Yes, I know we just had a Les Mis post. And I just want to say that I agree with everything that was said. I loved the film, it was a great adaptation of the musical, and the acting and singing was incredible. In fact, I can almost say that Les Mis was my favorite movie of the year (there were so many good ones!). That said, I liked it so much that I can afford to be nit-picky. There were a few technical aspects that I thought suffered because of the uniqueness of the film.
Despite the great performance, the framing and eyeline do not match
In a way, this goes back to a lot of the discussion we had in class regarding acting for film and acting for theatre. Much of the film was shot in such a way to let the actors act as they saw fit. Because the musical performances set the pacing of the film, the cinematography suffered because the pacing was not as tight as it would be under normal conditions. For instance, there were framing issues throughout, as the steadicam operators struggled to keep up with the actors moving around so freely. There were also some weird eyeline issues. It is obvious that from a directorial standpoint, the performance was placed above the cinematography in terms of choosing which take to put in the final cut. That said, I am glad they made that choice because it led to the great performances that we saw.
Like I said, this was a great movie that I enjoyed very much, and it was innovative in a lot of respects. But because of these innovations, it led to some neglect of the traditional approach.
Also, in no way do I mean to knock the steadicam operators. They did some awesome work as seen in the behind the scenes video below.
As I mentioned in class on Wednesday, I am a big theatre dweeb. So of course, when Les Miserables hit theaters this past December, I had to see it. As much as I love theater and film, I have never been a fan of when the two are blended together. For example, I'm not the biggest fan of RENT which hit Broadway in 1996 and movie theaters in 2005. Why? Well, I could go on for a while for a lot of different reasons. But one of the biggest reasons, which I know many will disagree, is that casting Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp was a mistake. As we discussed in class, theatre acting and film acting are two very different things. I think that Pascal and Rapp are phenomenal actors on stage and on film, but being thrown together with the rest of the broadway cast makes the film more "broadway" and not "film"- making the story seem fake and pieced together.
But back to where I was before, I think Les Mis was one of the BEST films I have seen that has been based on a musical. What stood out to me was the audio. There was no lip syncing which was impressive for the performer and the audio crew as well. The sound was crystal clear. I remember watching a scene where it was raining, and I felt like I could hear every single rain drop hit the ground perfectly. Not to mention that since there was no lip syncing, it made the story feel that much more real.
Also, I need to talk about Anne Hathaway. By far- one of the most compelling performances I have ever scene from an actress. Her dramatic 25 pound weight loss to fit the role was only step one of her commitment to the role of Fantine. Her emotional portrayal, particularly in "I Dreamed a Dream", was one of the most beautiful performances I have ever seen. She nailed it.
Needless to say, I saw Les Mis twice, and wish I had time to see it again.
After watching the first two editions of Everything is a Remix in class, I went home and watched the two following episodes. It got me to thinking about a new film coming out that is definitely a remix. Les Miserables is a film coming out on Christmas day that chronicles the life of ex-convict and refugee Jean Valjean, Javert (the man trying to catch him), and the love triangle between orphaned Cosette, young soldier Marius, and peasant Eponine. It is set amongst the backdrop of the 19th century French Rebellion.
Les Miserables started out as a novel written by the French author Victor Hugo in the year 1862. Since then, the novel has been remade a multitude of times through a variety of different media (ex: comic books, films, animations), most notably the 1980's musical of the same name.
The new film is based off of the stage musical, as it will follow the same plot arrangement and musical numbers. I'm particularly excited by this remake as it is directed by Academy Award winning director Tom Hopper (The King's Speech). It also stars some big names such as Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried, and Anne Hathaway. All of the singing is done live on set, which is different than most musicals which are pre-recorded. After watching some featurette footage on the making of the film as well as the trailer, it looks really well done!
I would like to bring your attention, if it has not already been brought, to a remake of a classic musical that is set to come out in 2012. Now, I am not one to like musicals in general, I think that Rent and Wicked have gotten played so many times, and now whenever I hear a song from them my brain clenches up like a fist. Yeah, you could say I'm sick of them.
There is one musical, however, that ever since I was in it in senior year of high school never ceases to bring joy to my heart and a tear to my eye. That musical, ladies and gentlemen, is Les Miserables. The tragic yet uplifting story of Jean Valjean and his pursuer Javert amid the chaos of revolutionary France is nothing short of amazing. And IMDB says that they are set to remake it.
Not only are they going to remake it, but the cast that is rumored to star is crazy good. Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Anne Hathaway as Fantine, Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert, Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thenardier, and Geoffrey Rush is rumored to play Monsieur Thenardier. I mean...really. It going to be amazing.
It's going to be directed by Tom Hooper, who also directed The King's Speech.
You can read more about the new production here, and here is a trailer for the 1998 version starring Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Therman and Claire Danes.
Although I am a TV-R major and know I want to do TV in the future, I've always loved film...especially the watching movies part. As all film lovers know, award season is upon us and you know what that means? It's cram time! Time to watch all the best picture nominees before the big show, the Academy Awards, on February 27th! Last weekend I went to Cinemapolis and saw 'The Kings Speech.' This is the fourth of the nominated films I have viewed and definitely one of my favorites. The muted lighting of this film greatly enhances the mood that the director, Tom Hooper was trying to convey. During the tense moments when Colin Firth's character is faced with both internal and external conflict, the lighting had a greater contrast between light and dark. Overall the lighting had a great impact on the mood and further the audience's reaction to the story.
