What is Universal Pictures Les Miserables?
Universal Pictures Les Misérables is a 2012 musical drama film based on the famous novel by Victor Hugo. The movie was directed by Tom Hooper and features an ensemble cast that includes Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Samantha Barks, and Helena Bonham Carter.
The film tells the story of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), a man who is released from prison after serving 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. He is pursued by Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), who believes that he can never reform and must be brought to justice. While on the run, Valjean becomes a kind and compassionate man and secures the well-being of the people he encounters along the way.
The film features numerous musical numbers that reflect the emotions and feelings of the characters. One of the most memorable songs is "I Dreamed a Dream," performed by Anne Hathaway, who plays the role of Fantine. This powerful song showcases the pain and desperation of Fantine, who is forced into prostitution to provide for her young daughter, Cosette.
Les Misérables received critical acclaim and was nominated for many awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Song, which it won for "Suddenly." The film's success led to a renewed interest in the Broadway musical and highlighted the enduring appeal of Victor Hugo's timeless novel. Overall, Universal Pictures Les Misérables is a must-see movie for fans of musicals and period dramas alike.
Frequently Asked Questions about universal pictures les miserables
Les Misérables centres on the character Jean Valjean, an ex-convict in 19th-century France. The story spans many years as it tells of Valjean's release from prison and reformation as an industrialist while being constantly pursued by the morally strict inspector Javert.
Hugo used Les Misérables to criticize the injustices of 19th century France. However, issues dealt with in the novel are universal and still resonate - the rights of women, intergenerational conflict, cruelty of the justice system, and the failure of society's institutions.
Les Miserables Themes
- Love and Redemption. In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean is transformed from a hardened criminal into a paragon of virtue.
- Mercy vs. Judgment.
- Justice and Injustice. Multiple systems of justice and injustice coexist in the novel.
- History, Revolution, and Progress.
- Mystery and Knowledge in Paris.
Les Miserables is an emotionally charged musical drama. It remains faithful to the original story, but this screen version is more intense than the stage version. It is likely to be too disturbing for children under 13 years as well as some older teenagers.
Moral Values in “Les Miserables.” Moral values in the novel “Les Miserables” are love and sincerity, forgiveness, Sacrifice, Justice/Injustice. Fantine earned less and less money from her sewing, and the Thenardiers demanded more and more money to look after Cosette.
The Miserable Ones
In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original French title, which can be translated from the French as The Miserables, The Wretched, The Miserable Ones, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims.
The students who planned and executed the uprising were very much real, however Les Amis is a fictionalization of these students. As for Jean Valjean and Javert, Hugo based both of them off of Eugene Francois Vidocq, a French criminal who eventually redeemed himself, yet stayed on the run.
Once Valjean is alone, he reveals the intense moral dilemma in which he is placed by this information. He is faced with the stark choice of revealing himself as the real Valjean, or letting Champmathieu be prosecuted under his name with the likelihood of terrible punishment for him as a result.
Sex, Romance & Nudity
Some bawdy scenes/references, especially in a few scenes that feature prostitutes and a brothel. One scene shows a prostitute being used by a client (her skirt is up; he's on top of her); it isn't erotic or revealing.
In fact, it's the plot that helps make it stand out from other shows. It's a big, epic, anti-capitalist piece of theatre, tackling difficult themes from abuse to poverty, redemption to revolution. But ultimately, Les Mis, for all its darkness and all its scenes and songs about human suffering, is a musical about hope.
Les Misérables ends with Jean Valjean's reconciliation with Cosette and her new husband Marius and Valjean's subsequent death. He manages to tell Cosette about his past as a convict, and receives her forgiveness. He also tells her the story of her mother, Fantine, and of how he adopted her from the Thénardiers.
It is only a short while into the film when the first tear-jerker moment arrives and the tears uncontrollably stream down my face. Fantine is betrayed by her fellow factory workers for having an illegitimate daughter and is dismissed into a life of despair.
No one comes off particularly well in Les Mis (it's in the title) but Fantine is possibly the saddest death of all. Dismissed from her job in Jean Valjean's factory, she sells her hair and teeth and turns to prostitution to earn money to support her daughter.
Les Misérables ends with Jean Valjean's reconciliation with Cosette and her new husband Marius and Valjean's subsequent death. He manages to tell Cosette about his past as a convict, and receives her forgiveness. He also tells her the story of her mother, Fantine, and of how he adopted her from the Thénardiers.
Les Miserables was banned by the Catholic Church. The novel is believed to have been added to their collection of books that Catholics were forbade to read in 1864. There is no single template of reasons why the novel was banned except for the feature of prostitution (Fantine) in the novel.
As a little girl, she is given to the Thénardiers who neglect and abuse her. As the novel progresses, she is adopted by Jean Valjean (the main protagonist). By the end of the novel, she blossoms into a beautiful young lady and marries one of Paris' most eligible bachelors, Marius Pontmercy.
