Les Misérables (2012) - March 22 - Review

[Leonidas_King]

Les Misérables Blu-ray

Les Misérables Blu-ray Review

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced that the Academy Award-nominated musical Les Misérables will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on March 22.

The sweeping and spectacular musical extravaganza Les Miserables has been seen by more than 60 million people in 42 countries around the globe. Now the motion picture adaptation that grossed more than $340 million worldwide arrives on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand on March 22, 2013, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Critically acclaimed and star-studded, Les Miserables is a stunningly realized interpretation of Victor Hugo's epic tale of broken dreams, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the endurance of the human spirit. This Golden Globe®-winning cinematic event can now be experienced over and over again on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD with more than an hour of bonus features including cast interviews. Additionally, the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack is loaded with an extra 45 minutes of exclusive content taking viewers behind the scenes of the groundbreaking production for an unmatched entertainment experience.

Directed by Academy Award® winner Tom Hooper (The King's Speech), Les Miserables features an all-star cast including Golden Globe® winner Hugh Jackman (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Prestige), Oscar® winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind), Golden Globe® winner Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises, The Devil Wears Prada), Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!, Dear John), Eddie Redmayne (My Week With Marilyn, The Other Boleyn Girl), Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter series, Sweeney Todd), Golden Globe® winner Sacha Baron Cohen (Hugo, Borat) and newcomer Samantha Barks.

Les Miserables dominated the 2013 awards season, garnering eight Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, and sweeping the Golden Globes with awards for Jackman, and Hathaway, as well as the prize for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack allows consumers to view Les Miserables anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice. It includes a Blu-ray™ disc, a DVD, a Digital Copy and UltraViolet™ for the ultimate, complete viewing experience.

- Blu-ray™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring perfect hi-def picture and hi-def sound.

- DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.

- Digital Copy provides consumers with a choice of formats from a variety of partners, including options to watch on iPhone®, Android™, computers and more.

- UltraViolet™ is a revolutionary new way for consumers to collect their movies and TV shows in the cloud. UltraViolet™ lets consumers instantly stream and download to tablets, smartphones, computers and TVs. Now available in both the United States and Canada.

Bonus Features Exclusive to the Blu-rayTM

- Les Miserables Singing Live: The star-studded cast and production team discuss how the daunting challenge of singing live rather than lip-syncing to pre-recorded tracks ultimately gave them the creative freedom to deliver nuanced, emotionally powerful performances.

- Battle at the Barricade: Director Tom Hooper wanted the dramatic building of the barricade to be as visceral and intense as possible, so he had his actors build it in real time, literally hurling furniture out of windows to construct an actual barricade. This featurette takes an in-depth look at the creation and filming of all the action on this remarkable set.

- The West End Connection: Meet the "godfather" of the original stage production of Les Miserables, renowned West End producer Cameron Mackintosh, who was deeply involved in the filming, as well as former Les Miserables, theatrical stars who were thrilled to appear in supporting roles in the current film.

- Les Miserables on Location: Filming rather than staging Les Miserables presents the opportunity to shoot in real world locations: a massive dry dock on the coast of England, a beautiful underground chapel in the heart of London and the ancient city of Winchester. Members of the cast and crew talk about what it was like to find and work in these incredible locations.

Bonus Features on Both the Blu-rayTM and DVD

- The Stars of Les Miserables: Director Tom Hooper talks about casting the iconic characters, and the actors discuss why it was important to them to be a part of this groundbreaking version of Les Miserables.

- Creating the Perfect Paris: Production designer Eve Stewart created a massive Paris set featuring real cobblestones and running water. Take an intricate look into the detailed recreation of these Paris streets that no longer exist in today's world.

- The Original Masterwork: Victor Hugo's Les Miserables: This mini-documentary takes a look at the historical backdrop and universal themes of Hugo's classic, and how the filmmakers mined the novel to enrich the look and feel of the film.

- Feature Commentary with Director Tom Hooper

SYNOPSIS
Hugh Jackman, Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway star in this critically acclaimed adaptation of the epic musical phenomenon. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Miserables tells the story of ex-prisoner Jean Valjean (Jackman), hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe), after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever. This enthralling story is a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit and "an unforgettable experience" (Richard Roeper, RichardRoeper.com).

