Review of Les Misérables (1934) by David S — 25 Oct 2010
Harry Baur makes a convincing Jean Valjean and Charles Vanel a sneaky Javert in this 5-hour epic adaptation of Hugo's well known lit classic, one of the last of the great French studio spectacles before an economic collapse cut production costs in half.
Director Raymond Bernard, a master of wrangling large studio productions into seemingly intimate character studies, cuts his film into three parts, focusing on Valjean's immediate post-prison journey in act one, his salvation by rescuing Cosette in act two, and the student revolt during the Revolution in act three, bringing Hugo's appealing narrative of selflessness and spiritual reward to a resoundingly moving conclusion.
This review of Les Misérables (1934) was written by David S on 25 Oct 2010.
Les Misérables has generally received very positive reviews.
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