"I order you to forgive yourself."
LES MISERABLES (PG-13) 
Reviewed May 2, 1998 - Check out the Les Miserables web site.
Based on Victor Hugo's famous and much-adapted novel, Les Miserables the 1997 movie presents a new two-hour interpretation of Jean Valjean's tale. Starring Liam Neeson as Valjean, Geoffrey Rush as Inspector Javert, Uma Thurman as Fantine and Claire Danes as Cosette, this Les Miserables is a lavishly-costumed, finely-acted, and cleanly directed film. For those who are unfamiliar with this epic story, it's practically a must-see. Valjean's quest to start a new life while running from the law leads to lessons of injustice, hate, compassion, love, loss, forgiveness and sacrifice...and no, I am not being melodramatic about this! The scope of Hugo's original tale is truly amazing, and if there's one thing that weakens this film, it is its inability to explore Hugo's vision in greater depth. Unfortunately, keeping a film to reasonable running times has its disadvantages, and it was disappointing to see certain subplots (and characters) chopped out of the film. Still, most of the major themes of the story survive intact in this latest adaptation, and (again) for those who have not experienced any other adaptations of Les Miserables, this is definitely one to see.
HOWEVER, fortunately or unfortunately, there's also another adaptation of Les Miserables out there that has been wowing theatrical audiences for over ten years--the Cameron Mackintosh-produced musical often simply referred to as "Les Miz." And, if you have seen this musical adaptation then beware, Les Miserables the film may disappoint you. Sorry folks, nobody in this film even comes close to breaking out in song...and at times it's really too bad, as the film never quite achieves the emotional power of its theatrical counterpart. I am, of course, now comparing apples to oranges, but given the immense popularity of the long-running musical, the comparisons should be expected. This film is a well-crafted, generally engaging version of Hugo's novel; however, those expecting to relive the epic sweep captured by the famous musical may find this celluloid version somewhat less satisfying. Same story, different medium...I'm glad I saw the film but if I had to choose between the two, I'd take the theatrical version any day.
Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!
laurenbee27@aol.com
gives this movie star: "Oh,
Where to begin? Like most fans of Les Mis, I too was just a little disapointed...ok,
maybe that's an understatement...let's just say that by the end of the
movie I was ready to throw my TV out the window. Now, I could always pick
apart the movie and complain about the mangled themes, the portrayal of
the characters, the british accents(?!)and the missing characters (EPONINE,
WHERE WERE YOU??!!!!)but that would just be repeating what everyone else
already said. What I want to say is if you want to see Les Miserables,
go see the musical. It's a much better version of the Victor Hugo classic.
sure, it is shortened and I don't think Hugo intended for his characters
to burst out in song but it is the best version I've ever seen. Heck, it
introduced me to Les Mis so I gotta give it some credit, right? Who am
I kidding, I love that show! Anywho...I just really hated this movie. It
was ok at the beginning but then it just turned into some silly teen angst
movi! e at the end. But I guess that's what you get when Claire Danes is
in it. And for all those people who actually liked it...I just want to
say one thing...WHY?!?! and just because you think that guy who played
"Marius" was cute is not a reason. Yeah, ok, I'm done complaining
now." (6/12/01)
delecca@hotmail.com
gives this movie stars: "This
movie is a decent version of the story, but for those who have seen the
musical, or read the book, you will be dissapointed. The begining of the
movie is excillent. It portrays what happens well, and is quite complete.
The acting is awesome. But after Cosette grows up, the story falls away
from Victor Hugo's plot and takes a whole new route. Events are cut out.
And shall I even start with characters? Where is Enjorlas, Grantire and
other important students? And least I forget my FAVORITE character, Eponine?
Where is she? I was saying to myself, "Ok, she'll come in soon"
and she never showed up! She adds the interesting twist to the story and
turns the love between Cosette and Marius into a triangle. Never the less,
Claire Danes and Hans Mattasons' chemistry was awesome. And is Marius ever
CUTE!!!!!! (And he TOTALLY fits the description from the book). Overall,
it is decent, and worth seeing." (12/27/00)
ares3@machm.org gives
this movie star: "Now,
normally I don't even come close to giving most movies one star, but I
have just one question that might prove the horror and repulsive nature
of this movie, WHERE ARE ENJOLRAS, EPONINE, AND EVEN A BIT OF NORMAL RECOGNITION
TOWARDS THE STUDENTS?!?!?! What ever happened to the beautiful friendship
portrayal between the les amis de' ABC? Grantaire and Enjolras were both
carelessly thrown away, as if they didn't play an important role. Well
let me tell you this, they played a large role. Besides, the rest of the
movie had hardly any right materiel. Oh, that's right, they got Valjean's
name right. Big whoop. I don't mean to sound offensive, but this entire
movie disregarded half the characters. And it really is too bad, Lonely
Gamin, that no stars wasn't a choice." (9/14/00)
adelajavert@angelfire.com
gives this movie star: "Geoffey
Rush is hte worst Javert wver he is too short and is not rough or dignified
enough. i could do better and i'm 5'2and a girl!! Claire Danes's english
accent was atrocious. ionly videoed it as anexample of how not to do les
miserables." (7/6/00)
Agreen.53279@aol.com
gives this movie stars: "Hans
Matheson is a babe!!!!!" (2/6/00)
Lonely Gamine gives this movie star: "I
would have given this movie no stars, but it wasn't an option. Seriously,
this movie bit the dust big-time. I'm so mad I could spit. How about Eponine?