FILMMAKERS:
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Samantha Barks, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen
Directed By: Tom Hooper
Produced By: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh
Screenplay By: William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer
Music By: Claude-Michel Schonberg
Lyrics By: Herbert Kretzmer
Based on the Original Stage Musical By: Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg
From The Novel By: Victor Hugo
Executive Producers: Liza Chasin, Angela Morrison, Nicholas Allott, F. Richard Pappas
Director of Photography: Danny Cohen BSC
Production Designer: Eve Stewart
Costume Designer: Paco Delgado
Edited By: Chris Dickens, Melanie Ann Oliver

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY™:
Street Date: 3/22/13
Copyright: 2013 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Numbers: 61125042 / 61125654 (CDN)
Running Time: 2 hours, 38 minutes
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen
Rating: PG-13 for suggestive and sexual material, violence and thematic elements
Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English DTS Surround 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD:
Street Date: 3/22/13
Copyright: 2013 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Numbers: 61123149 / 61125663 (CDN)
Running Time: 2 hours, 38 minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: PG-13 for suggestive and sexual material, violence and thematic elements
Technical Info: English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish

[iScottie]

Woot woot!

[retablo]

It better be an extended cut with all the lyrics (and song) missing from the theatrical film. Hooper truncated the stage show into an almost indecipherable mess... when the initial assemblage was 4 hours, then his oridinal "director's cut" was 3... there was absolutely NO reason to cut another 30 minutes out of it and disrespect 25 years of fans but chopping up the songs which made it a hit in the first place. Nothing can fix the awful camerawork, but at least put the songs back in.

[MarkJ801]

Originally Posted by retablo

Nothing can fix the awful camerawork, but at least put the songs back in.

It may not be a style you like, but it's definitely not "awful"

[retablo]

Originally Posted by MarkJ801

It may not be a style you like, but it's definitely not "awful"

So framing heads at the bottom 1/4 of the frame with no composition, the constant shots going in and out of focus... that's considered good? it was terrible. Luckily the Academy agreed and didn't nominate it for cinematography.

Like I said, nothing can be done to fi that mess, but hopefully they will fix all the other things they did wrong via editing it for more showings per day.

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by retablo

So framing heads at the bottom 1/4 of the frame with no composition, the constant shots going in and out of focus... that's considered good? it was terrible. Luckily the Academy agreed and didn't nominate it for cinematography.

Like I said, nothing can be done to fi that mess, but hopefully they will fix all the other things they did wrong via editing it for more showings per day.

you obviously did not see his 'The Damned United' where the odd framing was rampant - it's Tom's style of filming composition - love it or hate it.

as for the worst part, I thought the sound mixing was terrible and that aspect got a Academy Award nomination - huh??

[Veronica Mars]

Ebert said this was the only film, of the nine Oscar nominated films, that he didn't think deserved its nomination.

I was really excited for this, but not so much now. Will definitely pick it up, though. Love the musical and the cast, so I'm sure it will be good enough to belong in my collection.

[Donat96]

I loved this movie. Day 1.

[Brad1963]

I don't understand all the venom for this film. I loved it, thought it stuck closely to the stage version and was epic filmmaking at its best. Seeing again tomorrow and I'm getting it the day it is released on Blu-ray.

[Gardenofstone10]

I'm a huge Les Mis fan but I hardly get a chance to go to the theaters, can't wait to own this one, Day 1 absolutely

[Sugarlandfan]

Day 1 purchase for me!! It was amazing! I have seen it in theaters 3 times!

[JohnDoe NY]

Originally Posted by Leonidas_King

[CENTER]Universal Pictures Home Entertainment plans to bring the Musical hit as a Combo Pack this March with an expected March 19th date.

Source? Let me guess, some random internet "insider"???

[JenM]

Originally Posted by retablo

It better be an extended cut with all the lyrics (and song) missing from the theatrical film. Hooper truncated the stage show into an almost indecipherable mess... when the initial assemblage was 4 hours, then his oridinal "director's cut" was 3... there was absolutely NO reason to cut another 30 minutes out of it and disrespect 25 years of fans but chopping up the songs which made it a hit in the first place. Nothing can fix the awful camerawork, but at least put the songs back in.

