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Les Misérables (2012) (1 Viewer)

Aaron Silverman

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Dave Miller said:
Maybe eventually I'll actually get around to reading Hugo's novel. :) Peace, DM
You'd better get started! ;)
ManW_TheUncool said:
Too bad nobody seems interested in producing/shooting a good recorded performance of the live staged show for BD (much like what's done for operas). That's probably what us fans really want in the end since transforming the staged musical for the film medium is probably bound to be problematic, if they stay very true to the musical. The musical uses loads of melodrama and trope-like narrative shorthand much like in opera and also keeps everything in music, both of which probably don't translate so well on the big screen. I'm reminded of how it might play a lot like Evita if they just stuck closer to the musical (and went for better technical sound, instead of this live approach), which I always found to feel too much like a polished, 2-hour music video, instead of a truly engaging film. Maybe Les Mis the musical (w/out drastic changes) was always doomed to fall short in a movie adaptation... Then again, I did like Chicago a whole lot and also liked Hairspray quite a bit too though I'm not familiar w/ their original musicals, so... _Man_
I really wish they'd release more filmed stage performances of Broadway shows. I don't see why they can't at least release the shows featured on Great Performances. I guess they're worried about cutting into potential box office or something. FWIW, I saw Chicago on Broadway and I liked the movie much better. The staging was too spartan for my taste.
 

ManW_TheUncool

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One other thing about the music. As I've been checking out bits of sheet music for the original Broadway score and other publicly available versions (for my kids), it's interesting to see how actual performances, including the old original Broadway cast recording, vary from the original score. Actually, I find what I've seen of the original score to be rather simplistic and often unmusical/boring/bland... but maybe it's intentionally written that way to push the conductor and singer/actors to take (expected) liberties. However, someone like Crowe probably didn't do nearly enough of that to bring the role to life on "celluloid"... Reminds me of what the old Maestro taught about pop music in the Young People's Concert series... _Man_
 

ManW_TheUncool

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Just came across this and couldn't resist posting it here. Definitely found it far more entertaining than the new movie take on it...

_Man_
 

Carlo_M

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Wow, I have made it halfway through a legitimate academy DVD screener and I hope that something went wrong in the authoring, or what's on the screener isn't indicative of the final product when it's released. The sound isn't balanced at all, some vocals are way too up-front with very quiet music cues, and Russell Crowe sounds horrible (sounds nasally). Based on what I've seen so far I'm not motivated to spend money on it in the theaters, though I love the story and musical enough to maybe make it a loss-leader buy on Blu-Ray when it comes out (or wait until it drops in price).
 

Jason_V

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Originally Posted by GMpasqua
She wasn't bad in this or Sweeney Todd (though the two roles seemed very similar) but her singing vocal does leave a lot to be desired
Is it possible I'm the only one who left the theater hating every second she and Sacha Baren Cohen were on the screen? Maybe it's not fair to blame the actors if that's the way they're written, but it felt like they were from a completely different movie than everyone else.
Full disclosure: I went into the movie knowing next to nothing about what I was going to see. Maybe that tainted me in some way.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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Jason_V said:
Is it possible I'm the only one who left the theater hating every second she and Sacha Baren Cohen were on the screen?  Maybe it's not fair to blame the actors if that's the way they're written, but it felt like they were from a completely different movie than everyone else.
I found them very entertaining -- as did most of the theater -- but they did feel like they were from a completely different movie. The Thénardiers are swindlers in all versions. They're dead serious characters in the novel, but they've always been comic relief characters in the musical. If you want to see a more nuanced musical performance from Helena Bonham Carter, check out the Tim Burton Sweeney Todd. She's no Angela Lansbury, but she does a fantastic job with a very different take on Mrs. Lovett.
 

Jason_V

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The first time around, in their introduction, I'll grant they weren't as grating as they eventually became for me. By the end, when Cohen is being carried out of the wedding reception, I wanted them to follow Russell Crowe...
It's not that I'm against comic relief, but the comic relief should feel a part of the overall story, not a sub-story unconnected to everything else. This probably means I need to actually read the book and see at least one previous version of the story to compare them, right?
I have a lot of issues with Sweeney Todd; Carter was not one of them. I love she's willing to go out on a limb in everything she does...that takes a certain amount of courage.
 

