Les Misérables

Although I have never read the book, I have had the incredible privilege of seeing the play Les Misérables four times (Washington, D.C., New York, London, and Birmingham) so I am a bit of a Les Mis connoisseur. :)  I hope to read the book one day, and if I were an English professor or high school teacher, I would love to teach a whole elective on the story and all the strong themes and characters.  There are so many excellent papers that could be written on a myriad of topics!  So needless to say, I went in to the movie on December 26th with high expectations...

And I was not disappointed.  The recent film version of Les Misérables is truly amazing.  In my opinion, it is a very faithful rendition of the play--they only made a few minor changes that enhance the story, not change it.  The sets were fabulous and intricately detailed.  I think what makes Les Mis so powerful though is the combination of such memorable songs and such a moving story.  In most musicals, one has their favorite songs of course.  But in Les Mis, it's easier for me to think of the few songs that are not my favorites rather than the other way around.  I love almost all of them, and they all linger in my head even days after hearing them.  Then, there's the story itself--what a beautiful picture of redemption and grace!  Every time I see it, I wonder if I would have acted in the same way the bishop did.  Do I live out the Gospel like that in my life?

While I have so many more thoughts that could be expounded on regarding this movie, I will just briefly list a few for the sake of time:

• I cried.  A LOT.
• Marius (Eddie Redmayne) was very well-cast.  I loved how his freckles gave him an appearance of youthful innocence.
• Éponine was amazing.  She belts out her songs with such emotion as well as shows it on her face.  Her complex character is always one of my favorites.  Loved that they cast Samantha Barks for the movie version, who had played the role on stage previously.
• As everyone cannot stop talking about Anne Hathaway's performance on "I Dreamed a Dream," she obviously nailed it.  My tears during this part were not just for Fantine though;  I couldn't stop thinking about the prostitutes in our own city and the women just down the street from our church who sell themselves for a mere $5.  Heartbreaking and with no easy answers.
• If you're feeling bad about your life, go see this movie.  With a title that means "The Miserable Ones," you can't help but feel grateful for your own life in comparison.

As my family and I walked out of the theater and began verbally processing it all, my brother made this remark: "Les Misérables was like a bottle of 18th century French wine.  Seeing it again sooner than 25 years from now seems over-indulgent."  While I think I will be seeing this movie again sooner than in 25 years, I think that captures the experience pretty well.