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LES MISERABLES

3503 Views 52 Replies 27 Participants Last post by  Michael R. Hicks
I'm not big into musicals, but I just got back from seeing the first showing of Les Mis at our local theater here in Sarasota and it was AWESOME! Hathaway's singing tore me up, and the vocals by the rest of the cast (is there anything Hugh Jackman *can't* do?) was amazing. I had some minor quibbles, but I don't want to spoil it for anybody. And yes, I confess to batting away a few tears...

Recommendation: GO SEE IT!  8)
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Yay, we're planning on seeing it next week


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glad you enjoyed it.  i was not impressed by the cast recording, and personally, i didn't think jackman sounded that good as valjean.  i think he would have been better as javert.  
Planning on seeing it today. I'm sitting waiting for Django to start and will try to get to it after. I'm a total Les Mis virgin. Never seen any version of it or read the book, so I'll have nothing to compare it to.
I want to see it, but there's no way I'll be able to drag my boyfriend to it.  He's still fuming over that last musical I made him sit through!  Maybe I can convince someone else to go.  I love Les Mis.
JimJ said:
I'm a total Les Mis virgin. Never seen any version of it or read the book, so I'll have nothing to compare it to.
Me too...and I am looking forward to seeing it!

L
JezStrider said:
I want to see it, but there's no way I'll be able to drag my boyfriend to it. He's still fuming over that last musical I made him sit through! Maybe I can convince someone else to go. I love Les Mis.
forget the boyfriend. go by yourself. buy a big thing of popcorn and hang on to your kleenex. then tell him what a marvelous movie he missed.

find a movie he wants to see that you don't that's playing at the same multiplex around the same time as les miz, and catch a ride with him if you want, then split up, have a great time, then hit the diner and discuss your movies.
Going tomorrow with my daughter - can't wait!  (My across-the-country daughter is seeing it today - waiting to get her report.  She posted a pic on Facebook of her ticket and Kleenex.  :) )  We saw it on tour in DC about 15 years ago, after watching the 10 year anniversary concert multiple times.  Loved it.  

I was impressed with the fact that the singing was "live", rather than recorded then lip synced - supposedly the first time it's been done in a movie.  And learned on the HBO First Look show last night that Anne Hathaway's mother played Fantine in the first touring show, so for her this was a dream role.  

I picked up the movie highlights soundtrack from Amazon but haven't listened yet - wanted to see the movie first.  
Regarding the singing live, according to the New York Times:

Mr. Hooper's decision to shoot the singing live, as opposed to having the singers lip-sync pre-recorded songs, as has been customary in movie musicals since the 1930s, yields benefits. That's especially the case with Ms. Hathaway, Mr. Redmayne and Daniel Huttlestone, a scene-stealer who plays the Thénardiers' young son. (This isn't the first contemporary musical to resurrect the practice of live singing, which was used for both "At Long Last Love," directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and "The Commitments," directed by Alan Parker.)
Here's a video of the actors talking about singing it live and the difference it can make.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2587403289/
I have seen Les Mis on the stage twice, and can hardly wait to get to the movie. Maybe tomorrow!
I can't wait to see it! I'll go sometime in the next few days. I'm taking my sister to see it as a Christmas present!
I'm not a musical guy at all but I wouldn't mind seeing Les Mis...if anything, it'll be good to just see what the whole thing is about.
Going to the movies after work with the famiky. We are still debating as to what we will view. Mom and I are trying to pressure the guys into Les Mis.

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Just got home from seeing the afternoon matinee.  The movie theater was sold out.  All I can say is, "WOW".

It has been a long time since I read the book, but if you thought the story was powerful in the written word, the addition of the music and words of the songs only make the story even more powerful.  DH was even shedding a tear or two at the end, I started much earlier.  It's a good thing I took a box of kleenex.  Just fantastic.
I have seen the stage play about five or six times and I have always loved it.  I had high hopes for the film.  Glad to hear that it's worth seeing.
I'm dying to see it and am hoping I'll get over my cold in time to go with my sister. There's no way my hubby will take me and I don't want to go alone. Think the theatre would notice a little Yorkshire terrier stuffed inside my coat? He's a good movie companion...

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I really loved it.  Like I said, first time ever seeing the story in any medium and I think that helped my enjoyment as I was able to just experience it without making any comparisons.  Anne Hathaway was absolutely amazing.  I Dreamed a Dream was incredibly powerful and gave me goosebumps.  Really loved Russell Crowe too.  Javert was probably the most interesting character to me.  I knew very little of the story going in, but I knew that Javert was, essentially, the villain.  Didn't expect him to be so well rounded and sympathetic, and Crowe did a great job of portraying him.

Lots of sniffling in my showing, followed by one of the bigger rounds of applause I've heard in a movie theater, at least for something that wasn't a midnight premiere of a big sequel or something like that.
I want to see it in theaters too, but no one wants to go with me...and strangely, I cannot go to a movie by myself.  It's like restaurants, I just can't sit down and eat by myself.  There's just really no strong reason why other than that it's akward and wierd.

I wish those who have no one to go with, can get organized and go with each other.  Anyone in Eastside area in Western WA? :)  Ha-ha! :)

Tris
The highlights soundtrack is five dollars on amazon mp3 has 20 of the songs from the movie

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