JpnGal and I saw it last weekend (it premiered in Japan on Dec 21st). She wept through many scenes and I had “something in my eye” during “A Little Fall of Rain”, “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” and the finale “Do You Hear the People Sing?”
Since seeing it, JpnGal’s been playing all the versions we have (Complete Symphonic, Broadway Cast, 10th Anniversary, 25th Anniversary, Argentine Spanish Cast and the various Japanese versions) on the stereo. We plan to watch it again next week during the New Year’s holiday.
Les Misérables has always been one of my favorite books, and I’m the guy who said, when first hearing about the original, that it couldn’t possibly succeed as a musical. And then I saw it, and wound up seeing it several times (I was living in NYC at the time).
I can’t wait to see the movie, hopefully this week . . . and yes, I’ll bring kleenex. Although I’m not sure I want to hear Javert as a tenor.
I didn’t notice any pitch or key changes for Javert at all. I found that I liked Crowe more than I thought I would but he definitely lacked the vocal intensity that the role requires (particularly at the end of Stars and most of his final song).
COMPLETELY agree with WhyNot on Bring Him Home - amazing song, terrible performance. But I generally felt that way about most of his vocals in the movie. The reprise of Bring Him Home at the end was far better since he was playing the character as more haggard and tired. I wish he’d sung the full track like that. Most of his high notes throughout the movie felt thin and grating to me. The acting was great, though.
And in spoiler talk
The pin on Gavroche is definitely not in the stage show. Since all the bodies just lay where they die, Gavroche’s body is never seen after he is shot on the other side of the barricade. I thought the pin was a nice touch as it drew the parallel between Gavroche and the boy that Javert was so many years ago.
YES! This is why I called t’other way his “choice”. I know he can do it better, 'cause he did, in the reprise! The reprise was good!
Oh, I like this!:
I just thought of it as:
Javert’s “stars” are gone. He’s given it/them away in his moment of “weakness” when he feels compassion and sorrow for the death of Gavroche…and that’s only the foreshadowing, of course, of his compassion for Valjean, after which the stars in the sky and Javert’s moral compass are gone, and he makes the leap. Kind of a thwack-over-the-head symbolism, but it’s not like the show is known for its subtlety, so it fits.
I just got home from seeing this with my mom and sisters. I wept through like 2/3 of it, completely embarrassing myself.
That said, it was incredibly well done. Hathaway was amazing and completely surprised me. It was clear that Crowe got the part in spite of his voice, not because of it, but I thought he was adequate.
This is one of those movies that I would highly recommend to other people, but I don’t know that I’ll be watching it again.
I saw this last night with my family. I loved it. Russell Crowe wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I followed the warning and brought my Kleenex…I’m glad I did as I’m just a big, emotional baby. Lol. Anne Hathaway was fantastic.