So, I want to go ahead and apologize to all of my friends and family for writing a blog post about this movie. You are, no doubt, tired of hearing me talk about it, and I can assure you that this won't be the last time I'll speak of the film, or book, or soundtrack, or anything. But I am sorry that you have to hear about this again. Feel free to just leave now and forever hold your peace. With that out of the way, let me tell you about this beautiful film. (It really was beautiful, honestly.)
My desire to see Les Miserables started in the summer when my grandmother took me to see some movie about the meaning of Christmas. I really hated that movie, but at least one good thing came out of it. As we were watching the trailers, the behind-the-scenes trailer came out about Les Mis and I was immediately blown away. I had never heard of it before that day, and I feel like I have missed out on a little, honestly. What really intrigued me was the fact that the singing was actually live and not recorded in a studio months before shooting. As a woman who loves to sing (privately) and act, this caught my attention and I just had to see it.
Christmas rolls around and it's time for the movie to come to the theaters. At first, no one wanted to come with me. My sister, who was home from school, went to see it with her friends but I didn't have it that easy. I could have went by myself, sure, but driving in the city alone isn't really my idea of fun. I asked everyone I knew and they either didn't have time or hated musicals. I had made plans with a friend once, and she even turned them down due to work or something of the sort that really just left me by myself again.
I was to the point of just going on my own when I tried one last time with a friend and she agreed, not even knowing what the movie was about. I was thankful and bought our tickets, planning to see the movie in a gorgeous theater that I had never been to before and spending a few hours shopping in the outdoor mall.
The next day, I drove us to the mall and after gorging ourselves with Japanese, hunting to the restroom, and then shopping for some nice intimate wear, we went into the theater and was blown away by how large it was. I felt like I was walking into a theater of a different era. Those of you who have been into this theater before will probably roll your eyes, but you have to remember that I am only familiar with the local theater so you can understand how I was taken by surprise. We get into our seats and after I took another bathroom break, I got back into the room right as the movie was about to start.
One thing that surprised me and I enjoyed was that there was barely any spoken dialogue. Not expecting this, I started watching the movie listening to Jean Valjean singing about prison life and what he done, thinking to myself, "Oh, I'll just wait for when they start to talk because this is pretty hard to follow." They. Never. Started. Talking. I adjusted quickly and think myself a bit foolish to expect this to be like every other musical I had seen.
I did know one thing while going into this. I was gonna cry. Everyone I had spoke to talk me to bring a box of Kleenex and I didn't believe them. As the movie started, I was like, "Psh, I'm stronger than that. I won't cry." And then Fantine started singing "I Dreamed a Dream" and I started crying. When it ended, my sleeves were soaked and I tried to not to show it to my friend. I was a sobbing mess. It was like my brain suddenly turned into water and decided to escape. The ending was very happy, well... sad, but happy. Every time I remember this, I think of Ron Weasley in Prisoner of Azkaban: "You're going to be sad, but you're going to be... happy about it.".
I also heard that Russell Crowe was the worst thing about the movie. I strongly disagree! He brought a lot to Javert, who everyone perceives as a strictly Black-and-White character. Plus I really liked his voice. Sure, he couldn't hit some notes, but not everyone can be a brilliant singer (none of them were) and that really just made it the more real.
Since then, I have started reading the book by Victor Hugo. My, that man loves his descriptions. It's a really good book so far, and the movie has remained true, as of now. I have also become obsessed and have been watching interviews with the cast and learning everything I can about Les Mis. When I learned that Huge based Javert and Valjean on the same man, my jaw dropped. I can see that and it just brings a whole new perspective on things. It's just.. .WOW.
Les Mis was a real eye-opener for me. I saw myself in Valjean, Javert, Eponine, Corsette, Fantine, and Marius and I can not wait to see it again. I strongly suggest it to everyone I know, even though you may hate musicals. At least read the book. Learn about yourself along the way and become a better person because of it.
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