Review of Les Misérables (2012) by Nathan E — 26 Feb 2015

The Broadway musical is probably very good, but the film is terrible. I haven't had that bad a movie experience in a long time. And I place the blame squarely on the director, Tom Hooper. I am a huge fan of Hooper's other works (John Adams and The King's Speech). But he should never be allowed to direct a film musical ever again. Period.

Hooper was not directing this film as a musical, but as a normal historical drama, a genre he flourishes in. And that is the fatal flaw. The most glaring and awkward choice was to place the camera in an extreme close up in several solo songs...without cutting away. It was excruciating and uncomfortable to watch. Any sympathy or admiration I had for the characters disappeared.

The director's other extremely poor choice was to have the singing continue beyond the big numbers. Seeing characters sing dialogue works on stage, but it's just awkward on screen. That's why the best stage-to-screen musicals forgo this convention, even if the stage version had it. I cite the wonderful screen adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera as a prime example of this principle.

Even though Hooper was going for some sort of historical accuracy (the sets are lovingly crafted), it seemed like he was trying to keep one foot in expressionism. The sequence with Fantine coming under the control of the prostitutes was something I would have expected from Tim Burton. It was strange to see in a film that was striving for historical footing. Stranger still are the scenes in the house of the Thenardiers, which again, invoked some sort of Burton-esque feeling which felt out of place.

The only good points were the actors, who were completely immersed in their roles. The production design (with the exception of items listed above) was as accurate as to be expected.