I've been a fan of the stage musical for more than 20 years, and I don't feel disprespected at all. I loved the movie. Saw it 3 times already.

Why are you blaming all of the cut lyrics on Hooper? A lot of those cuts are the same as the cuts in the current stage version too, and they've been there since long before the movie was made. If you listen to the 2010 London cast recording, or watch the 25th Anniversary concert, you'll see the same cuts to "Castle on a Cloud", "Come to Me", "Little People", and some of the sung dialogue scenes were shortened as well, as was the attempted bribery scene at the wedding.

In fact, the movie version restored some of the lyrics that have been gone for the show for a while - Valjean's scene where tells the Thenardiers that Fantine has died was cut from the show ages ago, and the "Turning", scene brings back the "someone used to cradle them and kiss them when they cried" lyric that was cut from the stage show.

The only missing lyric that really bothered me was Marius telling Cosette that he didn't know who rescued him from barricade, because then it went unexplained that he didn't.

I know the stage musical backwards and forwards, but I wasn't expecting an exact replica of the stage production. And I like a lot of the changes - they way Eponine's placement was changed, the appearance of the Bishop in the finale, Gavroche's new lyrics in "Look Down", the new placement of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" (and Gavroche reprising it when it looked like the barricade was doomed), the new sung dialogue between Javert and Valjean. Hell, I even liked the new song, even though it was obvious Oscar bait.

We lost "Dog Eat Dog", but I expect we'll see that back on the DVD. From what I've heard, the original rough cut was closer to 3 hours, but the studio wanted the cuts. Not the first (or last) movie to do it. Even with the cuts, the movie was criticized for being long.

[JenM]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

I don't understand all the venom for this film. I loved it, thought it stuck closely to the stage version and was epic filmmaking at its best. Seeing again tomorrow and I'm getting it the day it is released on Blu-ray.

Me too! I've seen it 3 times, and everyone I've gone with, who are huge fans of the stage musical, has loved it.

It was definitely different from the show, but it had to be. It wasn't just a matter of putting the stage show outside and filming it. I loved that they went back to the original novel and put stuff in that they weren't able to do on stage (like the convent scene).

I get the criticism for the camerawork. I figured I wouldn't like it either after reading the reviews, but I wound up not having a problem with it.

I even liked Russell Crowe. No, he doesn't sing like the actors I've seen on stage do it, but he acted the character so well that I didn't mind that the singing was less than what I was used to. And that scene with the medal? Damn... (and I read that scene was Crowe's idea)

I've been waiting for a movie version of this forever, and I was just thrilled with it.

[Leonidas_King]

Originally Posted by JohnDoe NY

Source? Let me guess, some random internet "insider"???

[Brad1963]

Originally Posted by JenM

Me too! I've seen it 3 times, and everyone I've gone with, who are huge fans of the stage musical, has loved it.

It was definitely different from the show, but it had to be. It wasn't just a matter of putting the stage show outside and filming it. I loved that they went back to the original novel and put stuff in that they weren't able to do on stage (like the convent scene).

I get the criticism for the camerawork. I figured I wouldn't like it either after reading the reviews, but I wound up not having a problem with it.

I even liked Russell Crowe. No, he doesn't sing like the actors I've seen on stage do it, but he acted the character so well that I didn't mind that the singing was less than what I was used to. And that scene with the medal? Damn... (and I read that scene was Crowe's idea)

I've been waiting for a movie version of this forever, and I was just thrilled with it.

You begin to wonder what people were expecting. It was exactly what it should have been. It retained the essence of the stage version while taking advantage of what film could offer. Les Misérables was meant for the big screen and it succeeded IMO. Hopefully there will be some type of Digi Book Exclusive at Best Buy or Target.

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by JenM

I've been a fan of the stage musical for more than 20 years, and I don't feel disprespected at all. I loved the movie. Saw it 3 times already.

