I have always been fascinated by musicals--from Miss Saigon, Wicked, Once on this Island, Beauty and the Beast, Cats...and yes Les Miserables. When I watched Miss Saigon when it returned to Manila, I was enthralled once again by the world of theatre and I even forced my mom to buy me the 2-CD Original Broadway Cast performance of the musical. Well, that was the time when Spotify or Deezer or even YouTube was unknown and the only way to get them cheaply is to either download from Napster or Limewire or buy it from some obscure alleyway of Manila. I was not really the kid who fancied watching concerts nor movies but if you invite me to watch a stage play or musical I would definitely never resist. I watched all the time with my mom a.k.a the banker and ticket financer. We watched all kinds of theatres--from the one with the big names like Cats and Cinderella down to those performed by budding actors and actresses from Trumpets or Repertory Philippines. I love everything about the theatre--the acting and singing, the stage production, the musical scoring, the script and story line of course! A good line will always capture my heart and a wonderful tune will always move me. I love the comical stints inserted in stage plays which halts brewing boredom of the audience. I am not that good when it comes to the latest music in town but if you ask me about theatrical tunes I bet you will find me a bit geeky.
Coming here to London, my brain went haywire with the idea of being so close to the West End and all the fantastic shows it offers. Well, it took a long while for us to get a chance to watch one as evidenced by my previous post. When I heard about the new Les Miz movie, my neurons were firing even faster than the speed of light. The old movie was a bit bland and focused more on Fantine and Cosette. Eponine was nearly nonexistent. Nevertheless, I was not disappointed with the new movie not just because of the great singing and musical scoring but because it was able to communicate the heart of Les Miz which is about reformation, both personal and societal and love for God and mankind. I love it to bits that I feel I can watch it over and over again and still shed tears towards the end. It is just quite unfortunate that it premiered in the UK later than the other parts of the world. While Singapore was crying, Londoners like me do not even have the slightest idea how really moving it is.
When we watched last night, I was amazed at how the audience behaved. Not a single phone rang and illuminations from phone screens turning on were close to nil. No food bags rustling, no noisy sipping of drinks. Not one stood from from their seats for a quick bladder relief. Amazing indeed what the movie did to the patrons. There were even times when people clapped after each scene as if we were watching a live musical. Well, I will have to admit that I did silently clap several times. I have read FB posts about the do's and don'ts when watching Les Miz which included something about restraining oneself from singing along with the actors. I thought it was common sense, but did I succeed? No, I was humming in my head for a moment, lip singing the next then silently singing to myself especially during Fantine's I Dream a Dream, Eponine's On My Own, and Do You Hear The People Sing. Guilty as charged. The last 30-40 minutes of the film were absolute tear jerkers. People were crying, the teenagers behind us were literally wailing. The Met Office would have raised and amber warning for severe overflow of tears. I cried and sniffled in silence. My guy friend who watched with me was also weeping. Total puffiness!
What's the rating then?
Cinematography is perfect. (Though not nominated in the Oscars)
Musical Scoring is perfect.
Casting is sublime.
Acting and Singing...I'm speechless.
The over-all sound needs a bit of boosting but I'm not so sure if it was just a problem with the cinema's volume controls. (?)
5 out of 5 stars.
Hugh Jackman deserves the best actor award. Imagine Wolverine turned Valjean! The acting and singing was way beyond my expectation. Likewise with Anne Hathaway, Les Miz elevated her to the ranks of premiere actresses, able to handle more mature roles, so far from where she started as Mia Thermopolis in Princess Diaries. She too should win the best female supporting actress. Anne's love for Les Mis as a kid finally came to fruition when she got casted in this film. Moreover, it is also amusing to note that Helena Carter who played Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter played an almost similar character as Madame Thenardier in Les Mis, only proving her suitability for these kinds of roles. Russell Crowe sang. Yes, the Gladiator with A Beautiful Mind can sing.
Fantastic. Absolutely Fantastic.
Who said Skyfall was the best British film of the year?
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