"King's Speech" director to take on "Les Miserables"

[Unicron]

I'm interested in the movie, but I have to admit I've had mixed feelings on the trailers so far. I think they're going for a very interesting format in trying to make the music feel more realistic than it might seem in the theater setting, but going only by the trailers it doesn't have the same feel for me. It feels almost like some of the songs are only half sung and don't have the same emotional resonance. But the trailers are pretty short and that might not be the case with the full movie. I'm keeping an open mind.

[CaptainCanada]

They just did the first screenings in New York. Early reaction seems to be extremely enthusiastic. InContention.com's Kris Tapley, Fandango's Dave Karger, and blogger/noted musical theatre enthusiast Nathaniel Rogers all loved it.

[Vanyel]

Awesome. I really can't wait to see it. Thanks for the links.

This thread has been alive for over a year.

[Aragorn]

This is the winter release I'm most interested in, even more so than Hobbit and Django.

[Vanyel]

A Few clips:

Valjean's Release:


At the End of Day:


Who Am I


A Heart Full of Love


On My Own

[CaptainCanada]

The difference in the actors' approaches is kind of interesting. Crowe and Barks are pretty much singing like they were on stage (Barks a bit less so), whereas Jackman and Hathaway especially are pretty heavy on sing-talking.

"At the End of the Day" is the standout sequence there, I think.

I like the realistic look overall, though I'm not really sure how they're going to make "A Little Fall of Rain" work in this aesthetic.

[Timby]

Wow. Crowe is not awful, but he is ... not good.

[Pthalo BlueMoon]

I, for one, am so glad it's not merely the stage musical put on film. The actors' interpretations are more intimate and personal, without the broad constraints of live theater. I think it's going to be phenomenal!

[Miss Chicken]

Pthalo BlueMoon wrote:

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I, for one, am so glad it's not merely the stage musical put on film. The actors' interpretations are more intimate and personal, without the broad constraints of live theater. I think it's going to be phenomenal!

It is a pleasant surprise to see you posting, Pthalo BlueMoon. Hope you will be staying around.

[Hunter X]

Tiny Timby wrote:

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Wow. Crowe is not awful, but he is ... not good.

Yeah, I had the same reaction. He feels really forced, especially when you put him against Jackman and Hathaway.

[DigificWriter]

New clips. Yay!

Some thoughts:
* Javert's lines after Valjean says 'Yes, it means I'm free' have been completely changed, and I'm curious as to what the motivation behind said change was and who, exactly, generated the new material; I'm also not seeing where this criticism of Russell Crowe's performance is coming from

* In the musical, there's more emphasis usually placed on Fantine's line 'what's the matter with that', but I like the more subdued approach that Hathaway brings when she says that line; it's almost as if she's trying to avoid breaking into tears

* There's an adorable awkwardness to A Heart Full of Love that I don't remember picking up on in any of the other renditions of the song that I've heard; that might be due to Seyfried and Redmayne's performances, or it might be due to the choreography and direction, but whatever the reason is, I like it

* I've heard Samantha Barks perform On My Own before, but it seems to me as if she's brought a more vulnerable approach to the song this time out, particularly when she says 'and he has found me', which I find really neat because it adds more pathos to the song

[CaptainCanada]

DigificWriter wrote:

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Some thoughts:
* Javert's lines after Valjean says 'Yes, it means I'm free' have been completely changed, and I'm curious as to what the motivation behind said change was

I would guess they thought the "yellow ticket of leave" wouldn't really be clear to people unfamiliar with the mid-19th century French penal system.

[DigificWriter]

^ This is the first adaptation of the musical that I'm aware of not to include the original lines, so I'm doubtful that worries about people being confused motivated the change, which is why I'm curious in the first place as to why the lines were changed.

[CaptainCanada]

DigificWriter wrote:

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^ This is the first adaptation of the musical that I'm aware of not to include the original lines, so I'm doubtful that worries about people being confused motivated the change, which is why I'm curious in the first place as to why the lines were changed.

What earlier adaptations of the musical? This is the first film.

[DigificWriter]

^ Okay, 'adaptation' was the wrong word to use; I should've used 'iteration'.