Emotional Experience

Saturday night we attended a showing of Les Miserables. The movie is billed as a musical, but IMHO it was more of an opera.  There were no spoken words during the two and a half hours.  There were also no slow periods, but an action filled, period correct piece with fantastic make-up, sets, costumes, music, singing, and most importantly, acting.  I haven't seen Daniel Day-Lewis' performance in Lincoln yet, but it will have to be absolutely fantastic to be better than Hugh Jackman's all-out performance.
Surprisingly, I had no idea that Anne Hathaway or Russell Crow could sing, but they each held their own admiringly, and played their respective parts very well.  I REALLY enjoyed the show.  I thought it was going to be a "snorer", but was pleasantly surprised at the strong tugs to my emotions and keen portrayal of the storyline.
Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen provided the comic relief, and probably presented the sole portion of the movie that was light hearted enough to be considered (IMHO) a musical.
Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne were also way good.  I knew I had seen him somewhere before, and it was as the young assistant producer in My Week with Marilyn.  I thought he was great then and in this movie as well.  I expect to see much more of this guy.
Bottom line: don't miss this movie while it is still showing.  It will change your opinions about musicals and operas.  It is not like any other one I've seen.  The director also should be applauded for his extreme close-ups of the singers, and the fact that they actually sang in-place, no voice-overs.  The cast was well-chosen and they all performed beyond my expectations...

"I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious." --Thomas Jefferson, ltr to William Ludlow, 
 
"The bird hunting a locust is unaware of the hawk hunting him." ~Portuguese proverb


"If you're ever feeling low, just take a saunter over to the local bus station, and you'll perk right up. It looks like a Munster family reunion. There are people with teeth like Indian corn, eyes pointing in different  directions, Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets used as luggage. And you know nobody there has ever filled out a long form in their whole lives" - Dobie Maxwell

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