At JHS, many sophomores read Les Misérables in English class. There have been at least three movies made of this book before, but the newest film may be the most sensational.
The new movie Les Misérables, which came out on Christmas Day 2012, is based on the musical of the same name from the 1980s, which is based on the 1862 novel.
The movie stars Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, a prisoner arrested for stealing a loaf of bread who served nineteen years in prison for the crime, not to mention his several escape attempts; Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert, a fanatical policeman after Valjean; Anne Hathaway as Fantine, a working class woman turned prostitute; and Amanda Seyfried as Cosette, Fantine’s child.
The movie is based around Jean Valjean, who, after being released from prison onto parole, consequently breaks that parole and is forced to run from the obsessed Inspector Javert, who refuses to let even one prisoner go free who doesn’t deserve it. After escaping and making a valuable life for himself, Valjean meets Fantine, who is dying from tuberculosis. He makes a promise to take care of her young daughter, Cosette. The entire movie is set against the backdrop of the 1832 June Rebellion in France.
The movie is breathtaking. It is visually stunning, with amazing images, from grand scenes to the smallest details. The music, since Les Misérables is an opera, particularly the opening number “Look Down” and the comic relief song “Master of the House” is incredibly catchy. Each actor in the movie has an incredibly unique voice, made even more striking by the fact that the audio was filmed live instead of being dubbed over.
The whole movie is intended to pull on your emotions, and it accomplishes this perfectly. The film manages to feel extraordinarily real, which leads viewers to feel engaged in the action and the drama. The movie is an emotional success from beginning to end.