Les Miserables (2012)Director: Tom Hooper
Libby and I went to this movie as dedicated fans of the musical. We love the Christian story of redemption wrapped up in the life of Jean Valjean, and get carried away by the emotionally charged music every time we watch it. That made us soft targets for this movie, and I think it basically delivered.
Hooper really did his best work with Fantine's story arc. He and Anne Hathaway so accurately captured her suffering that I completely ceased to be entertained, and was wholly disgusted with the evil of the world. That's a powerful piece of art, and while I was sitting there in emotional pain, I thought of Augustine's argument against tragedy in his Confessions. Are people entertained by this? Do I expect to be entertained by this?
I was entertained by Valjean's conversion scene. I appreciated the way the camera captured and channeled the tension of the moment in that church. I thought, when he threw his papers off the top of the mountain, that we'd see a little stronger parallel between that moment and Javert's moment of decision than we did (at least in the cinematography).
I liked the live singing. I thought Jackman did it particularly well. I really have no complaints about the cast. Even Russell Crowe didn't bother me, despite the fact that he sang completely differently than everyone else.
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