TawnyZ

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To all of you who said that there is nothing wrong with the film's camera work, you are missing the point. It's not about "taste" and preferring the films of the past or "the good ol' days". I just turned 29, and I couldn't watch most of this film. The problem is that when directors choose to use hand-held cameras, they EXCLUDE an entire group of human beings who, for physiological reasons, cannot tolerate the movement of the picture. If you, yourself, didn't notice it, than you are lucky, but, believe me, IT'S THERE. To you who didnt notice it, would you have liked the movie less if it was filmed with smooth and steady camera work? Be honest - you wouldn't notice. So why not film it that way so that EVERYONE can enjoy it? Case in point: my husband does not get sick from unsteady camera work, but, because he "feels my pain," he's come to recognize when it's there, and he, too, commented on how the moving, sometimes jerky, camera work was simply unnecessary and often overdone. We'd seen the stage production in November, and I saw it on Broadway while in college a few years ago, so I've been a huge fan of the musical ever since. He was equally annoyed that I wasn't able to enjoy the movie - i had my face turned into his shoulder for most of it... occasionally he'd say, "okay - you can look now," which, fortunately, were the very best scenes (Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream" was stunning.) But I do feel robbed. As much as i love the story, the music, and some of the performances, we will not be purchasing the Blu-ray, because I won't EVER be able to watch this movie.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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First, welcome to the Home Theater Forum! There's a great bunch of people here, so I hope you feel right at home.
TawnyZ said:
To you who didnt notice it, would you have liked the movie less if it was filmed with smooth and steady camera work? Be honest - you wouldn't notice. So why not film it that way so that EVERYONE can enjoy it?
That's making an awfully big assumption. It's like asking: Since oil paints have served artists well for hundreds of years, why should an artist use acrylics? Now granted, acrylic paintings won't upset your tolerance the way handheld camerawork does. But both requests take a lot of options out of the artists' toolboxes. The fact is that more classical shooting techniques do convey the story differently than handheld camera work, in ways the affect pacing, tempo and emotion. You edit differently to to handheld footage, the scenes are blocked differently, the actors target their performances differently. I'm sure a very good adaptation of Les Misérables could have been made limited solely to dolly work, static shots, and graceful cranework. But it wouldn't be the same film, it wouldn't be Tom Hooper's take on the musical, and a lot more than the camera work would necessarily have to change to accommodate it. None of which is to say that I don't sympathize with your situation. There are a lot of video games, for instance, that I can't play because I get very nauseous concentrating on the constantly jerking and moving image on the screen. At the same time I want my entertainment to be told in the most germane way possible. If Tom Hooper and Danny Cohen felt this was the best way to tell this story, I'm glad they followed their gut.
 

TonyD

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Aaron Silverman said:
You'd better get started! ;) I really wish they'd release more filmed stage performances of Broadway shows. I don't see why they can't at least release the shows featured on Great Performances. I guess they're worried about cutting into potential box office or something. FWIW, I saw Chicago on Broadway and I liked the movie much better. The staging was too spartan for my taste.
I would love to watch a stage version of this at home. Would also love to go see it again on stage but not for the hundreds of dollars a ticket for decent seats that it would cost
 

Carlo_M

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I too would love a well produced Blu Ray of the show. But please, cast the best singers. No more "Nick Jonas" mistakes for the sake of celebrity. I loved the Phantom BD that was released a short while ago. One request if they do this: I'd love the complete version, before it was cut to come in under 3 hours to avoid overtime pay.
 

bujaki

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Aaron Silverman said:
You'd better get started! ;) I really wish they'd release more filmed stage performances of Broadway shows. I don't see why they can't at least release the shows featured on Great Performances. I guess they're worried about cutting into potential box office or something. FWIW, I saw Chicago on Broadway and I liked the movie much better. The staging was too spartan for my taste.
Aaron, My wife and I were fortunate to see Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera and Jerry Orbach as the stars of the original Chicago Broadway staging. Had you seen that, you would have been razzled-dazzled by the staging (not Spartan at all), the choreography and the acting. Being 1975, the country was not in the mood for a cynical musical, and so it folded rather quickly. My wife and I found ourselves laughing hysterically when most of the audience sat stone still. It was very weird. Anyway, back to Les Miz. Yes, everyone, please read the amazing novel. I saw the musical in its original road version (late '80s?), admired the staging, but was thoroughly underwhelmed by the thin musical ideas and lyrics, so once was more than enough. Sorry, but I'm more of a Sondheim man, whose shows I can see repeatedly and gain more from each viewing.
 

TonyD

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Carlo Medina said:
I too would love a well produced Blu Ray of the show. But please, cast the best singers. No more "Nick Jonas" mistakes for the sake of celebrity. I loved the Phantom BD that was released a short while ago. One request if they do this: I'd love the complete version, before it was cut to come in under 3 hours to avoid overtime pay.
Unlesss there is already a filmed version of the longer show I doubt we will see it on bluray or anywhere. Also are you saying there is a full stage version of Phantom on bluray?
 

TonyD

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Isn't that just everyone standing on the stage and singing their section of the show? hmm, for some reason I htought this was just a singing performance. now I'll look into getting this.
 

Steve Tannehill

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TonyD said:
Unlesss there is already a filmed version of the longer show I doubt we will see it on bluray or anywhere. Also are you saying there is a full stage version of Phantom on bluray?
Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall preserves a complete performance on blu and DVD. The staging, while different than the traditional staging, is still quite good. Les Mis was cut for the 10th Anniversary Show, and has never gone back to its full length (which I saw in 1988, and is almost entirely preserved in the Complete Symphonic Recording).
 

TonyD

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I know about Les Miz being cut so I'm not seriously disapointed in not seeing it this week in Philly, it has a 12 day run ending next weekend. I appreciate you telling nme about that Phantom bluray, I had no idea. It will be ordered. Already have Les Miserables (1987 Original Broadway Cast) [Cast Recording] Is that different from the complete symphonic?
 

Steve Tannehill

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Yes, the 1987 Broadway 2CD recording is edited. The Complete Symphonic Recording is a 3CD set that is virtually complete, with an international cast. (It is missing only a musical interlude after Dog Eats Dog and the exit music.) I have not listened to the Broadway recording since getting the Complete Symphonic Recording I did just acquire the 25th Anniversary Live recording. It has the missing musical interlude, but it is slightly cut.
 

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