Les Misérables (2012)

In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after he breaks parole, agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's daughter, Cosette. The fateful decision changes their lives forever.

Director:

Tom Hooper

Writers:

William Nicholson (screenplay), Alain Boublil (screenplay),

Stars:

Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway

Won 3 Oscars. Another 44 wins & 96 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Jackman	...	Jean Valjean
Russell Crowe	...	Javert
Anne Hathaway	...	Fantine
Amanda Seyfried	...	Cosette
Sacha Baron Cohen	...	Thénardier
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Madame Thénardier
Eddie Redmayne	...	Marius
Aaron Tveit	...	Enjolras
Samantha Barks	...	Éponine
Daniel Huttlestone	...	Gavroche
Cavin Cornwall	...	Convict 1
Josef Altin	...	Convict 2
Dave Hawley	...	Convict 3
Adam Jones	...	Convict 4
John Barr	...	Convict 5

Storyline

Jean Valjean, known as Prisoner 24601, is released from prison and breaks parole to create a new life for himself while evading the grip of the persistent Inspector Javert. Set in post-revolutionary France, the story reaches resolution against the background of the June Rebellion.

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Plot Keywords:

rebellion | barricade | student | france | parole | 

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Taglines:

Fight. Dream. Hope. Love.

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for suggestive and sexual material, violence and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les Miz

Filming Locations:

Ashridge Park, Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$61,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$27,281,735 (USA) (28 December 2012)

Gross:

$148,775,460 (USA) (29 March 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

158 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jackie Marks has come full circle as 'Factory Woman'. She was in the original RSC production, creating the role of the factory girl, and was the first British Fantine taking over the role from Patti LuPone. She also recently played Madame Thenardier at the Queens Theatre in London.

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Goofs

Very near the end of the song "Stars," a shot from behind Javert shows he is facing Notre Dame and the moon is in the sky to his right. Although the moon is to his right and illuminates buildings in the background from that perspective, the light reflected off of Javert's forehead is coming from his left.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jean Valjean: Look down, look down, don't look them in the eye.
Chain Gang: Look down, look down, you're here until you die.

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Crazy Credits

The film opens without any opening credits. The title of the film is stated just before the closing credits.

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Connections

Featured in Film 2013: Episode dated 9 January 2013 (2013)

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Soundtracks

"The Confrontation"
Written by Herbert Kretzmer, Claude-Michel Schönberg, and Alain Boublil
Performed by Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.

User Reviews

Even if you don't like musicals, you really should see this one

As a massive film fan, my tastes are very wide-ranging, but I do have a problem with musicals. Nevertheless I was happy to take the opportunity of a private viewing of "Les Misérables" at the London office of distributors Universal - the day after the London première and a month before the UK release - because of the outstanding success of the original stage show (a run of 27 years with a total audience of over 60 million) and the surprising and impressive cast list (Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne).

The showing was introduced by producer Eric Fellner of Working Title who underlined the commercial challenge of making a film in which all the dialogue is sung and the themes are so political and praised director Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech") for his insistence that every take was sung live.

The two main characters are presented in the opening seconds of a sweeping introductory sequence: the police inspector Javert (Crowe) and the prisoner 24601 Jean Valjean (Jackman) in post-revolutionary France. There follows over two and half hours with barely a spoken word which will not appeal to all cinema-goers, but the production is a triumph with Cameron Mackintosh's musical opened up by dramatic shooting on Pinewood's brand new Richard Attenborough stage and some historic English locations.

If Crowe and especially Jackman are excellent, Hathaway - who lost 25 pounds and most of her hair for the role - is outstanding as the destitute Fantine and Cohen and Carter almost steal the show as the comical Thénardier innkeepers.

I'm not sure how long it will take for "Les Misérables" to recoup its investment cash- wise, but it's going to win award after award and rightly so.