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- About the conflict between social classes through the life of the unhappy Catherine Ferrand, an orphan girl, who is a victim of the jealousy of women and the greed of men.
- Jean Valjean, guilty of a minor theft of food, is pursued and hounded for years by a relentless lawman, Javert.
- Part One: The opening scene shows the interior of the squalid little home, where Gervaise has waited all night for Lantier's return, but when the latter enters the place, he casts the tearful woman aside with a gesture of ill-humor, begging her to leave him in peace. Gervaise takes her bundle of clothes and starts for the public wash house, where, after being assigned to a place, she begins her toil. A young woman named Virginie enters, and taking her place at a tub next to Gervaise, taunts the latter about the loss of her lover, for it is Virginie who has supplanted Gervaise in the affections of Lantier. Soon a little boy arrives at the laundry with a note which he hands to Gervaise, and the latter on opening it reads the following soul-crushing words: "I have had enough of your jealous outbursts, and have decided to leave you. Don't worry about me: I have found consolation. Lantier." The disconsolate woman's rival stands by with a triumphant sneer on her face and under her breath makes slurring remarks, whereupon Gervaise turns on Virginie, giving her a terrible heating. Gervaise has still another shock in store for her, for on leaving the place she is horrified to see her rival Virginie enter a cab with Lantier and drive away. The next scene takes place a few months later, when we see Coupeau, who has been Gervaise's staunch friend all through her sorrow, meet the latter in the park and propose marriage to her. The happy Gervaise accepts the generous hearted fellow, and on their way home they stop to inform their friends of the coming event. Gervaise, who has a strong aversion to drink, makes Coupeau swear that he will never touch a drop of intoxicating liquor. The couple are married and live happily together for five years, for Coupeau, who is a tinsmith, works steadily and is devoted to his wife and proud of their little home. Virginie, however, has never forgotten the humiliation she endured that eventful day In the laundry, when Gervaise attacked her, and she is ever on the alert to have revenge. One day when Gervaise and her little daughter carry Coupeau his lunch, we see the latter come down from the housetop where he is working, and going with his little family to a secluded spot, he enjoys a hearty repast. Virginie, who has been haunting the neighborhood, climbs upon the scaffolding and loosens some of the boards. As Coupeau climbs the ladder to return to work he stops for a moment to wave good-bye to his dear ones, when suddenly the planks give way under his feet and he is precipitated to the ground below. The other workmen who hurry to the scene tenderly raise the injured man and carry him to his home. Part Two: During Coupeau's convalescence, Gervaise has a birthday, and in honor of the event the happy couple give a little party to their few good friends. It is at this function that Gervaise sees her husband take his first drink. From that day, Coupeau loses all ambition and self-respect, and refuses to return to work. His poor wife is made to shoulder the responsibilities of the household while he spends his time in the tavern. One day Coupeau happens to meet Lantier in the saloon and in the course of conversation bets the latter than be can drink eight brandies while the clock strikes eight. The wager is placed, but Coupeau loses, for he is only able to finish six before he is helplessly intoxicated. At this juncture Gervaise enters the place and, seeing the condition of her husband, begs him to go home with her, but the drunken man positively refuses to move. Finally Conpeau is attacked with delirium tremens and after a difficult struggle with his companions, is carried a raving maniac to the hospital, where he remains for two years. On leaving the hospital, Coupeau is warned against the use of strong liquors; the smallest glass, he is told, will cause immediate death; he may, however, partake of a very little red wine. He is accompanied home by a friend, who stops on the way and purchases a bottle of wine. Great indeed is the joy in the little home when Coupeau arrives, and after an effusive greeting, Gervaise takes her basket and hastens off to purchase some food for the poor invalid. While Gervaise is absent the heartless Virginie slips into the room and substitutes a bottle of whiskey for the wine. Soon the sick man feels the need of a drink, so going to the closet he picks up the bottle and raises it to his mouth, but scarcely has it touched his lips when he realizes that he is doomed. Burning with the desire for liquor, the unfortunate man drains the bottle of its contents and is immediately seized with delirium tremens. After much suffering the victim of drink falls prostrate upon the floor, where his lifeless form is found by his unhappy wife upon her return.
- This is the story of the most remarkable case of mistaken identity and the most terrible miscarriage of justice ever written in the judicial annals of the world. Roussel, a wealthy merchant, has the misfortune to have in Gasnier, a bandit, a double; the resemblance between them being remarkable. On the 27th of May, 1795, Roussel visits his father's little inn on the road to Orleans. At 7 P.M. he returned to Paris. At 11 P.M. the same night Gasnier and three companions, Nicolet, Champion and Minot, rob the Orleans coach, carrying $375,000 for General Bonaparte's army. Later Roussel is shot by Gasnier, who thinks the would-be assassin is his son. Roussel, the merchant, is arrested, tried and convicted. His future son-in-law tries desperately to prove Roussel innocent, but is thwarted at every turn by Gasnier and Roussel is finally executed. At the moment of his execution Judge Lebas discovers the real criminal and realizes an innocent man has gone to his death.
