Les Misérables

On Friday, December 28, 2012, I went to see the movie Les Misérables.

I know, this is not a movie, but a movie adaptation of the stage production.  But it is nonetheless, a movie now on screen.

The story follows a convict named Jean Valjean, who is allowed parole after nineteen years.  He disappears and is given a new life after a bishop "gifts" him silverware.  Valjean uses this silver to become the mayor of a town and open up a factory, where he hires workers.  However, as a fight breaks out betwee two workers, he asks his foreman to sort this out and ends up sending Fantine into the streets, since she is an unwed mother.

I will not continue the story, because that is part of the movie experience.  I have to say, however, that this was very well done.  I have not seen the musical on stage, but I have listened to the musical on a recording.  The order of the pieces are relatively in place.  There was a small change in the order of the songs for the movie...  I won't go into it here because I don't want to give it away, but I find that this change actually made the storyline and the piece in question stronger.

The actors:

Hugh Jackman played Jean Valjean
Russell Crowe played Javert
Anne Hathaway played Fantine
Amanda Seyfried played Cosette
Eddie Redmayne played Marius
Samantha Barks played Eponine (who also played this character for the 25th anniversary concert)

And many more...  Including Colm Wilkinson...  Who played Jean Valjean in the original Broadway cast.

Go and see it, it is truly an amazing work...  The first musical where the actors sang live and didn't lip sync.