Les Miserables (1952)

Director:

Lewis Milestone

Writers:

Richard Murphy (screenplay)
Victor Hugo (novel)

Release Date:

14 August 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

I sentence you to ten years in the galleys!

Plot:

A parole violator in early 19th Century France is relentlessly pursued and persecuted by an obsessive policeman.

Plot Keywords:

Parole | Bread | Bishop | Parole Violator | Prison

Cast

Michael Rennie	...	Jean Valjean
Debra Paget	...	Cosette
Robert Newton	...	Etienne Javert
Edmund Gwenn	...	Bishop Courbet
Sylvia Sidney	...	Fantine
Cameron Mitchell	...	Marius
Elsa Lanchester	...	Madame Magloire
James Robertson Justice	...	Robert
Joseph Wiseman	...	Genflou
Rhys Williams	...	Brevet
Florence Bates	...	Madame Bonnet
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Adler	...	Valjean's Coachman (uncredited)
Merry Anders	...	Cicely (uncredited)
Roger Anderson	...	Revolutionary (uncredited)
Charlotte Austin	...	Student (uncredited)
Frank Baker	...	Judge (uncredited)
George Barrows	...	Gendarme (uncredited)
Jack Baston	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Benita Booth	...	Mother (uncredited)
Leonard Carey	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Sanders Clark	...	Lieutenant (uncredited)
George Cooper	...	Student (uncredited)
John Costello	...	Cochepaille (uncredited)
William Cottrell	...	Dupuy (uncredited)
James Craven	...	Vero (uncredited)
William Dalzell	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Herbert Deans	...	French Officer (uncredited)
Leslie Denison	...	Mounted Policeman (uncredited)
John Dierkes	...	Bosun (uncredited)
James Dime	...	Convent Gardner (uncredited)
John Dodsworth	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Charles B. Fitzsimons	...	Noel - Student (uncredited)
Mary Forbes	...	Nun (uncredited)
Alex Frazer	...	Silversmith (uncredited)
Michael Granger	...	Policeman (uncredited)
A. Cameron Grant	...	Baker (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	Pottery Worker (uncredited)
June Hillman	...	Mother Superior (uncredited)
Robert Hyatt	...	Gavroche (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten	...	Judge (uncredited)
Charles Keane	...	Corporal (uncredited)
Queenie Leonard	...	Valjean's Maid (uncredited)
Alfred Linder	...	Genet (uncredited)
Stanley Logan	...	Judge (uncredited)
Dayton Lummis	...	Defense Lawyer (uncredited)
Moyna MacGill	...	Nun (uncredited)
Lester Matthews	...	Mentou Sr. (uncredited)
Sean McClory	...	Bamtasbois (uncredited)
Guy Miali	...	Pottery Worker (uncredited)
Jerry Miley	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Jimmy Moss	...	Jacques Mentou (uncredited)
William J. O'Brien	...	Citizen (uncredited)
John O'Malley	...	Worker (uncredited)
Tudor Owen	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Jack Raine	...	Captain (uncredited)
Jack Reitzen	...	Henri (uncredited)
John Rogers	...	Bonnet (uncredited)
Victor Romito	...	Man (uncredited)
Lewis L. Russell	...	Waiter (uncredited)
John Sherman	...	Town Corporal (uncredited)
Jean Vachon	...	Nun (uncredited)
Norma Varden	...	Madame Courbet (uncredited)
Max Wagner	...	Revolutionary (uncredited)
Trevor Ward	...	Clerk (uncredited)
Patsy Weil	...	Cosette - Age 7 (uncredited)
Ian Wolfe	...	Presiding Judge (uncredited)
Victor Wood	...	Prosecutor (uncredited)

Directed by
Lewis Milestone

Writing credits
Richard Murphy		(screenplay)
Victor Hugo		(novel "Les Miserables")

Produced by
Fred Kohlmar	....	producer

Original Music by
Alex North

Cinematography by
Joseph LaShelle

Film Editing by
Hugh S. Fowler		(as Hugh Fowler)

Art Direction by
J. Russell Spencer
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Dorothy Jeakins

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist

Production Management
William Eckhardt	....	assistant production manager
R.L. Hough	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stanley Hough	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Gerd Oswald	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Don B. Greenwood	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
Arthur von Kirbach	....	sound (as Arthur L. Kirbach)

Special Effects by
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
James Mitchell	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director
Ed Wynigear	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Alfred Newman	....	musical director
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)

Other crew
Serge Bertensson	....	dialogue director (uncredited)
Stanley Scheuer	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1952) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1953) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1953) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Netherlands Fox Film Corporation (195?) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2010) (Canada) (DVD) (4 film collection)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (4 film collection)
• Nostalgia Collectibles (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Nostalgia Collectibles (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | UK:PG | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12 (f) | Netherlands:14 (original rating) (1952)

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The musical version of 'Les Misérables' opened at the Broadway Theater on March 12, 1987 and ran for 6680 performances, making it the third longest running show on Broadway.

Quotes:

Jean Valjean:But this is common humanity! Are you a machine?
Etienne Javert:I am an officer of the law doing my duty. I have no choice in the matter. It makes no difference what I think or feel or want. It has nothing to do with me - nothing! Can't you see that?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The West Wing: Enemies Foreign and Domestic (#3.19)" (2002)

A Very Good Version of Les Miserables!

This version of Victor Hugo's classic novel was not as good as the 1935 version. Obviously, the two leading actors can not compare to Fredric March and Charles Laughton, but let me tell you, Michael Rennie and Robert Newton both gave excellent performances! Joseph Wiseman was excellent in a small role, as were James Robertson Justice, Edmund Gwenn, Cameron Mitchell, Debra Paget, and Sylvia Sidney! Once again, this version was not as good as the 1935 version, but all the actors did their very best, and I believe the result was a movie worth watching, and I highly recommend it! The excellent acting definitely lifted it up to almost the 1935 version!