- The Archduke Rodolphe d'Illyrie is secretly united to Countess Sarah Mac Gregor and they have a daughter together. The young woman learns that her father-in-law is potting to have the marriage annulled so she writes her brother to ask him to get rid of the old man. When her letter is intercepted, she leaves her child in the care of farmers near Paris and escapes to America. The Archduke finds the whereabouts of his daughter but he finds the house has been destroyed by a criminal fire and figures that she died. He sets out to find his daughter's murderers and meets the evil Schoolmaster and his friend la Chouette. They actually hide the child, that they call Fleur de Marie, and force her to beg for their profit.
- In this symbolist drama of truth and falsehood, a countess and her lover try to seduce and blackmail a rich man living near them who is fond of a naïve young friend of theirs. The plot does not go as well as planned.
- The Thenardiers and their small daughter, Eponine, and young son, Gavroche, are seen at their dingy country tavern. Here little Cosette, the daughter of Fantine, is seen performing drudgery and menial tasks. The Thenardiers are treating their own children kindly, but are cruel to Cosette. One day she is sent for water with a heavy pail. On the way she passes a toy store, and longingly admires a doll. On her way back she meets Jean Valjean, who asks her the way to the Thenardiers. Cosette leads him toward their place. On the way she looks longingly at the doll once more, and her action is observed by Valjean. He has learned by her talk that she is Fantine's child, whom he is seeking. Cosette runs ahead, and Valjean enters the tavern while Cosette is being scolded. He remonstrates with the Thenardiers, and goes out to the toy store and buys the doll for Cosette. Returning, he informs the Thenardiers that he has come to pay the child's board bill, and take her away. They gleefully accept the money and Valjean departs with the little girl. Thenardier, thinking he might have got more, follows him, but Valjean shows him the note that Fantine had written before she died, telling him to take care of the child. Valjean realizes a sum of money on securities, and decides to live in an obscure house in the poor quarter of Paris with little Cosette, away from the prying police. But the janitress of the house becomes suspicious of her new tenants and calls in the police after peeping and observing Valjean counting money, an unusual thing in that quarter of Paris. Javert by this time has been appointed to the detective force of Paris. He considers this case worthy of his personal inspection and goes to Valjean's lodgings and secrets himself in the garret above Valjean's room. Valjean takes alarm at Javert's boring through the ceiling. He leaves quickly, carrying Cosette, but is followed by Javert and his men. He is cornered in a blind alley, but makes his escape with a clothes line by the thrilling and dramatic feat of scaling an almost perpendicular wall. After a night of suspense he finds himself biding in the grounds of a convent. Here he meets the old gardener, Fauchelevent, whom he assisted from under the wagon and obtained for him his present position. The old man shows his gratitude by giving them asylum and getting Valjean a position as assistant gardener. The old man introduces him to the nuns as his brother, and thereafter Valjean is known as "Fauchelevent." Javert gives up the hope of capturing Valjean. Years after, Valjean still known as "Fauchelevent," is living in quiet ease with Cosette, now grown up, as his daughter. The Thenardiers have moved to Paris and are living in poverty, under an assumed name. In the next room to them dwells Marius, a student. Thenardier frequently appeals to him for money, and usually gets some. Eponine, Thenardiers daughter, also grown up, has fallen deeply in love with Marius, unbeknown to him. Marius walks and studies in the park, and there for the first time sees Cosette, sitting with her "father" Valjean. The two young people are attracted by each other at once. A little later Valjean is accosted by Eponine who is begging. She tells a pitiful story and Valjean and Cosette decide to go to her home and investigate the condition she has told concerning her family. Arriving there, Valjean leaves his coat and money, but neither he nor Cosette are recognized by any of the Thenardiers. As they leave the place, Marius is just returning home and he again comes face to face with Cosette, an incident which Valjean does not seem to like. Cosette accidentally drops a rose, Marius quickly picks it up and presses it to his lips. This action is observed by Eponine who becomes intensely jealous. Valjean has left his address with the Thenardiers in case they should need any further assistance. Marius demands of Eponine to give him the address, and this she does in a spirit of self-sacrifice. Marius starts at once to the house where Valjean and Cosette reside. He writes a note declaring his love, and puts it on a garden bench where Eponine has informed him Cosette lingers every evening. At this moment Cosette appears, reads the note and is surprised by Marius who has stepped behind the bushes at her approach. Valjean coming, suspects something, though Marius gets out of the way, and Cosette is taken to task by her foster father for the first time in his life. Marius has a wealthy grandfather who dotes on the lad provided his wishes are followed. The young man writes him of his love for Cosette and begs his sanction to an early marriage. The grandfather sends for Marius and tells him he cannot consent. .Marius repudiates him then and leaves in high anger. -- Moving Picture World synopsis
- In the lands of Brière a bitter dispute broke out over the draining of marshes for brick making. An old man, Aoustin, leads the resistance and refuses to give the hand of his daughter Théotiste to a young peasant, Jeannin, who supports it.
