Les Miserables: What movie is good?

[RamblingMad]

It's seems like a new movie version is coming out every other year. Which ones are worth watching?

 

[FigmentSpark]

I love the Hugh Jackman version.

 

[fly girl]

None of them.

Yes, I know. Not helpful at all. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

I’m one of the rare ones that never understood the allure of Les Mis.

 

[TCRAIG]

Compared to the stage - none of the movies even comes close

 

[Karin1984]

I am not a fan of the 1998 or 2012 movie, but I enjoyed the 2018 mini series.

I am trying to remember if I ever saw the 2000 French mini series with Gérard Depardieu and John Malkovich or just heard about it.

I usually prefer miniseries of novels over movies. As movies are shorter they have to leave out stuff. Same with Pride & Prejudice, I cannot stand the movie with Keira Knightly because it leaves out some good scenes (that and the miniseries with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle is just perfect )

*Edit* Ok, this is bad. I have a huge dvd collection of period/costume dramas, and I forgot I actually own the 2000 series of Les Mis...
I think I've only watched it once, so it didn't make a huge impression. Whenever I have 6 hours left, I will watch it again and report back.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I love the Hugh Jackman version.

My son met Mr Jackman last summer in Boston riding his bike before a show. He said he was super nice. It was ironic because we had to drag DS to the movies the night we saw Jackman’s Les Mis on screen. We bribed him saying maybe he could get out of reading the book or something. But I think he was glad he saw it otherwise he may not have known who he was.

 

[Skywalker]

The Hugh Jackman version is basically a filmed version of the musical, the earlier ones (at least from what I remember) are straight dramatic interpretations of the original novel, not musicals at all. So I guess it depends - do you want to see the play or read the book lol.

 

[Karin1984]

The Hugh Jackman version is basically a filmed version of the musical, the earlier ones (at least from what I remember) are straight dramatic interpretations of the original novel, not musicals at all. So I guess it depends - do you want to see the play or read the book lol.

True. For the musical the Hugh Jackman version is the only movie. Although the 10th and 25th anniversary concerts are available on DVD. And as it is a sung through musical that except for the barricade-scene doesnt have to rely on big sets I would advise these over the movie. Better singers.
If I remember the 1998 version correctly, it is heavily influenced by musical in which parts to cut from the story of the novel.

The reason I do not care for the Hugh Jackman version is mainly due to the overuse of close ups. I do not need to count someone's pores constantly.

 

[samsteele]

Watch the musical rather than the movie.

The 10th Anniversary Concert from Royal Albert Hall with Colm Wilkinson is here on youtube:

The production with Alfie Boe is also excellent and should be on youtube as well.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Watch the musical rather than the movie.

The 10th Anniversary Concert from Royal Albert Hall with Colm Wilkinson is here on youtube:

Is a concert really a musical, though?

 

[KayMichigan]

I always urge people to read the book. Yes, it's super long, so you can just read the parts that are in the musical. It really gives you a MUCH deeper understanding of the story and Valjean's moral struggle in ways they just couldn't show on stage. It's available for free online since it's in the public domain.

I liked parts of the 2012 movie, like Hugh Jackman's performance, but Tom Hooper was the wrong director for the project. I didn't think the weird angles, closeups and live singing helped the material any.

 

[TavieP]

Watch the musical rather than the movie.

The 10th Anniversary Concert from Royal Albert Hall with Colm Wilkinson is here on youtube:

The production with Alfie Boe is also excellent and should be on youtube as well.

I came here to post this exact link. If you're looking for the songs and singing done at the quality of the original West End/Broadway stage versions, this is what you want to watch.

I liked the 2012 movie, but the live singing was a very difference experience than it was on the stage. (Les Mis was the first Broadway show I ever saw at age 12.)

 

[Karin1984]

Is a concert really a musical, though?

Depends on the musical, Les Miserables is a musical which doesnt have many sets, hardly any choreography. There is no dialogue, just songs.
In my opinion this one works really well in concert, especially when done in costume.

Miss Saigon or Cats are also sung through, but rely much more on sets and choreography and do not work well as a concert.

 

[sam_gordon]

I’m one of the rare ones that never understood the allure of Les Mis.

I think Les Mis is HEAD AND SHOULDERS above Hamilton, but apparently I'm in the minority.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I tried to read the book once. 700+ pages, the first 100 were about the bishop who gives Jean Val Jean his break then disappears from the book. I love the story and I expect it's a wonderful book, but I just didn't have the time to dedicate to it.

 

[Karin1984]

As I mentioned 'Miss Saigon' in my previous post, I spent the rest of the day watching videos of this show.

To illustrate what I meant about can a concert be a musical, I give you the Royal Variety performance of the 2014 revival of Miss Saigon in London with the best Engineer ever Jon Jon Briones. (I do not want a movie of this musical, but if they do, Jon Jon better be asked to reprise this role)

They perform Last Night of the World and The American Dream.
The first song is a love duet as there are so many. I do admit it becomes better when the singers have the freedom to move around and touch each other. But it can work very well without the acting and the movement, just as a song in a concert. With The American Dream I need 32 dancers and a cadillac on stage without it, the song doesnt work nearly as well.

 

[KayMichigan]

I tried to read the book once. 700+ pages, the first 100 were about the bishop who gives Jean Val Jean his break then disappears from the book. I love the story and I expect it's a wonderful book, but I just didn't have the time to dedicate to it.

I can fully understand that. It's a very long, dense book, written at a time when reading was pretty much all most people did for entertainment, so they liked their prose long and full of detail. Valjean doesn't even show up until far into the first part of the story. There are also huge parts dedicated to the battle of Waterloo and the history of the Paris sewers that modern readers aren't really going to be into.

That's why I'd recommend just skipping to the parts you want to read if you want to. It really gives a lot of nuance to the stage show, and you learn all sorts of new things about the characters, such as the fact that Gavroche is Eponine's brother.

I'd also like to add my vote for the 10th Anniversary Concert as being the best adaptation of the story I've seen. I've also heard really good things about the recent BBC adaptation but haven't seen it yet.

 

[Tinijocaro]

As I mentioned 'Miss Saigon' in my previous post, I spent the rest of the day watching videos of this show.

To illustrate what I meant about can a concert be a musical, I give you the Royal Variety performance of the 2014 revival of Miss Saigon in London with the best Engineer ever Jon Jon Briones. (I do not want a movie of this musical, but if they do, Jon Jon better be asked to reprise this role)

They perform Last Night of the World and The American Dream.
The first song is a love duet as there are so many. I do admit it becomes better when the singers have the freedom to move around and touch each other. But it can work very well without the acting and the movement, just as a song in a concert. With The American Dream I need 32 dancers and a cadillac on stage without it, the song doesnt work nearly as well.

I became obsessed with Miss Saigon a few years back when my daughter was in the hospital for a couple weeks and I kept going down the youtube rabbithole and ended up watching Lea Solonga's audition for Mis Saigon. She is just incredible. Have you seen her sing to her husband at their wedding? OMG!

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Les Mis is my absolute favorite musical. So I vote the Hugh Jackman movie.

Also, Colm Wilkinson is amazing. Also really love Alfie Boe.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I became obsessed with Miss Saigon a few years back when my daughter was in the hospital for a couple weeks and I kept going down the youtube rabbithole and ended up watching Lea Solonga's audition for Mis Saigon. She is just incredible. Have you seen her sing to her husband at their wedding? OMG!

The original Miss Saigon is wonderful. I saw the new version on tour last year and I hated how they changed the songs and really made it more "adult".