Les Miserables

[dodgy-alan 1,587]

Went to see this fabulous movie last night. Marie and I are well versed in the stage show and this did not dissapoint. It is an emotional roller coaster, Marie sobbed her eyes out at times, It's a real choker. At nearly 3 hours long it's a real journey but well worth it, we loved it....in a word, Awesome!

(one good thing about it is that it does not appeal to the average "Yoof in a hoodie!" or young children so you can watch it in relative peace!)

[Tim_A 997]

I saw it at the weekend in a packed cinema. Some of it was difficult to hear over all the sniffing...

Very good performances, although Russell Crowe came over as rather one noted, definitely the weakest performance. Sascha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were brilliant as the comic relief. Jackman carried the film though - no surprise though that he is up for the Best Actor gong, and Anne Hathaway too for Best Supporting Actress.

Man the barricades!

[dodgy-alan 1,587]

I agree with you there, Hugh Jackman is phenomenal, His rendition of Bring Him Home even brought tears to my eyes, Cohen and Bonham-Carter are perfectly cast in the comedy role,(though in the book the landlord is a nasty b--t--d !), Hathaway is sublime. A lot of the songs are familiar, but seeing them in the correct context makes them all the more poignant. It's a real tour-de-force for all concerned, Hopefully going to see it again before it moves on and will join our DVD collection as soon as it goes on sale.

[Tim_A 997]

Some interesting differences from the stage show too. Both Hathaway and Jackman got Golden Globes the other night, so I'm even more convinced there are Oscars coming. BTW, there's a review up on my blog http://timarnot.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/les-miserables.html

[dodgy-alan 1,587]

Interesting blog there Tim. I came across a piece the other day explaining about where the pices were filmed. The Dockyard first seen is Portsmouth, (the ship being towed is modelled on Pompeys famous guest HMS Victory! and for a brief moment as the camera pans round you do in fact see that famous ship!) Many of the "prisoners are in fact Royal Navy dock workers hired as extras for the scene. The scene then shifts to Chatham dockyard for the "Lovely Ladies" scene, Hathaway was filmed in the ropery at Chatham. Other scenes were filmed at Greenwich Naval College ( the funeral cortege and first major gathering) and then Winchester, with the famous Cathedral being used for many of the internal scenes including Valjeans final scene. The bridge where Javert meets his end is in Cambridge and the French mountains were the real deal when Valjean seeks sanctuary in the church, It was the only real bit of France in the film. The barricade scenes, the inn, and the streets of Paris, were filmed at Pinewood which is why you felt that the scene seemed somewhat smaller than the rest of the movie. All in all though I think the effects were spot on for the film and it holds together well.

As is widely known, Anne Hathaways haircutting scene was her own idea and it was her own real hair! The producers tried to talk her out of it but she insisted, (cheap free haircut I guess!). Helena Bonhham Carter I thought bought a touch of her previous incarnation as Mrs Miggins (Sweeney Todd) to her part and it was none the worse for it. (I would go as far as to say that they could quite easily flesh these characters out with a back story and seperate production purely about them as a stand alone comedy! A sort of 19th century Only Fools and Horses!)

There are those that will no doubt slate it, there are for any movie, but I would say they are a minority and they should be ignored. This film has picked up several accolades and deservedly so.

[Tim_A 997]

Seeing as I was born in Chatham, my dad worked in the dockyard and an uncle worked in the ropery (used to get personal tours on Navy Days!), and I went to college in Pompey, I should have recognised them, lol. But I suppose one dry dock looks like another...

Yes the Paris scenes really did look like sets rather than streets, which was a shame IMHO.

"Okay, hair cutting scene, take two... oh. oops!"

[M31 0]

I'm just a simple sort of guy I guess, but looking fwd to James Bond again for Skyfall.

 

Have the Blu Ray boxset already and it has a place at the end for Skyfall ...

 

 

 

Out next week I think?

 

Great fun.

 

[dodgy-alan 1,587]

Great movie, saw that one twice as well, I think DC has really made the role his own. He could turn out to be the best Bond ever. Pierce Brosnan was great too, though apparently the family of Ian Fleming said a while ago that Tim Dalton was the closest to the character as envisaged by Ian. I have to say I too liked him, he was definately classy. Connery, inspite of all the adulations and the money it brought him, actually hated it and would never give interviews about it. He an Cubby Broccoli had massive rows and in the end would only speak to each other through a third party. Connery was the only Bond that had to wear a toupeé for the role as he was going bald even then!

[brett 2,316]

I grew up as a young lad seeing Connery as the super spy in so many movies. Everyone wanted to be him. Although all the actors have brought their own to the part, I still think Connery was the best actor for the double ought. I will admit that Daniel Craig is the character I see in my mind when reading the books though.

[allardjd 1,853]

 I still think Connery was the best actor for the double ought.

 

 +1

 

John