Les Misérables


 

The Film

Les Misérables is a 2012 British musical drama film produced by Working Title Films and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is based on the musical of the same name by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg which is in turn based on Les Misérables, the 1862 French novel by Victor Hugo.

Les Misérables is directed by Tom Hooper, scripted by William Nicholson, Boublil, Schönberg and Herbert Kretzmer, and stars an ensemble cast led by Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Amanda Seyfried.

The film tells the story of Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who becomes mayor of a town in France. Soon exposed, Valjean agrees to take care of Cosette, the illegitimate daughter of the dying Fantine, but as a fugitive must also avoid being captured again by police inspector Javert. The plot spans 17 years and is set against a backdrop of political turmoil, which in the film culminates in the June Rebellion.

Les Misérables premiered in London on 5 December 2012, and was released on 25 December 2012 in the United States, on 26 December 2012 in Australia, and on 11 January 2013 in the United Kingdom. The film has received very positive reviews, with many critics praising the cast, especially the acting of Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway.

The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Jackman and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for Hathaway. It has also won four BAFTA Awards, including the Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Hathaway). It received eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture (the first musical nominated since 2003's winner Chicago) and Best Actor for Jackman, and won three, for Best Sound Mixing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Supporting Actress for Hathaway.


Cinema Trailer

 

 

Development

Development of Les Misérables, based on the stage musical, began in the late 1980s. After the musical's 25th Anniversary concert in October 2010, producer Cameron Mackintosh announced that the film had resumed development.

Hooper and Nicholson were approached in March 2011 and the main characters were cast in 2011. Principal photography commenced in March 2012, and took place in various locations including Greenwich, London, Chatham, Winchester and Portsmouth, as well as Gourdon, France.

Music

The film contains every song from the original stage musical itself, with the exception of "I Saw Him Once" and "Dog Eats Dog". The lyrics of some songs were altered to suit the changes in setting or narrative to the stage musical. In addition to the cuts, a new song, "Suddenly" was added, new music was composed for the battle scenes, and the order of several songs has changed from the stage musical.

1. "Look Down" †§ – Chain Gang, Javert, Valjean
2. "On Parole" § – Valjean, Bishop of Digne
3. "Valjean Arrested, Valjean Forgiven (The Bishop)" †§ – Bishop of Digne
4. "Valjean's Soliloquy (What Have I Done?)" †§ – Valjean
5. "At the End of the Day" †§ – Poor, Foreman, Workers, Factory Women, Fantine, Valjean
6. "The Runaway Cart" – Valjean, Javert
7. "Lovely Ladies" § – Sailors, Old Woman, Fantine, Crone, Whores, Pimp, Toothman
8. "I Dreamed a Dream" †§ – Fantine
9. "Fantine's Arrest" § – Bamatabois, Fantine, Javert, Valjean
10. "Who Am I? / The Trial" § – Valjean
11. "Come to Me (Fantine's Death)" § – Fantine, Valjean
12. "The Confrontation" †§ – Javert, Valjean
13. "Castle on a Cloud" †§ – Young Cosette, Mme. Thénardier
14. "Master of the House" †§ – Thénardier, Mme. Thénardier, Inn Patrons
15. "The Well Scene" § – Valjean, Young Cosette
16. "The Bargain" § - Valjean, Thénardier, Mme. Thénardier
17. "The Thénardier Waltz of Treachery" § – Thénardier, Valjean, Mme. Thénardier, young Cosette
18. "Suddenly" †§ – Valjean
19. "The Convent" § - Valjean
20. "Stars" †§ – Javert
21. "Look Down" § – Gavroche, Beggars, Enjolras, Marius, Students
22. "The Robbery" § – Thénardier, Mme. Thénardier, Éponine, Valjean
23. "Javert's Intervention" § – Javert, Thénardier
24. "Éponine's Errand" – Éponine, Marius
25. "ABC Café / Red and Black" †§ – Students, Enjolras, Marius, Grantaire, Gavroche
26. "Rue Plumet / In My Life" § – Cosette, Valjean, Marius, Éponine
27. "A Heart Full of Love" †§ – Marius, Cosette, Éponine
28. "The Attack on Rue Plumet" – Thénardier, Thieves, Éponine
29. "On My Own" †§ – Éponine
30. "One Day More" †§ – Valjean, Marius, Cosette, Éponine, Enjolras, Javert, Thénardier, Mme. Thénardier, Cast of Les Misérables
31. "Do You Hear the People Sing?" § – Enjolras, Students, Beggars
32. "Building the Barricade (Upon These Stones)" § – Enjolras, Javert, Gavroche, Students
33. "Javert's Arrival" § – Javert, Enjolras
34. "Little People" § – Gavroche, Students, Enjolras, Javert
35. "The First Attack" § – Enjolras, Students
36. "A Little Fall of Rain" § – Éponine, Marius
37. "Night of Anguish" – Enjolras, Marius, Valjean, Javert, Students
38. "Drink With Me" †§ – Grantaire, Marius, Gavroche, Students
39. "Bring Him Home" †§ – Valjean
40. "Dawn of Anguish" § – Enjolras, Gavroche, Students
41. "The Second Attack" (Death of Gavroche) § – Gavroche, Students
42. "The Final Battle" †§ – Army officer, Enjolras, Courfeyrac, Combeferre, Students
43. "Javert's Suicide" †§ – Javert, Valjean
44. "Turning" § – Parisian women
45. "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" †§ – Marius
46. "Every Day / A Heart Full of Love [Reprise]" § – Marius, Cosette, Valjean, Gillenormand
47. "Valjean's Confession" § – Valjean, Marius
48. "Suddenly [Reprise]" § – Marius, Cosette
49. "Wedding Chorale" § – Chorus, Marius, Thérnardier, Mme. Thérnardier
50. "Beggars at the Feast" § – Thénardier, Mme. Thénardier
51. "Valjean's Death" †§ – Valjean, Fantine, Cosette, Marius, Bishop of Digne
52. "Do You Hear the People Sing? [Reprise]" †§ – The Cast of Les Misérables

† Included on the highlights edition soundtrack CD

§ Included on the deluxe edition soundtrack CD

Production

With a production budget of $61 million, principal photography of the film began on 8 March 2012 in Gourdon, in France. Filming locations also included Winchester College, Winchester Cathedral Close, Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth, Chatham Dockyard, Oxford, St Mary the Virgin Church in Ewelme, South Oxfordshire and Pinewood Studios in England.

In April 2012, a replica of the Elephant of the Bastille was constructed in Greenwich. In the novel, Gavroche lives in the decaying monument.

Principal filming was completed in June 2012. Some late filming was carried out in Bath, Somerset, in October 2012, where stunt shots for Javert's suicide scene had to be reshot due to an error found with this footage during post-production. Bath was not the original filming location for this scene, but the late footage was captured at Pulteney Weir, which is unmistakable in the film.

 

Cast