Movie Notes: Les Miserables

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.

Movie Notes: Easter Parade

Easter Parade (1948)
Director: Charles Walters

This is an entertaining technicolor musical.  It contains several very fun numbers that take full advantage of the talents of its stars.  Astaire's dancing is always fantastic, and Garland's singing equally so.

The plot was also interesting, as it kept me guessing until near the end as to who would end up with whom.  Part of this stems from a lack of chemistry between Garland and Astaire, but there was also some interesting commentary on the nature of feminine attraction and empowerment.  This is typified in the two women to whom Astaire's character is drawn.  In their climactic and competing headliner acts, they express their talent very differently.  Garland dances dressed as a man alongside Astaire and uses her powerful voice and comedic ability to bring the house down (in "A Couple of Swells"), while the character played by Ann Miller depends on her looks and sensuality in an act about cover girls (in "The Girl on the Magazine Cover").

All in all, a decent musical.  Not the best for either actor, or for Irving Berlin, but it was a bright, light hearted way way to spend a couple of hours.

Movie Notes: Meet Me in St. Louis

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Director: Vincente Minnelli

The most remarkable element of this film to me was the fantastically rendered nostalgic Victorian setting.  Buildings inside and out, costumes, and family dynamics all capture and communicate in Technicolor the same feeling you have walking down main street at Disneyland.

The music is good, if not (with some exceptions) as catchy as some other musicals.  There's no doubt that Judy Garland can sing!  Also, I didn't know that "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" was from this film.  I kept waiting for "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

The narrative arc is pretty weak, and has a pleasant smallness to it.  It's just about people living lives without any real remarkable drama.  I imagine it's capturing quite well the spirit of its midwestern inspiration.  Still, when it ended Libby and I both looked at each other and said, "That's it?"