Les Miserables: Sing? Review
Les Miserables. Let's make a reservation right away: this is a film adaptation of the musical Les Miserables, not the novel of the same name, so let's leave Hugo alone. If we were talking about the adaptation of a literary source, we would talk about drama, collisions and depth with feeling and pathos. Of course, the theatrical version on which the film was based was already simpler and more schematic. Precisely because what comes to the fore? That's right, the musical component. How wonderful it would be if one could say about the actors: how, do they also sing ?! Alas, no miracle happened.Of course, they are not masters of singing. These are movie stars, not the golden voices of La Scala. However, if you are recruiting actors for a"musical film"and are serious about recording sound directly on set, I want to believe that the result will be appropriate. Otherwise, why was it?  The more sad is the realization that the main"tenor"( Jean Valjean / Hugh Jackman) is not a singer at all. Thank God there is an ear for music. Therefore, in the first minutes, as the action begins, you say to yourself:“Forget about the musical, this is just a movie.”But the fact of the matter is that it is not so. For"simple cinema"there is not enough dynamism, and from the running scenes, which should be brightened up by the vocals, more precisely, they were created for it, and breathes with despondency and boredom. Jackman himself amazed me with his beard and makeup, which, by the way, was done masterfully. And if you forget about singing, his Valjean was played quite well. Russell Crowe (Inspector Javert ). Not his most striking role. However, if the goal was to show the inexorability and inflexibility of the judicial system, it turned out very convincingly. And the remarks that Crowe here is some kind of wooden - well, the character is like that. Bureaucratic machine in action. Then it breaks down. If you don't believe me, refer to the source.  Fantina (Anne Hathaway) really turned out to be very bright. And the emotionality of the heroine, one might say, is felt by the skin. Hathaway brought this supporting role out of the shadows, and although we only see it in the first half hour, it's hard to forget about it.  But who disappointed were Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen ( thenardier's wife ). Of course, they are colorful, vulgar. But that's all. Somehow they expected more. Amanda Seyfred ( Cosette ). Probably, the appearance decided everything. Because the game is mediocre, and the voice ... A couple of times she goes to ultrasound. We can only guess what the rest of the takes were. Eddie Redmayne, Marius. The role of an ardent young man torn between duty and love is played convincingly. Anyway, such types suit Redmayne .  Samantha Barks ( Eponine ) is also worth noting for the simple reason that she also played the role of Eponine in the original musical. She has a good voice, but here it is not very noticeable. Perhaps this was done on purpose in order to"not beat up"the rest of the actors. The kids (little Cosette and Gavroche ) are wonderful. They are like a breath of fresh air. Sincere, natural. Alive. And a few words about the crowd. Since it consists of actors from West End theaters, and generally professionally playing in musicals, the general scenes look more cheerful.  Ultimately, it all comes down to what you want to get: if you need a musical, watch the stage version of the Queen, Theater, where it plays from year to year in the West End. If you crave to see famous actors - choose Tom Hooper's movie epic. But getting everything at once - no, it won't work. The Topic of Article: Les Miserables: Sing? Review. |
