Well, here’s something to look forward to this coming December.
The trailer for the (musical) film version of Les Misérables has just hit the web and if you’re a fan of the stage production, it’s got everything you could hope for including: sweeping visuals, a story full of heart and soul and, of course, that powerful music. Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) directs the adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel with a star-studded and diverse cast: Hugh Jackman (Jean Valjean), Russell Crowe (Inspector Javert), Anne Hathaway (Fantine), Amanda Seyfried (Cosette), Sacha Baron Cohen (Thenardier) and Helena Bonham Carter (Madame Thenardier) among many others.
What do you think? Can the singing voices of Jackman, Hathaway and Crowe pull this off? Is Les Misérables just another big budget Hollywood musical doomed to underachieve? Or will it be something special and sit in our hearts right next to that timeless and magical stage production?
Not a huge fan of Anne Hathaway but this gave me goosebumps. I can’t wait to hear how everyone else does with the singing. Especially Hugh Jackman with “Bring Him Home”. Most nervous about that I think.
Totally. People will definitely be listening closely to each actor’s song renditions and judging them against the stage productions they’ve seen. In that sense, I don’t know if the emotional impact of the music in this film will rival that of the stage, but the film medium has other inherent strengths that will have to be brought to the fore.
This film is a huge risk for both the actors and the director! I think the trailer is a tip that they got it right. My fingers are crossed!