"Les misérables" (2000) TV mini-series

Director:

Josée Dayan

Writers:

Didier Decoin (written by)
Victor Hugo (novel)

Release Date:

7 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

The scene is set during the French Restoration at the beginning of the 19th century. Jean Valjean, a...

Plot Keywords:

Bishop | Mayor | Prison | Police | 19th Century

Cast

Gérard Depardieu	...	Jean Valjean
Christian Clavier	...	Thénardier
John Malkovich	...	Javert
Virginie Ledoyen	...	Cosette
Enrico Lo Verso	...	Marius
Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Fantine
Asia Argento	...	Éponine Thénardier
Veronica Ferres	...	Madame Thénardier
Jeanne Moreau	...	Mère Innocente
Giovanna Mezzogiorno	...	Soeur Simplice
Vadim Glowna	...	Fauchelevent
Steffen Wink	...	Enjolras
Léopoldine Serre	...	Cosette enfant
Jérôme Hardelay	...	Gavroche
Michel Duchaussoy	...	Gillenormand

Also Known As:

I miserabili (Italy)
Les Misérables - Gefangene des Schicksals (Germany)
Los miserables (Spain)

Runtime:

90 min (4 episodes)

Country:

France | Italy | Spain | Germany | USA

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Germany:12 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Ledec nad Sázavou, Czech Republic

Company:

DD Productions

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.

Movie Connections:

Version of Les misérables (1982)

Faithful to the novel?

I have read this novel several times and I was stunned that some of you found this a faithful version. I am referring to the miniseries that aired in the US with Depardieu and Malkovich. Maybe the French version - twice as long? - is more true to the novel, but the version we saw here was shockingly distorted.

Yes - all of the characters were there, but their roles were often twisted beyond recognition. One GLARING example: Eponine. If you have read the novel, you know that she is one of the most heroic characters, sacrificing herself for Marius. Did I miss something here? They turn her into one of the villains. Gavroche's role is also misrepresented. If they were going to take all that time, why not do it as Hugo wrote it? It is also very odd to make Cosette the narrator, as she is deliberately one of the weaker, more insipid characters in the novel. And Valjean was never in love with Cosette. He is genuinely an adoptive father.

Depardieu is beautifully cast as Valjean, but John Malkovich (I'm a fan, too) plays Javert as if he were simply mean - with none of the nuances of the tortured character that Geoffrey Rush portrays. The 1998 Bille August film is by far the superior interpretation, despite what he leaves out. And the musical theater version is the best of all, faithful to both the plot and spirit of Hugo's masterpiece.