I saw Les Mis with my friend Molly, and we were both fairly ignorant about the story since we've never seen it on stage. (Or read it - but really, who has?) If you are similarly ignorant, here's a primer: beginning in 1815 France, we follow the fortunes of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), a convict who has just been released on parole after serving a 19-year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread. He has been guarded by Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), who loathes him and gives him papers that mark him out as a "dangerous man," making it nearly impossible for him to be employed or have a decent life. After a Bishop treats him with overwhelming kindness, Valjean vows to become a good man who will help the poor and suffering. Cut to eight years later, when Valjean has assumed a false identity, and become a benevolent factory owner and mayor of a small seaside town. Unfortunately, his factory's foreman is not so benevolent and harasses the women on the floor. One of these women is Fantine (Anne Hathaway), who is fired after rejecting the foreman's advances and is forced into prostitution in order to make enough money to send for her daughter's care. Valjean finds her when she is about to die of consumption - he feels responsible for her sorry plight and vows to find her daughter, Cosette. In the meantime, he is discovered by Javert, who chases him down for breaking the terms of his parole. Valjean flees, finds Cosette, and promises to raise her as his own child.
Nine years later, Cosette is a young woman (played by Amanda Seyfried), and she falls in love with a young student named Marius (Eddie Redmayne) after they exchange glances on the street (love is always rapid in a musical). However, Marius must also focus on other things, namely the revolution that he is planning on inciting with his fellow students. And once again, Javert has discovered Valjean, who decides to take the lovelorn Cosette and flee from Paris on the eve of the revolution. Naturally, things get messy: Valjean finds himself caught up in the revolution, Javert is on his heels, Marius, Cosette, and a girl named Eponine (Samantha Barks) are stuck in a love triangle, and everyone's singing about their tumultuous lives. As you do.
That's a LOT of story to get through in two and a half hours, but everything is beautifully and succinctly related in song, with virtually no dialogue. Most of the cast are not trained singers, but all of the songs were recorded live, which lends them an urgency and realism that makes them more accessible. The obvious showstopper is Anne Hathaway's rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream," which manages to tear your heart into pieces. No other song came close to matching the emotion in this number, but there were still great performances. People have been mocking Russell Crowe, but I thought his voice was a perfect complement to the stubborn Javert who is single-minded in his execution of the law and hatred for Valjean. Hugh Jackman is of course an established Broadway star and his Jean Valjean is strong, sympathetic, and unfortunate in equal measure. Seyfried, Redmayne, and Barks are perfectly serviceable as the young lovers, but since their tangled love lives are taking place in the backdrop of a revolution, it all seemed a bit rushed and unnecessary. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helen Bonham Carter also put in an appearance as the two innkeepers who take care of Cosette when she's younger. They give the movie some wonderful comic relief, ensuring that things aren't continually miserable.
Les Miserables manages to be both epic and intimate, sweeping through history but focusing on the tragedy of its core characters. The music is fantastic. The actors are giving their all and director Tom Hooper favors close-up shots so that you can steep yourself in their emotion. The film is a visual mixed bag - the smaller sets are wonderful and set the tone of a France in tatters and intent on revolution, but the more epic shots rely on digital effects that aren't quite believable They serve as a reminder that this was a stage play which didn't need such grandiose imagery. The best moments of Les Mis take place in ordinary settings with one extraordinary person singing their heart out; that is the hallmark of an award-winning musical.
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