DVD Review: Les Miserables (2018)

Les Miserables
(DVD Les)

I consider Les Miserables to be one of the greatest books ever written. Set in France after Napoleon has been exiled, this is the story of ex-convict Jean Valjean who had been imprisoned for 19 years and sentenced to hard labor for a minor theft. When released, Jean Valjean is met with distrust and hatred wherever he goes until he happens to meet the good Bishop Monseigneur Bienvenu. The Bishop treats Jean Valjean with kindness and mercy, showing him the path to redemption through love and forgiveness. Even after Jean Valjean repays the good Bishop by stealing from him, the bishop shows him mercy when brought back by the police, then gives him his costly silver candlesticks, telling Jean Valjean “You belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from the spirit of perdition and I give it to God!” From that moment on, Jean Valjean is a changed man. He learns to repent, to show mercy to others and to love his fellow man. The story follows Jean Valjean through his life as he is pursued by one of the police (Javert) who knew him when he was a prisoner. This 2018 BBC production of Les Miserables was shown on Masterpiece Theatre in 2019. It is one of the best productions I have ever seen of this book with a fine cast and stunning visuals. I have seen many productions of this over the years, but this one is by far the best and truest to Hugo’s classic story of love, repentance and redemption. This deserves to be seen.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the novel Les Miserables (I previously reviewed it for BookGuide), the soundtrack to the Les Miserables musical, or The Hunchback of Notre Dame (also by Victor Hugo).] [Also available in traditional print format.] [ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official BBC 2018 Les Miserables web site ]

See Kim J.’s review of the novel Les Miserables, on BookGuide in November 2005

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Les Misérables : The Musical Phenomenon : Highlights From the Motion Picture Soundtrack

Just in time for tonight's Academy Awards broadcast, in which Les Miserable is nominated in numerous categories, including for the music...

Les Misérables : The Musical Phenomenon : Highlights From the Motion Picture Soundtrack
music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Anne Dudley; Alain Boublil; Herbert Kretzme [On Order]

Having seen traveling stage productions of the musical Les Misérables twice over the years, I was really looking forward to the big-budget star-studded feature film version of the musical, which opened on Christmas Day in 2012. The film has gotten generally positive reviews, with raves for several of the performances. One choice that the filmmakers made was to record the actors/performers singing their lines/songs live on set, rather than dubbing them in from studio recordings later. This has leant the compulsively singable music a greater sense of emotion and immediacy that is occasionally missing from the more traditional "stage" recordings of either the London or Broadway casts of this show. This "highlights" disc features 20 tracks of music from the feature film -- not all the show's music, by a long shot, and a few keys songs are notedly absent. However, it does hit most of the most memorable songs from Les Misérables...and there are some absolutely terrific performances. Anne Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream" as Fantine is raw and painful. Hugh Jackman's solos throughout the soundtrack as Jean Valjean are very strong. Samantha Banks as Eponine offers up a heartbreaking "On My Own". And Sacha Baren Cohen's "Master of the House" is a show-stopper. But for me, Freddie Mayne's "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" is the most touching of the solos. Frankly, this album's strongest performances come when groups of characters are overlapping, as in "Red and Black", "At the End of the Day" and the emotional, rousing "One Day More". I wish the entire soundtrack had been released, but I'm quite excited to have this selection of songs, if nothing else! [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try any of the previously recordings of the Les Misérables soundtrack from numerous other staged productions.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [Subscribe to Scott's monthly booklist newsletter It's All Geek to Me! - on the Books, Movies & More newsletter sign-up page].

[Also available: various other soundtrack recordings from various other productions of Les Miserables for the stage.]

[ official Les Misérables movie web site ]

Have you listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!