.

It is important to mention the costume and set design. Les Misérables was shot in Pinewood Studios. This was an excellent choice as designers were able to make exaggerated jagged, wonky houses, unrealistically narrow streets and pointed roofs, giving the film a fantastical element. During ‘Master of The House’ we are greeted with a spectacle of quirkiness. Sacha Baron Cohen is dressed like a 19th Century French pirate, swanning past a pathetic array of drunken men, wearing bonnets, vomit coated tuxedo’s, with one individual holding his sleepy face in a dog bowl. Helena Bonham Carter wears a bleached yellow wig, with twig attachments that make the hair look like a bird’s nest. She hops around guests, pulling nick-nacks from their pockets, whilst Thenardier (Cohen) greets a text-book Santa Clause outside the pub. The scene is utter chaos in the best possible way. Each costume represents a comical figure, and every room holds a scene of disbelief. Thenardier chops a cat’s tail and plops it into a mince mixture, along with a bird, horse liver and a human leg! Next door, a woman dressed as an elf, has sex with Santa in a four-post bed. The set and costumes speak for themselves, with small details of obscenity in every corner, which would not be seen or presented in a stage version.

To conclude: Les Misérables (2012) draws out the stark realism that the theatre productions are usually unable to show. Although completely sung through, the film does not feel like a musical, instead a play in which actors tap into their deep psyche and emotions to convey these complex characters. Visually, Tom Hooper plays with the sublime, pulling out the beauty within the ugly and marrying it with the saddening yet melodically pleasing music. There is a constant balance between masculine and feminine, harsh and soft. For a multi-dimensional experience, Les Misérables is the film to watch.

I Dreamed a Dream - https://youtu.be/ulJXiB5i_q0

Epilogue - https://youtu.be/88T3elu2wfE

Javert - https://youtu.be/9jfRE_FljrE

Master of The House - https://youtu.be/WWzBtuGsXGc

Lovely Ladies - https://youtu.be/p19_cNfcR7E