Les Miserables 2012 Movie Review ~ Part 3

So, finally, we reach part 3! (It has taken a long time, sorry!)

So, I finished Part 2 at "One Day More", which is followed by "Do You Hear the People Sing?"

Yes, you may have seen all this in Part 2 - I have just discovered that I got it wrong,
and "Do You Hear the People Sing?" is after "One Day More", it is now
in Part 3 :)

The enormity of the whole scene is incredible! I love the it just starts out with Enjolras & Marius almost like a

chant, and then more and more people join in, and they jump onto the carriage, and sing louder and louder - it's very cool.

\

And then, to put it in Enjo's own words: "TO THE BARRICADE!"

Oh, btw, I have nick-named this scene "That Poor Piano!"

And when they were done they were like:


Um, not really, but I like that one. Anyway...

It looks so small!

And then, Javert at the barricade!

I know most people who have watched Les Mis don't exactly consider Javert a master of disguise, but really, no-one knew him (except Gavroche, obviously, and he wasn't exactly expecting to see Gavroche there) and the thing that would make them suspect him is obviously his uniform. No one knew him but would know he was an Inspector if he wore his uniform, so he dressed like the rest of them (more or less).

Yep, Little Gavroche is the top of the class :)

\

The part where Jean Valjean comes is funny - you just see the soldier sliding into the alley :)

Then Valjean releases Javert somewhere in there.

The look on his face is mentioned all the time in the book. It's hard to describe.

The First Battle:
then it starts.







And Eponine, while basically trying to clear the way for Marius, pulls a gun away from him - which has fatal consequences. *sob*

"A Little Fall of Rain" was very well done - one of my favourites!

It was so sweet and sad and emotional.


I am torn between the two ends:
in the movie, she finishes at "..will make the flow-"  - and then Marius overlaps and picks up "will make the flowers...grow" - it's almost annoying how he sings over the last note she sings...:( .
In the book she closes her eyes, and Marius thinks she has already died, then she opens her eyes again and says, "And by the way, Monsieur Marius, I believe that I was a little bit in love with you."
It's a pity that in the movie she never actually says it, though he gets the idea.




*sniff* :(






I do like how they included Gavroche in that scene, brief as it was, even though you don't know for watching it the first time that he is her brother.

"Drink With Me" was neat.

I love Gavroche's 'echo' - "..to be!" So cute.


Then we have "Bring Him Home".

This is my favourite photo of this scene. And, look, they included the handkerchief!
I think some people find this song boring (I do sometimes) but it was quite nice. (And it's nice to have a quiet song to give you some time to calm down before getting hyper and tragical again ;))

I love this bit. It just shows you how much courage Gavroche has, and how he, the little guy, is cheering them on. He is so cute.

Aaaah,which brings me unhappily to "Little People", and Gavroche's death. *Deep breath*

Poor Courfeyrac - he's basically sobbing! (It's almost funny) It makes you want to cry too, though (if you aren't already).

Poor little guy. I just think: "Look, Gavroche, I know you want to be brave, but please, couldn't you just retreat when they started shooting, or stay in the barricade, or even leave altogether??"

Sniff.

The Final Battle.

The music in this is EPIC. (actually, so's the music in the whole movie, but especially here)
Just listening to it is like - WOW. It's sad but epic at the same time.

Look how Combeferre is protecting them!
In the book it said that as they ran in, Enjolras was shielding them all with his body.



The way the music just fades out here is neat.
GULP.

Enjo looks as if he is assessing the possibility of jumping out the window. But he is resigned to his fate.

Then this part. Gasp.

\

That was it. Absolutely.

Look at all those bullet-holes!

You appreciate Grantaire much better here.

I have two (only two) objections to this scene.
1. They left out some important lines from the book which most people have already picked up.
(Grantaire saying "Do you permit it?" was very important - and then Enjolras' smile and squeezing his hand for an answer, "Two at one shot.")
2. It was over too quickly. Please, consider the fans who are watching. Some (or should I say, most) are bawling their eyes out so they can't see clearly. There's barely time to cry, actually. One minute there than he was done.

But I guess by that stage it was kinda like, "Okay, can we get to the less sad parts now??"
However, I LOVE the slow end of "Red & Black" there - that's Enjo's music.

You kinda want to keep going and "hang on" to the only people who are still alive.
 Namely, Marius and Jean Valjean.


This scene was gross, but not as much as I expected it to be. It seemed incredibly short by comparison, though.
I love the bit where Thenardier turns up and is leaning towards Jean Valjean when he (Valjean) leaps up and roars. "Oh!You're alive."

I also like how when Javert comes, Jean Valjean throws this line at him: "Look down, Javert! He's standing in his grave!"
And Javert just kinda draws back at that.


And then, this part.

I used to think that sometimes when Russell Crowe sings (in Javert at the Barricade and here) that he is singing so fast that he almost sounds like he's rapping! But his voice has really grown on me now. (Especially in "Stars" - it's cool! Check out the way he says "law". Pretty Kiwi (NZ) sounding I reckon.)

"It-was-his-hour-at-last-to-put-a-seal-on-my-fate..."

When he goes into "..my thoughts lie upon..." he is singing slowly and the music is getting faster - it creates a real tension.

I was kind of annoyed at him for killing himself, even though he did in the book. Just because Jean Valjean keeps getting away from you doesn't mean you can't live any more. I guess he lives for the law, and he felt he failed.

Oh, and the sound when he lands - *crack* - ouch.

"Turning" was cut down heaps. Pity. Can't remember if they did fit in the line "Where's that new world now the fighting's done?"

       
Scroll up and look at the picture of Enjolras hanging out the window and then look here again.
Where have the bullet-holes gone? Maybe you just can't see them from here.



"Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" was one of my favourites of Marius' songs. It was so good.
Eddie Redmayne did a great job, it so well sung and emotional and really good.
Kind of annoyed how they reduced his "sabre cuts, broken ribs, face-covered-with-blood etc" to an arm and a leg - but reminding myself here, it is a musical.


"Every Day/A Heart Full Of Love Reprise"


Very sweet. I love the way Cosette is comforting him and trying to cheer him up.


Valjean's confession and this scene were kind of tying everything up for the end then. I am glad they didn't make Marius out to be too annoyed at Jean Valjean, after all, they hadn't had much time to talk.


Love that picture.


The Wedding was very nice, as most weddings are, and I absolutely love Cosette's dress!

Her hair is beautiful too.


And "Beggars at the Feast".

That makeup is just yuck. Baron and Baroness indeed.

I love the way Marius says "ThenardIER"!


The Epilogue was well sung. It was nice to see Fantine again.
I love the way Cosette sings "You will live, Papa, you're going to live. It's too soon, too soon
to say goodbye." The way she falters on "goodbye" sounds sad but beautiful.



It was nice to see everyone else again, especially Eponine. I like how you can hear her voice clearly in the line "the chain will be broken and all then will have their reward!"

Only thing is...um, this is the bit when you've got your freedom, right? So, one question - why the barricade and the guns? The Theology there is wrong, really. (There won't be dead bodies in Heaven.)
But the song itself was cool.

Then the credits came. Ah, all those names! As we watched, I was thinking of you, Amy Dashwood, when you said in your review how you enjoyed seeing "AARON TVEIT" in capital letters on the screen!
I agree with that, not to mention all the other names that deserved to be in capitals.

Afterwards, this movie left with one word: WOW.
Just wow. There's so much, it's epic. You're just like "whoa, so that's what Les Mis is like!"

I LOVED IT!!!! It was EPIC. And I want to watch it again. Soon.
Because
ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY WATCH LES MIS ONCE.

Thanks for reading!