A Fresh Old Tale

After being read in several languages, and being staged as a play and a musical in theatres all across the world, the Victor Hugo classic from the post-revolution era returns; this time on celluloid. Les Miserables, directed by Tom Hooper, is one of the rare films which comes very close to doing justice to its book, save for the details that are lost in transforming a text into visuals. A multi-starrer musical, Les Miserables is a melodious lesson in history – a history of one of the most turbulent times of the millennium.

Following the narrative structure of the book, Hooper’s film begins with the release of protagonist Jean Valjean after completing a 19-year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister’s sick child. From that starting point in 1815 till the June Rebellion in Paris in 1832, the film chronicles the superb journey of the five main characters in their individual struggles and redemption. The Dickensian plot exaggerates the oppression to a high magnitude which compels you to feel the pain. Be it Jean Valjean’s fateful encounters with Javert, be it Fantine’s helpless submission to her fate, be it Cosette’s tale of hope, be it Marius’ socialistic struggle or Eponine’s sacrifice; all the elements create a compound effect which make Les Miserables the popular classic that it is.

As far as the plot and story are concerned, the film accurately reflects the pages of the book. However, its screenplay and the musical treatment that gives the film its character. Most of the musical numbers in the film revolve around the character’s innermost emotions which when classified, fall into four broad categories that are incidentally the byline of the film – fight, dream, hope, love. In terms of its production, Paris of the 19th century is visualised just as brutally as Victor Hugo’s novel does, which makes the struggles of these characters amplify against that cruel and morose backdrop. Add to that, the accuracy of costumes and the impeccable make-up paint the most amazing picture of the period.

A musical always gives additional responsibility on the characters to take the narrative forward and that task is handled with grace by all the lead characters. Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean does more than enough to project the life of a prison-worn veteran who picks up life from where he left it. He, along with his antithesis, officer Javert, played by Russell Crowe, recreates the confrontations of two characters that have become literary archetypes since. Anne Hathaway impresses as Fantine, especially in her soliloquy ‘I dreamed a dream’ where she grabs on to your collar and makes you feel her angst. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter are by far the best suited pair to play the Thenardier couple.

 

Les Miserables is one of the most personalised fictitious accounts that tell you about the socio-political history of the disorderly post-revolution France. Like a survivor of an apocalypse, the film is a retelling of a horrifying account, such that you almost feel like you were there. Categorising the film as anything would mean undermining it, but Tom Hooper has definitely made a film that has the potential to be a modern classic.

Rating - 4 out of 5

Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on January 20, 2013