Javert

Javert of the movie musical (2012, obviously) is known as:

Not exactly a master of disguise


disciplined


and like the rest of them, partial to pizza.




Uhuh, that's nice, but......(yes this post will be serious (to some extent) believe it or not) his character in the musical is changed quite a bit from the brick.
His appearance and manner are okay, but his life purpose is kind of...changed. And the musical changed it with



Yup, "Stars". This song makes Javert more likable because you feel that he feels he is doing his duty. Also, it adds in a direct opposite to the brick.
The lines "God be my witness", "Lord let me find him" and "Mine is the way of the Lord" are all very wrong according to the brick.

Javert was definitely not Christian.

"The police force had been his true religion. He had a superior officer, Monsieur Gisquet; he had given no thought to that higher superior, which is God. Now he became conscious of God and was troubled in spirit, thrown into disarray by that unexpected presence." 

- Les Miserables, Book Four: Javert in Disarray (or "Javert Derailed"), Jean Valjean

His way of life, his religion, was the law, and the justice of the law. It wasn't until Jean Valjean showed him mercy that Javert became 'de-railed'. To him he had always had one view: justice. When Jean Valjean chose to let him free, and he was confronted with the opportunity to arrest Valjean, he had two options. The two were complete opposites. He could either arrest Valjean, and be arresting the person who freed him, or let Valjean go free, and neglect his police duty by allowing a criminal to live. He knew that the one would rule out the other. So he chose to commit suicide.
That is one thing the musical makes confusing. If Javert is Christian, he wouldn't consider suicide.

So in a way, I was disappointed with this Javert. Otherwise, he's fine.

Just touching on Geoffrey Rush's Javert in the 1998 movie..


He was probably more brick-accurate. Neither movie touched on the fact that Javert "became conscious of God and was troubled in spirit, thrown into disarray by that unexpected presence". This Javert was, however, much meaner than Russell Crowe's. His suicide was too calm, though. It was just like: "Oh, I don't know whether to arrest you or not - this is problematic. Here, kill me. No? Okay, I'll just lower myself into this quiet little river/stream here. 'Bye." Um, yes, anyway....


So that is what I think of the portrayal of Javert's character in the musical. (But I still love Les Mis 2012, of course!)

(Love this poster, by the way)