Why are you blaming all of the cut lyrics on Hooper? A lot of those cuts are the same as the cuts in the current stage version too, and they've been there since long before the movie was made. If you listen to the 2010 London cast recording, or watch the 25th Anniversary concert, you'll see the same cuts to "Castle on a Cloud", "Come to Me", "Little People", and some of the sung dialogue scenes were shortened as well, as was the attempted bribery scene at the wedding.

In fact, the movie version restored some of the lyrics that have been gone for the show for a while - Valjean's scene where tells the Thenardiers that Fantine has died was cut from the show ages ago, and the "Turning", scene brings back the "someone used to cradle them and kiss them when they cried" lyric that was cut from the stage show.

The only missing lyric that really bothered me was Marius telling Cosette that he didn't know who rescued him from barricade, because then it went unexplained that he didn't.

I know the stage musical backwards and forwards, but I wasn't expecting an exact replica of the stage production. And I like a lot of the changes - they way Eponine's placement was changed, the appearance of the Bishop in the finale, Gavroche's new lyrics in "Look Down", the new placement of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" (and Gavroche reprising it when it looked like the barricade was doomed), the new sung dialogue between Javert and Valjean. Hell, I even liked the new song, even though it was obvious Oscar bait.

We lost "Dog Eat Dog", but I expect we'll see that back on the DVD. From what I've heard, the original rough cut was closer to 3 hours, but the studio wanted the cuts. Not the first (or last) movie to do it. Even with the cuts, the movie was criticized for being long.

it needed an intermission...

[Donat96]

This is the first movie I've ever cried in, LOL.

[Show spoiler]The musical number at the end with Jean, Cosette, Fantine, etc. was just too much.

I understand and even agree to an extent about the complaints, but the downsides didn't diminish my enjoyment of the film. It was spectacular, IMO.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by JenM

I've been a fan of the stage musical for more than 20 years, and I don't feel disprespected at all. I loved the movie. Saw it 3 times already.

Why are you blaming all of the cut lyrics on Hooper? A lot of those cuts are the same as the cuts in the current stage version too, and they've been there since long before the movie was made. If you listen to the 2010 London cast recording, or watch the 25th Anniversary concert, you'll see the same cuts to "Castle on a Cloud", "Come to Me", "Little People", and some of the sung dialogue scenes were shortened as well, as was the attempted bribery scene at the wedding.

In fact, the movie version restored some of the lyrics that have been gone for the show for a while - Valjean's scene where tells the Thenardiers that Fantine has died was cut from the show ages ago, and the "Turning", scene brings back the "someone used to cradle them and kiss them when they cried" lyric that was cut from the stage show.

The only missing lyric that really bothered me was Marius telling Cosette that he didn't know who rescued him from barricade, because then it went unexplained that he didn't.

I know the stage musical backwards and forwards, but I wasn't expecting an exact replica of the stage production. And I like a lot of the changes - they way Eponine's placement was changed, the appearance of the Bishop in the finale, Gavroche's new lyrics in "Look Down", the new placement of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" (and Gavroche reprising it when it looked like the barricade was doomed), the new sung dialogue between Javert and Valjean. Hell, I even liked the new song, even though it was obvious Oscar bait.

We lost "Dog Eat Dog", but I expect we'll see that back on the DVD. From what I've heard, the original rough cut was closer to 3 hours, but the studio wanted the cuts. Not the first (or last) movie to do it. Even with the cuts, the movie was criticized for being long.

A Little Fall of rain was reduced to 2 verses, and the best lines from that song are gone. Since her character was shortened anyway, her "I'll sleep in your embrace at last" line to Maruis was the most important thing her character said... and it was cut.

I've seen the old stage version and the new one... plus I've read the shooting script (it's easily available online), which has almost ALL the lyrics and verses intact. So they were shot, and Hooper confirmed this. Why he felt the need to go and cut them later is beyond me.

The cuts ruined the pacing. Songs would just run into each other with no intro music. It all felt very disjointed... not to mention the live singing killed the musicality of many of the songs. Which is funny, that's some people's biggest complaint if they hadn't seen the stage show, that the songs weren't memorable or had much of a tune. Well, the originally did, anyway.

[UNCMT9]

I thought it was ok, not great. Will probably pass unless its the right price. Any fan of the production should check it out though.