Movie Review: Les Miserables (2012)

Les Miserables (2012) directed by Tom Hooper

In this big screen adaptation of the hit stage musical based on the classic Victor Hugo novel, Hugh Jackman stars as the wronged convict Jean Valjean. He is just finishing a nineteen-year sentence of hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread because his sister's boy was starving. Nineteenth-century French law has no room for mercy, an attitude personified by Javert (Russell Crowe), the law enforcer who keeps his eye on the paroled Jean Valjean. Valjean returns to a life of crime when he steals a bunch of house silver from a clergyman who has taken him in. When the local police catch Valjean and take him back to the church, the clergyman does not press charges. Rather, he says Valjean was supposed to take two silver candlesticks as well, whispering to Valjean that he is buying Valjean's freedom so that he can become an honest man. Valjean fulfills the trust, though he assumes a new identity. In eight years he has turned into a wealthy businessman and mayor of a small town. One of his employees is wrongfully fired without his knowledge and she turns to a life of ill repute in order to send money to support her daughter. She accuses Valjean of abandoning her; Valjean pledges to find the daughter and raise her as his own. At the same time, Javert shows up and thinks he recognizes Valjean. He is dissuaded when a message comes from Paris that Valjean has been captured there. The real Valjean heads to Paris to save an innocent man from his fate, then escapes to help the daughter. And that's only the first third of the story!

The story has a lot of resonant themes. The need to temper justice with mercy is a perennial problem and makes for very good drama. The need for honesty and kindness, and the damage from the absence of those two virtues, creates tense conflicts and hard situations for the characters. It's hard to go wrong with the story from a novel that's been popular since its publication over 150 years ago.

The musical does not have any catchy tunes (except maybe "Master of the House") but that's because of the more somber tone of the whole story. The music and songs fit very well and the cast delivers them well. Crowe and Jackman give fine performances though the standout is Anne Hathaway as Fantine, the single mother who drops into misery at the beginning. The story wends its way through post-Revolution and post-Napoleonic French history but viewers don't need to know much about history to appreciate the great drama that unfolds.

Highly recommended.

Also, it was discussed a while back on, you guessed it, A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast #117.