As an unhappy little child, placed in a cold foster home, I had found the solace and escape in the books - naturally I read absolutely anything that came my way via local public libraries and in this novel by Victor Hugo I discovered, for the first time, the fictional character that hugely mirrored my own experience. Yes it was Cosette and the intervening years didn't change one single bit how it strongly affects me to this day. Mention orphan kids and something inside me falls apart in utter sadness, even lifetime away from it all.
Amazingly, the idea that sprung in Hugo's mind continues to live on and on, its quite immortal by now. From 19th century bestselling novel to hit musical and now the screen adaptation, it just won't go away and still has a power to affect the people, quite amazing when you think about it. This, of course is a movie version of a celebrated musical so if you are not familiar with the genre, it might appear overtly melodramatic and overblown. Well, musicals are populist version of opera, so there you go, its not supposed to be realistic. They are highly stylised experiences and more you know about them, the more you can distinguish between what is genuinely great and what is not. I have actually seen live theatrical performance in London's West End back in the day when I was so green that I paid too much just to realise the ticket placed me too close to the stage (I had extremely cramped neck all the way trough it) but the sheer power of the performance, energy and the music left me weeping. For an hour and a half I completely forgot about my own miserable life because the sweeping waves of melodrama sucked me in a whirl and would you believe, I still cherish the memory of it.
By bringing it on the big screen, director Tom Hooper could use countless cinematic visions but he mainly focuses on close-ups, often very sordid and unpleasant - they actually often take the focus away from what is the important (the story, the music). He also makes a completely ill-advised decision of engaging non-singing actors who might have star value but compared to countless experienced stage artists, they can not hold a candle to them. This is a musical after all, so to hear Hugh Jackman clumsily attempting to sing "Bring Him Home" (which is one of the most moving highlights on the stage) is painful indeed, it made me squirm. Anne Hathaway, on the other hand, was simply sensational and the whole brutal, heartbreaking reality of her despair is something I have never seen before in any previous Fantine, it could hardly be surpassed. Strangely enough, once she's all grown up, Cosette don't matter much anymore and Éponine (as played here by excellent Samantha Barks) steals our hearts completely. I have huge problem with Eddie Redmayne and no critic in this world can make me enjoy watching him on the screen, so the double treat of having him singing and acting simultaneously as supposedly dashing young student was unfortunately very uncomfortable experience. Frankly, it is a sensational stage show with a occasionally very moving music but I would prefer vastly different cast, with more attention and respect towards artists who nailed it earlier in theatre. Check out how Alfie Boe sings Jean Valjean and once you hear him doing "Bring Him Home" you will get the idea. It makes you wonder why Wolverine even bothered.
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