Enjolras? Since when is Marius more than a whiny half-committed lovesick
puppy? I have to stop now, but let me get my message across. See this movie
if you want bland, tasteless entertainment with no foot in accuracy or
even consideration for Hugo. At least Boubil and Schonberg read the book." (1/24/00)
NINDash@aol.com gives
this movie stars: "One
of the best movies I have ever seen, Having seen the movie before reading
the book It gave me the pleasure of visualizing Jean Valjean as the perfect
Liam Neeson who was brilliant in the role. All other films of this name
cannot live up to it. A MUST SEE for any mature person, who wants a good
dramatic love story." (1/9/00)
Pikachu gives this movie stars: "Better
than you might think; I love the musical but most of my fellow fans didn't
like the movie. I suppose this is because of the musical. But as a movie
- and not as an adaptaion - it's excellent. Forget Claire Danes, but everything
else is very well done. And take a look at Hans Matheson! :-)" (7/22/99)
libbyzaletel@gurlmail.com
gives this movie stars: "I
loved the movie. I was told that I should read the book. I really loved
all the charaters. I'm a fan of Claire Danes and Uma Thurman. They did
a fanatastic job. This is one of my all time favorites!!" (2/26/99)
adriana1183@hotmail.com
gives this movie stars: "This
was probably could have been the best movie of all times. The destroyed
the whole moral of the story at the end. It started out to be perfect but
they left out vital characters Like Eponine. If I would have directed the
movie Jean Valjean would have died like he does in the excellent novel
and play. Also, I would have wrtitten in Eponine." (2/8/99)
inter_theatre@hotmail.com
gives this movie star: "Okay,
first things first. I HAD to rate it 1 star because it won't give me the
option of anything lower. This is the first film I have seen that deserve
to be in the negative for stars! Now that that is out of the way..here's
why I give it such a deserving rating. This is NOT an adaptation (keyword:adapt)
of the story by ANY means. This is called, taking names and places of someone
else's tale and rewriting your own story (and badly at that). Come on!
Let's take a look at it, shall we? 1) They spend WAY too long on Jean and
Fantine, which I want to also mention, why is Jean in love with Fantine?
If this is an ADAPTATION and not a whole new story, then did they miss
this passage? "Valjean had never loved anything. For 25 years he had
been alone in the world..." "But when he had seen Cosette, something
stirred within him. Everything in him that was passionate and capable of
affection had been aroused and had flowed out to the child." (That
is a condensed version, if you have the novel please see pt2, book4, chapter
3) Hmmm..didn't love until Cosette. Gee!? That shoots 50% of the Liam Neeson
version right there. 2) Hugo spends a great deal of time (50+ pages) building
up Bishop Bienvenue to be the perfect saint. The kind of guy whom you could
stab in the back and he'll wash his blood off your clothes before sending
you on your way..and this film trashes that nobility in one line. Jean
says:I could be a murderer, how do you know I won't kill you Bishop Bienvenue:
How do you know I won't kill you? These are just two of many criticisms
that deem this film as a mockery of the story. I understand that time limits
play a factor in creating an adaptation for something as vast as the novel
but that plays no excuse for having such a sheisty rendition of this superb
tale." (1/23/99)
ladyorion@buffymail.com
gives this movie stars: "This
is a great movie! I saw it for the first and second time last night on
pay per view and all I can say is, "WOW!" It's deep and emotional
and everyone acts the way I would have expected the novelized counterparts
to have behaved. The casting was superb! Rush plays a perfect Javert. Neeson
is da man as Valjean. And Hans Matheson, wow what a GORGEOUS new actor!
The way he would look at Cosette was breath-taking and "awww"
inspiring. =) I hope to see in many a future presentation! I have seen
the theatrical version. It was a masterpiece in it's own right. But this
wasn't meant to be a musical. It's a different adaptation. I LOVE Les Miserables
as a movie-movie!! (It would be interesting if Disney did a version of
this WITH Eponine.) I didn't mind that Eponine wasn't in it <ducks>.
The story was about Valjean and Javert mainly anyway, Valjean being the
one who learns to be merciful when he is shown mercy, and Javert being
a prisoner of himself and never quite being able to learn mercy until the
very end. The music was brilliant. This was quite a refreshing change from
what I semi-expected. Bravo!!" (1/15/99)
eponinegf@aol.com
gives this movie stars: "Check
out the guy who plays Marius! He is so fine. Oh yeah, and the movie is
the bomb too. It rox my world. It should rock yours too." (1/14/99)
rbfjones@tcia.net
gives this movie stars: "Too
many people try and pick out the different aspects of a film, I believe
that if the film is entertaining and it keeps you glued to the screen,
and gets you involved in it, then it is a movie to be seen, over and over
again. For me as a Christian Evangelist the spirital aspect touched me.
