Les Miserables Lovers...3rd UPDATE 10/18: Movie Dates!

[Deb in IA]

Russell Crowe? No thanks. If anyone wants to see an really awesome Javert, look up a YouTube video of Andrew Varela performing the role. That guy seriously rocks it!

I LOVE Andrew Varela's performance as Javert - you can follow him on Twitter, by the way: https://twitter.com/@AndrewVarela525

But as good as Varela is (and he is by far the strongest cast member in this current touring production), my all-time FAVORITE Javert is Phillip Quast in the 10th Anniversary Concert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urxk4mveLCw
Check it out - he gives me goosebumps!

 

[eliza61]

I LOVE Andrew Varela's performance as Javert - you can follow him on Twitter, by the way: https://twitter.com/@AndrewVarela525

But as good as Varela is (and he is by far the strongest cast member in this current touring production), my all-time FAVORITE Javert is Phillip Quast in the 10th Anniversary Concert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urxk4mveLCw
Check it out - he gives me goosebumps!

And that was the caliber of performance I was expecting from the movie.... LOL surfice to say, I was a bit disappointed with Russel crowes version!!

 

[ugadog99]

I LOVE Andrew Varela's performance as Javert - you can follow him on Twitter, by the way: https://twitter.com/@AndrewVarela525

But as good as Varela is (and he is by far the strongest cast member in this current touring production), my all-time FAVORITE Javert is Phillip Quast in the 10th Anniversary Concert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urxk4mveLCw
Check it out - he gives me goosebumps!

Totally agree with all of what you said!

Did anyone ever have a chance to see Terrance Mann as Javert? We have a friend who is studying Musical Theatre at Western Carolina where Terrance is a professor.

 

[Deb in IA]

So, DH has been asking -

How much DID Jean Valjean pay for Cosette? We all know it was "1500 for your sacrifice" But how much IS 1500?

And when Thenardier asks him to "spare a sou" - how much is he asking for?
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.
.
.
.
.
.
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Well, here's your answer!!

1500 French francs = $299.29 in today's currency - so, maybe Mme. Thenardier was right; they should have asked for more!

http://www.unitjuggler.com/convert-forex-from-FRF-to-USD.html

And in 1832, 1 French sou = 1/2 American penny

http://www.friesian.com/coins.htm

 

[KiminChicago]

Plus, in the Broadway show, as each person died, (except Javert,) the spotlight on them would grow brighter for just a moment, as if you could see God lifting their spirits from their body and taking it away to Heaven. With all the lyrics about God, faith, the light, "To love another person is to see the face of God!" "There is a flame that never dies." I used to weep buckets when that happened.

I am so glad I came here to check out this thread! My sister and I went to see the original touring company when they came to Chicago and I remembered that. My sister and I even talked about the "White Spotlight of Death" after we saw the show. When I was telling her what I thought of the movie (she hasn't seen it yet), I mentioned it again and she doesn't remember it at all. I started to think I was imagining things.

 

[minkydog]

Just got back from seeing Les Mis for the second time. This time with my big kids. I didn't cry.the first time, so I made up for it.this time. Even my ultra stoic DS26 shed exactly one tear. We all agreed, Russell Crowe was the worst Javert, ever. He is just painful to watch, isn't he? But I still think we're gonna have to buy this DVD

 

[Imzadi]

But as good as Varela is (and he is by far the strongest cast member in this current touring production), my all-time FAVORITE Javert is Phillip Quast in the 10th Anniversary Concert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urxk4mveLCw
Check it out - he gives me goosebumps!

And that was the caliber of performance I was expecting from the movie.... LOL surfice to say, I was a bit disappointed with Russel crowes version!!

(Warning! Vent & very opinionated rant coming!!!)

EXACTLY!!!! How can anyone say THAT is not good acting in that video clip? I've seen many posts here say that the best singers cannot act well and the masses of audiences would not be able to relate to that kind of acting. Here is an extraordinary singer, graced by Go, as well as Colm Wilkinson, and BOTH can act as well as sing.

A lot of the musicals all of you grew up watching were exactly what brought you to love Disney. They are big, splashy, sensational.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Mary Poppins
Sound of Music
Wizard of Oz
South Pacific
Singing in the Rain


The whole genre/style of a musical is that singing & acting is an affectation. Unless one wins the lottery or falls in love, people rarely break into song to express themselves the way they do in musicals.

Stop defending mediocre singing in current movies made from musicals! Demand some higher standards! It irritates me that the "masses" who have never seen real live theatre think that Russell Crowe and Gerard Butler (in Phantom) and most of the male cast of Mamma Mia, are good singers and that's the level of to expect in musical.


Okay. . . stepping down from my soap box rant & vent.

Carry on, you can of course really like what every you like. Just had to get that off my chest.

 

[Imzadi]

Totally agree with all of what you said!

Did anyone ever have a chance to see Terrance Mann as Javert? We have a friend who is studying Musical Theatre at Western Carolina where Terrance is a professor.

He's coming to Broadway in the spring in Pippin.

 

[ugadog99]

He's coming to Broadway in the spring in Pippin.

I knew Pippin was coming, but I didn't know Terrance was. The first time our friend met him backstage at WCU, he sent us a picture. We were so excited!! Yep, we are true theatre geeks over here!

 

[JenM]

Did anyone ever have a chance to see Terrance Mann as Javert? We have a friend who is studying Musical Theatre at Western Carolina where Terrance is a professor.

I saw Terrence Mann as Javert. He came back to the show just before it closed on Broadway, so he was the last Javert I saw during the original run. (I saw Norm Lewis when it came back in 2006, I think he's still my favorite). He was really good. The original Broadway cast recording was the one I was most addicted originally, so it was cool to see him in the role.