- Robinson is a student in England, but he loves the ocean. He leaves his family and goes on a voyage to Guinea. Privateers attack the ship. Robinson escapes with the help of a young Moor. The two reach Brazil where they live a prosperous life. Robinson grows nostalgic and wants to return home and leaves. A twister throws him on a desert island along with a black man that he calls Friday. 20 years after that, he manages to return to England and marries someone. His wife dies and he decides to return to new adventures.
- A pretty little child of a wandering gypsy family is wrongfully shot by the gardener of an estate, who discovers the unfortunate mistake and carries the child into the house. The parents of the little one are found and brought to her and in a clandestine moment incite the child to theft as a recompense for the injury. An opportunity is soon presented when the lady of the manor removes a handsome necklace, which she leaves upon a table, observed by the gypsy girl. Quietly the child appropriates the necklace and escapes from the place. Arriving at the camp of her people, she gives the necklace to her father, who buries the precious article. However, the child, influenced by gratitude for attentions bestowed upon her while in the care of the family of the manor, becomes conscience-stricken, resolves to return the necklace; her act is discovered by the father, who pursues her over a log bridge. The child goes safely over but the irate father in wild frenzy loses balance, falls into the river and drowns. The child, having in the meantime taken the necklace to the owner, is adopted when the tragedy of the father is discovered.
- The rebellion of 1832 is on. There is rioting and barricading in the streets. Marius in despair, and in the hope that a bullet will soon end his life, joins the mob and becomes a fighter in the ranks of the insurgents. Javert gets orders to investigate the extent of the insurrection. He assumes a disguise, and goes to a tavern, the headquarters of the rebellion, He is quickly recognized and seized. They search him and tie him to a wooden pillar. Documents on him reveal his identity, and the rioters condemn him to die if the barricade is taken. Martial law is proclaimed, and the people are ordered to disperse. They refuse, and a volley is fired. Eponine, in the mob, dies at the first fire. Marius thinking his death to be at hand, writes a note to Cosette, telling her where to find his body in case he is killed. Gavroche is sent with the note, but Valjean gets it at his home. He sees that this love affair is deeper than he bad supposed, and he goes to the scene of the rioting to find Marius. Gavroche is killed while trying to secure ammunition for the revolutionists in searching dead soldiers for cartridges. Fierce fighting follows and the rioters, realizing that they are losing ground, order the execution of Javert. Valjean interferes and tells them that Javert's life belongs to him. Taking Javert outside, Valjean frees his hands, fires a pistol in the air, and lets Javert go, thereby sparing his life. The military take the barricade by storm. Marius badly wounded, is picked up by Valjean, who disappears into a sewer opening and escapes with him underground. Javert, in the streets, comes upon Thenardier robbing the dead. In pursuit of this man, he comes upon Valjean emerging from another part of the sewer. Javert drops Thenardier and arrests Valjean. Valjean shows him the note of Marius to Cosette concerning the disposing of his body, and he begs permission to take Marius to the home of his grandfather before submitting to arrest. Javert consents, but accidentally drops upon the ground the order of arrest for Jean Valjean, which he has carried on his person, Thenardier pounces upon the order and keeps it for future blackmailing purposes. He also follows Valjean and Javert to the home of the grandfather of Marius. Javert observing the God-like character of Valjean, is overcome with remorse, and for the first time in his life departs from his path of duty and allows his prisoner to escape. He then writes his resignation to the police, and, as a public acknowledgment of his mortification and weakness, he ends his own life. The grandfather of Marius is deeply grateful for the boy's safe return. He sends for Valjean and asks the hand of Cosette for Marius. This Valjean grants, and transfers his property to Cosette. The lovers are married at the church, at which time Valjean shows the first signs of failing health. Thenardier thinks the time now ripe to commence blackmailing with the order of arrest. He negotiates with Marius, who buys it from him for a good sum. Marius goes to see Valjean to question him about the paper, but finds him low in health, and fondling Cosette's little dress of other days, the place lighted with the good priest's candlesticks. Marius hands him the order of arrest. Valjean feebly acknowledges it, and tells the story of his persecutions. Cosette arrives as Valjean is dreaming of the good priest who helped him to be a better man, and soon he expires peacefully in the arms of his two children. -- Moving Picture World synopsis