“Les Misérables”: VCU students offer opinions on classic tale

Amanda Hitchcock
Contributing Writer

Over the course of winter break, moviegoers found themselves attempting to stifle sobs alongside equally emotional strangers after the opening of one of the most anticipated films of the year. With its Christmas day debut, “Les Misérables” swept through the hearts of audiences with exceptional visual, theatrical and emotional force.

With a cast featuring Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, the most recent film version of “Les Misérables” presents an alternative experience to prior musical-to-film adaptations. The actors extend themselves to bring to life this story of redemption, regret and love.

However, this latest film release is not the first variation of the beloved tale. The original novel, written by Victor Hugo and published in 1862, was first translated into the popular Broadway musical production before undergoing several film adaptations, resulting in its most recent interpretation by director Tom Hooper.

With the success of both the novel and Broadway show, a film version was the next step for the popular drama, but according to VCU students, each medium has its benefits. Theater and voice students aren’t the only ones who enjoyed the musical and passionate nature of “Les Misérables.”  English majors are also singing its praises.

“I think the book would be most amazing because you have the opportunity to create the story for yourself,” said English major Shelby Dowdle. “However, the movie made the experience more emotional and connected the audience in a way the novel perhaps would be unable to.  It’s so different seeing the characters experiencing the events.”

According to the production notes for the film, the relationship between the novel and the film was not entirely separate. Whenever problems were encountered, the producers would return to the original novel to solve them.

For some, however, the very nature of the film medium was an obstacle that could not be entirely overcome, despite the movie’s best efforts.

“The downside to (the film) is that they spent so little time developing the characters of Cosette, Marius and Eponine, (and) we still miss the background of (Fantine) and Jean Valjean,” said English major Kaylynne Harding. “In the story he is madly in love with her, which explains his distress when she dies. In the film she is just simply gone and he is heartbroken for no real reason.”

Time is another issue among the media of film, theater and novel. With a novel, readers can take their time as they travel through the story, giving a sense of progression and development, as well as an attachment to the characters.

While the stage musical and most recent film run at approximately the same amount of time, about two and a half hours, the stage musical is able to achieve this effect through the presence of its intermission.

The film, however, is singing and sadness from beginning to end, which can detract from the fluidity of the character development and plot.

In order to remedy the possible film to audience disconnect, Hooper had the cast of the film sing live. Traditionally, in filmed musicals, cast members film while lip-syncing to their own pre-recorded singing, known as playback.  Playback was not used in “Les Misérables” to allow the actors the opportunity to act in the moment and deliver performances that were more raw, and therefore more believable.

For many viewers, the live performances of the actors were the epicenter of the film’s beautifully overt emotion, and its ability to evoke such charged responses from the crowds.

“Having the actors sing live gave the story a certain life and freedom. The characters had a rough quality to their vocals rather than being tuned to perfection. You could really feel the emotion in their voices,” said Dowdle. “The simple fact that they had so much freedom to improvise and become their roles made the movie so much more incredible.”

For theater performance major Tricia Wiles, the film extended beyond the entertainment of a stunning screen adaptation, striking a chord in her professional passion.

“(The movie) helped me realize as an actor that, sometimes, it is better not so sound pretty or look pretty when in a dirty place, as so many actors do,” said Wiles, who is currently part of the Yearlong Audition series for The Commonwealth Times.

Around the age of 7, Wiles’ mother played the original novel on cassette for the pair of them to listen to. Now, the recent film adaptation is Wiles’ favorite drama.

“The movie was my favorite version thus far. I was moved to tears almost the entire movie,” said Dowdle. “Regardless, it is definitely a must see for fans and first-timers alike, as the experience is one of pure humanity in the face of pain, a theme that is, at its heart, universal.”