My Long Les Mis Story

Written at 7:40pm today:

I have nothing to do because my stupid internet won’t work. I know, that sounds lame. As if the whole world revolves around the internet. Honestly, it’s just how I live. Email, Facebook…all of it to keep in touch with friends while we’re away from each other. I think the internet is a marvelous invention. No, really, I do. It’s just that it can get addicting. And too much of something isn’t good. So maybe that’s why the internet is down. Because the forces of nature have made it so.

All I really want to do is write a blog post. Maybe I could write it here, in Microsoft Word, and when the internet is back up, I could copy and paste and all that jazz. You know, yeah. That’s a good idea. I’m so innovative sometimes. Uh huh...

My Experiences with Les Miserables:

          So. Les Miserables has been my favorite musical for a few years now. I’d seen it when I was very, very young at a high school with my mom. I pretended to know what was going on, but I didn’t. It’s basically always been a part of my life.

I went to go see the show in St. George at the Tuacahn Amphitheater. There is something about that place. They put on really good productions. So, anyway, I was about ten years old when I saw it at Tuacahn. Maybe even younger. How did I feel about the musical then? Three words: I HATED IT! Back then, I couldn’t appreciate the wholeness of it because I was too concerned about the language in it, and also the violence at the barricade. When little Gavroche died, you can bet I was absolutely horrified.

          But now, it’s a whole new story. After growing a little older, learning some of the music, learning a bit of the plot, I came to appreciate it a little more. I didn’t really understand it that much, until the 25^th anniversary concert came into the picture. My friend KC told me about it, and I only was interested because I knew Nick Jonas was playing Marius. (Seriously, Less. Come on.) I looked him up, and I was pretty impressed. I mean, there are obviously better Marius’s out there, but he was okay. Eventually, I watched the whole concert. That really expanded my love for the musical. I actually started paying attention to the words. I listened to the music, I watched the beautiful portrayal of the story, the characters. I grew to LOVE it. I grew to know it better.

          And ever since then, I’ve been truly hooked. There’s just something special with that musical. It has the whole package. The music, the story, and everything about Les Mis is good. Wonderful. It wasn’t long until I became obsessed with this show…

          When I found out it was a movie, I was so angry. Enough is enough for Pete’s sake! I mean, how many movies can you make of Les Mis before it’s too much? The idea that it was a musical adaptation calmed me some. They started casting, and the fact that Anne Hathaway landed the role of Fantine made me mad all over again. It was going to be a terrible movie, I knew.

          About a year passed. It was almost Christmas 2012. By this time, I was extremely excited for Les Mis to come out. I watched the trailers, I liked the page on Facebook. I ended up having plans to go see it on the 27^th of December. Two days after it came out. The night before I could go see the movie, I was practically crying of excitement. No, no, I’ll admit it. I was crying. Aaron and some of my cousins made fun of me. Well, they wouldn’t understand. J

          The next day, I woke up early, and I could not fall back asleep. I was going to be seeing Les Miserables, a movie I’d been waiting to see for a year. I found myself in the theater, unable to contain the excitement. The screen went black, and then it was light again.

          I watched the movie.

         

Les Miserables movie review:

          There aren’t any words that could describe how much I loved it. Anne Hathaway was incredible. I cried and cried during “I Dreamed a Dream.” It was easier for them, I’m sure, to depict the emotions and the conflicts with characters through the medium of film. When you see it on stage, most of the time you can’t see the actor’s eyes. You can’t see their faces very well. You can’t as easily see the environment in which they are. Fantine’s song was that much more powerful and poignant in the movie, because you really saw what she went through.

          Hugh Jackman…um…what can I say? From the beginning, he captured the very essence of Jean Valjean. His performances were stunning. He really made me feel something, too, and like Anne, he put everything into this character. I will say one thing: I didn’t love the director’s choice for Valjean to walk around the room in “Bring Him Home.” I wanted him to plant himself next to Marius and really let himself ponder on this boy, and what God can do for him.

          I loved Marius—as I’ve said a lot—like I never have before. They casted perfectly for Marius in this movie version. Eddie Redmayne looked, sang, and acted perfectly for the role, I think. Honestly, I just loved him.

          The thing with Javert is that Russel Crowe’s voice wasn’t fantastic. It wasn’t the powerful voice you need for this big, scary guy. I know that Javert is just this really confused guy who has serious issues. I could see that conflict burrowed inside him at the beginning, then slowly getting worse and worse by the end. When he put his medal pin on dead Gavroche’s coat, I couldn’t believe it. It hit me with such a force.

          The Thenardiers were hilarious! ‘Nuf said.

          Amanda Seyfried and Samantha Barks were great. I think Amanda’s voice was a little weak, but her acting was awesome. I really was happy to hear that Samantha Barks would be playing Eponine. I liked her in the 25^th anniversary, and I knew she could totally pull it off.

         

Some songs I especially liked:

         

The Confrontation

          Empty Chairs and Empty Tables

          I Dreamed a Dream

          Suddenly

         

           I pretty much loved all the music. No, really. I loved it. And everything else just was amazing. I was bawling all through it, and by Empty Chairs and Empty Tables, I had run out of tears. Then, at the end, they came back full blast. When Fantine came to comfort Valjean in his last minutes, I was sobbing. When Cosette and Marius came to be with him when I died, I was sobbing. And when, at the very end, they sang “To love another person is to see the face of God,” and Valjean walked toward the priest, I cried like I’ve never cried in a movie before. Him walking toward the priest (a.k.a Colm Wilkinson, the original Jean Valjean, which I love) was ingenious. The priest is the pivotal character in the story. He changed so many people’s lives through Valjean. Best idea ever.

Les Miserables is my very favorite show in the entire world. I may be a bit obsessive, but I always obsess over good things.