Les Misérables hits the big screen
I go to a lot of gigs. A lot of gigs. More often than not, it feels like work. Another shoe gazing, floppy fringed hipster band? Great. So, when I can, I like to ram a bit of culture into my eyes and ears. This month I went to an art exhibition, the theatre and even the ballet. Lah-dee-dah.
I am also partial to the occasional musical. Earlier this year I went to Tim Minchin’s Madeline in London and have also checked out Chicago on Broadway. How fabulous is all this making me sound? My all-time favourite musical though is undoubtedly Les Misérables. If I told you I’d seen it half-a-dozen times, you would perhaps think I was a bit odd. Well, I have, and I probably am. But I love it. I know it word-for-word and there are certain songs that make me cry like a baby. So I’m pretty excited that, later this month, there is to be a motion picture adaptation of the stage show (which, incidentally has been seen by more than 60 million people in 42 countries and in 21 languages around the globe). The film is helmed by The King’s Speech’s Academy Award-winning director, Tom Hooper, and stars Hugh Jackman as Valjean, Russell Crowe as Javert (yikes!), Anne Hathaway (yum), Amanda Seyfried (double yum), Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Samantha Barks, with Helena Bonham Carter and ol’ Borat himself, Sacha Baron Cohen.
In case you don’t know, the story is set against the backdrop of 19th-century France and is a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit in the face of the worst adversity. Jackman plays an ex-prisoner hunted for decades by a ruthless policeman after he breaks parole. When he agrees to care for a factory worker’s young daughter, their lives change forever. This is the first ever musical adaptation where the singing is performed live by the actors without any post-dubbing. I cannot wait. For more info, check the Facebook link http://unr.ly/UOLc7G
All together now, “Do you hear the people sing? Singing the songs of angry men…”
Words by Bobby Townsend
UPDATE: I SAW IT AND I LOVED IT! REVIEW HERE: https://somethingyousaid.com/2012/12/27/les-miserables-is-a-triumph/
