I love Les Miserables and am on a quest to watch all of the filmed versions, so I thought I would make a thread to share my progress and discuss the merits of different versions.
Spoilers abound!
(Spoiler summary: it's les mis, almost everybody dies).
Les Miserables is a novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862 (30 years after the rebellion described in the latter part of the novel). It tells the story of Jean Valjean, released on parole from prison for theft, and his journey towards redemption whilst being pursued by Javert, an officer of the law. It also takes in Fantine, a factory worker who has to resort to prostitution after she is sacked; her daughter Cosette, who is adopted by Valjean after her death; the Thenardiers, initially an innkeeper and his wife who mistreat Cosette; Marius, a young student with whom Cosette later falls in love and his student friends who are organising an anti-monarchist rebellion. It's a story of humanity, redemption, sacrifice and love.
One of the things that I like about Les Miserables is the ensemble of characters, it gives so many opportunities for different angles, different ways in to the story. It is, of course, Jean Valjean's story, but I appreciate the adaptations that also allow for characters other than Valjean, Marius and Cosette – where Fantine is more than her death, where Javert is not merely a mindless force for evil, where Les Amis are given time enough for us to care about their rebellion and their deaths.
According to Wikipedia there are a lot of different filmed versions of the story for film and TV. Some of the ones listed here are only adaptations of single scenes or characters. There are also filmed concerts of the musical. I'm mostly interested in full length films that cover the whole novel but might expand my search if there are any recommendations otherwise.
Please share your thoughts about your favourite versions, or any aspects of the story or characters you think were done well in one particular version. Do you have a preferred Valjean? Who is the best Javert? Who gets the best death scene?
Spoilers abound!
(Spoiler summary: it's les mis, almost everybody dies).
Les Miserables is a novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862 (30 years after the rebellion described in the latter part of the novel). It tells the story of Jean Valjean, released on parole from prison for theft, and his journey towards redemption whilst being pursued by Javert, an officer of the law. It also takes in Fantine, a factory worker who has to resort to prostitution after she is sacked; her daughter Cosette, who is adopted by Valjean after her death; the Thenardiers, initially an innkeeper and his wife who mistreat Cosette; Marius, a young student with whom Cosette later falls in love and his student friends who are organising an anti-monarchist rebellion. It's a story of humanity, redemption, sacrifice and love.
One of the things that I like about Les Miserables is the ensemble of characters, it gives so many opportunities for different angles, different ways in to the story. It is, of course, Jean Valjean's story, but I appreciate the adaptations that also allow for characters other than Valjean, Marius and Cosette – where Fantine is more than her death, where Javert is not merely a mindless force for evil, where Les Amis are given time enough for us to care about their rebellion and their deaths.
According to Wikipedia there are a lot of different filmed versions of the story for film and TV. Some of the ones listed here are only adaptations of single scenes or characters. There are also filmed concerts of the musical. I'm mostly interested in full length films that cover the whole novel but might expand my search if there are any recommendations otherwise.
Please share your thoughts about your favourite versions, or any aspects of the story or characters you think were done well in one particular version. Do you have a preferred Valjean? Who is the best Javert? Who gets the best death scene?