I saw him as the Beast in Beauty & the Beast too, and as the bad guy in The Scarlett Pimpernel. He always seems to be playing the bad guy...although the Beast turns out OK in the end.

 

[JenM]

So...8 Oscar nominations!!

Best Picture
Best Actor - Hugh Jackman
Best Supporting Actress - Anne Hathaway
Best Original Song - "Suddenly"
Best Production Design
Best Costume Design
Best Sound Mixing
Best Hairstyling (why did I not know that was a category??)

Not bad! No nomination for Tom Hooper, although that was pretty much expected. Everyone was pretty surprised he got the DGA nomination over Quentin Tarantino. Would have loved to have seen Samantha Barks or Eddie Redmayne in there too, but still, they're just getting started.

And obviously no Russell Crowe nomination (which wasn't even remotely anticipated - although The Onion's been having some fun with that). He's been really pushing his mate Hugh for the nomination in interviews, so I imagine he's pretty thrilled.

The movie also got 9 BAFTA nominations yesterday - those are the British version of the Academy Awards:

Best Film
Best British Film
Lead Actor - Hugh Jackman
Supporting Actress - Anne Hathaway
Cinematography
Production Design
Costume Design
Sound
Makeup & Hair

It's also doing quite well at the box office - $106 million domestically so far, and it's the fastest movie musical to go past the $100 million mark. Earned another $80 million overseas, with a ton of markets to go - it opens in the UK tomorrow, where the original production (after the French concert version) is still playing, so it should be a big hit there.

All in all...it's good to be Les Mis.

 

[Scornelius]

I think Anne and Hugh absolutely deserve those awards! I'll be biting my nails that night!

Does this mean we can expect a musical performance that night?

 

[Imzadi]

I think Anne and Hugh absolutely deserve those awards! I'll be biting my nails that night!

Does this mean we can expect a musical performance that night?

I *think* usually the nominated songs get sung. So that means Hugh might sing Suddenly.

It would be better if Anne & Hugh sung their song together. They both can pull it off. And Anne should have a chance to sing again and vindicate herself after getting blasted for getting the lowest ratings of all time, on that very stage as the Oscar host with that James whoever guy.

 

[Planogirl]

I didn't hate Russell Crowe. I think that he chose to play a stiff, hard military man and played down the emotion. I don't really agree with his decision but I can at least follow along with what he did.

I loved Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway. I expected this to be different from the musical since it's a movie now and I believe that they went for the correct mix of movie acting and musical performance. I also didn't mind that the music was downplayed since this is a movie. I guess that I expected it.

There were a lot of good supporting roles and I can't say that I personally disliked anyone.

By the way, I have seen musicals and have heard both good and bad singing in them. I don't expect a movie to be just like a musical though. It's hard to explain.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

Finally saw the movie last weekend. I really enjoyed it. Being more of a casual fan of Les Mis, I did not mind Russel Crowe. Did he "move" me or give me goosebumps? No, but he gave an acceptable performance. I think I went in with really low expectations for him so there was nowhere to go, but up.

Surprisingly for me, "One Day More" is what I was disappointed in the most. Not so much the singing, but the filming/staging. I really missed the stage look for this one. I prefer seeing this song as a group and not the extreme close-ups. And I must admit I really missed the "stage march".

 

[eliza61]

I think Anne and Hugh absolutely deserve those awards! I'll be biting my nails that night!

Does this mean we can expect a musical performance that night?

I guess I'm in the minority. I think they did a really good job but I don't think it's anywhere near Oscar caliber. Maybe Anne's its a slow year but definitely not Hugh.
If Hugh beats out Daniel day lewis, the race is fixed. I loved Zero dark thirty better than Les Miserable and I sing Les Miz constantly.

Was les miz nominated for best picture?

 

[Deb in IA]

I guess I'm in the minority. I think they did a really good job but I don't think it's anywhere near Oscar caliber. Maybe Anne's its a slow year but definitely not Hugh.
If Hugh beats out Daniel day lewis, the race is fixed. I loved Zero dark thirty better than Les Miserable and I sing Les Miz constantly.

Was les miz nominated for best picture?

Yes.

 

[JenM]

I *think* usually the nominated songs get sung. So that means Hugh might sing Suddenly.

It would be better if Anne & Hugh sung their song together. They both can pull it off. And Anne should have a chance to sing again and vindicate herself after getting blasted for getting the lowest ratings of all time, on that very stage as the Oscar host with that James whoever guy.

Last year, they replaced the nominated song performances with a random Cirque de Soleil performance.

I think Anne's already going to erase any memory of her hosting gig with a win, which seems to be almost a certainty as this point.

They can only perform the new song, since only songs written directly for the movie are eligible (I saw someone screeching on Twitter about why "I Dreamed a Dream" wasn't nominated - it's not eligible!!), and that was Hugh's song, so we'll likely see him.

And I think Daniel Day Lewis is a certainty for Lincoln, but I'm just so happy Hugh finally got his Oscar nomination.

 

[JenM]

If Hugh beats out Daniel day lewis, the race is fixed. I loved Zero dark thirty better than Les Miserable and I sing Les Miz constantly.

Well, I heard the musical numbers in Zero Dark Thirty weren't very catchy anyway.

I think Daniel Day Lewis is going to walk away with it. However, if they both showed up shirtless, Hugh would win this in a heartbeat.

 

[Deb in IA]

Well, I haven't seen "Lincoln" yet, but yes, all the buzz indicates that the Oscar for Best Actor is all but official for Daniel Day-Lewis, and Best Supporting Actress for Anne Hathaway.

And you are right; the song category is for Best ORIGINAL Song, so ALL the other songs in Les Miz are not eligible, since they are from the muscial and not original!