If only the Peter (Oakes Fegley) of the film adaptation had such compunctions. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, See all details for Les Misérables (Modern Library Classics), © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Cast: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen Director: Tom Hooper Screenwriter: William Nicholson Distributor: Universal Pictures Running Time: 160 min Rating: PG-13 Year: 2012 Buy: Video, Soundtrack, Book, Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Review: The Trial of the Chicago 7, While Timely, Exudes Movie-of-the-Week Vibes, Review: Enola Holmes Is a Delightful, If Disorderly, Dose of Fan Faction, Review: Unhinged Nihilistically Revels in Violence Without Examination. Give it a try and enjoy the ride. The introduction by Adam Gopnik and the translators preface made me want to dive right into the book! I’m now a bigger fan of the book than I am the musical. Hooper, of course, also places a great deal of emphasis on his own flaws as a filmmaker, though perhaps not in the manner one might expect: Les Misérables seems, in his newly Oscar-carrying hands, an elaborate demo reel for his tics as self-styled auteur. The lead character, Jean Valjean, who after spending 20 years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread is redeemed by an act of kindness from a local bishop and who then lives a model Christian life, is one of the most charismatic characters in all of literature. This was the company line that Irving Thalberg found himself at odds with when he decided to cast all four (and more) in his adaptation of William A. Drake’s Broadway smash Grand Hotel. Sean Lucas recently mentioned how much he is enjoying this new translation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables by Julie Rose. While it tells the story of Radha’s entry into hip-hop from the world of theater, it attests to Blank’s successful turn to directing after a long career as a playwright and screenwriter. She’s isolated save for her obsession, and perhaps too well, as the film struggles to create any sense of history between its characters, especially the sisters. While Radha has been laying down rhymes with D, Archie has convinced slimy producer Josh Whitman (Reed Birney) to take on Harlem Avenue—pending the injection of some “crowd-pleasing” characters and musical numbers. Officially I wait until the Summer Solstice to begin my summer reading--it is a whole ritual with me. This is arguably her best performance. The Psycho associations would go further than anyone might have expected: Psycho II, nearly 20 years later, features a setup identical to Strait-Jacket. These are thrillers with neither thrills nor much other texture in their place, suggesting first acts that have been stretched out to feature length. ), Readable, not the best translation for the snobby, Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2014. Other than that, the publisher of this book did such a poor job of binding it! The filmmakers don’t hammer this secondary thread into the ground; they let it breathe, expressing it primarily through their images. And this, unfortunately, is only the beginning of the musical breakdown—just the first of the nearly 50 songs that comprise the three-hour film. Happy Summer reading! Music. Bush’s 1989 invasion of Panama, to Fahrenheit 9/11, which Michael Moore openly hoped might tip the balance of the 2004 election, documentaries that attack a sitting president in the year of his reelection aren’t a novel phenomenon. * Who knew that I’d find Les Miserables a *fun* read! Here is the timeless story of the quintessential hunted man—Jean Valjean—and the injustices, violence, and social inequalities that torment him. Sometimes you don't have time in life, or room, to dwell on every small permutation of meaning or style that a particular class of object can divulge; be it a motorcycle, vase or mixed-breed pet. To a great extent, then, like so many romantic comedies, Raiff’s film is a nostalgic refraction of commonly shared experience. But I’m such a fan of the musical that I really wanted to dig in. But the torment on display isn’t exactly a one-way street: As relentlessly as What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?