Liam Neeson has won me over as a fan since Shendler's List, it's like the
old saying, "I may not know art, but I know what I like!". Les
Miserables is a masterpiece, in my views. Quit disecting the movie and
set back and enjoy it." (1/2/99)
ericksg@infosel.net.mx
gives this movie stars: "I
think the movie is great, not only because the actors, if you understand
the vision of victor hugo, you are going to understand that is about de
liberation of men of his destiny, that means how the men try to fight against
other men, history o self limitation, and how the world in not good or
bad , is about what kind of situation we confront, and if we are ready
to make the necesary (bad or good) to try to reach the way of life that
we believe deserve and after that protect against everithing." (12/22/98)
armedvic@eos.ncsu.edu
gives this movie stars: "Accompanied
with lame props and a haphazard plot, Les Miserables is no better than
a made for TV movie. Do not get me wrong. The actual plot of Les Miserables
is great! "Les Miserables" is an epic tale describing the struggles
of a man having to raise an orphan child, finding a job, and fleeing justice
after spending nineteen long years in prison. The main character, Jean
Valjean, (Liam Neeson) steals a loaf of bread to keep from starving and
is locked up for nineteen years by Inspector Javert (Geoffrey Rush). Jean
Valjean is released and takes in Fantine, (Uma Thurman) a single mother
trying to pay for her illegitimate child, Cosette's (Claire Daines) care.
The rest of the two hour long movie is centered on the escapades of Jean
Valjean and Cosette, and the movie ends all of a sudden leaving the audience
questioning and unsatisfied. Uma Thompson did a fair job, but her role
is dark and melancholic making it difficult for audiences to associate
with her. I mean it is great to see how the mother struggled for the care
of your child, but I don't think anyone's' heroin is going to be a sickly
prostitute. The role of Cosette fits right into Claire Daine's portfolio:
a wide-eyed and innocent lover, as she well portrayed in "Romeo and
Juliet." Her fellow actor, who probably will not be nominated for
an academy award either is Liam Neeson. Add "Les Miserables"
to the list of his semi-productive movie roles including: 'The Bounty",
"Leap of Faith" and "The Mission". Liam Neeson's name
and role in "Les Miserables" will probably be forgotten as quickly
as his counterpart's -Geoffrey Rush!??? For those who have experienced
"Les Miserables" before the new movie's release will be disappointed
as several of the main characters and events are left completely out. Those
who have not seen the Broadway show or have not read the book, will find
themselves lost in the horrid development of the story and the jumpy plot.
The movie is just average. There are no big fights, no special effects,
hardly any emotions portrayed, and "Les Miserables" is just too
plain for a big hit movie. No thrills, pizzazz, or adventure and being
over two hours long makes "Les Miserables" a hard movie to sit
through." (11/23/98)
titoeb@hotmail.com
gives this movie stars: "excelent
movie about pride, justice, moral, law, freedom, concience, labor, corruption
and more" (11/14/98)
broadway_blvd@fcmail.com
gives this movie star: "I,
as many of my friends are, were greatly dissaponted with this movie. We
all, the first time, saw Les Miz on the Broadway stage, and immeadetly
fell in love. Afterward we all read the book, and saw a few of the many
attempts to adapt Les Miz in under 3 hours. The movie dissaponted us, not
ONLY because of expectations from the musical, but al;so from the book.
They made the charactars more vile, or desperate than they were, if they
weren't cut out. Many of the characters were cut out: Gillenomorand, Enjorlas,
Grantaire, and Eponine to name a few. Also to fully bring the plot together
to show the whole heartfelt drama the is Les Misérables, you need
more than 3 hours. Although the musical is the best adaption, that stays
to the book, it still lacks major elements that make the plot strong. This
movie, though I gave it one star (because that's the lowest it can get),
I think should get half." (11/9/98)
Nat gives this movie stars: "It
adapted the book well into the limitations of a short movie. Given the
large number of subplots in the book the elimination of sum was inevitable." (11/1/98)
Nina gives this movie star: "If
you want a really good version of Les Miz with the complete plot &
all characters(Including EPONINE), you should buy the 1958 version." (10/7/98)
Carriee Venglar gives this movie star: "I
thought this movie really sucked. It would have been a lot better if the
actors could at least somewhat act. At at least is Claire Danes could fake
a French accent." (9/24/98)
Emily Doran gives this movie stars: "I
found the movie nothing like the les miserables I have always loved. I
am very disappointed" (9/18/98)
amym@inconnect.com
gives this movie stars: "They
didn't put some of the most important characters in. The book is better." (8/29/98)
KellyB@allianceamerica.com
gives this movie stars: "Followed
the general storyline and got in most of the important emotional overtures,
but the end seemed like it was chopped off. We did not go through the full
circle end as does the book and musical. ValJean simply walks away happy
in the end." (8/24/98)
Erin gives this movie stars: "I
have always since I was little loved Les Miserables the play and I loved
the movie, but what happened to Eponine? I mean she was my favorite character :(" (7/18/98)
Emily gives this movie stars:
"GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (7/13/98)
