Les Miserables: a non-review

[hsiuism]

Spoilers below, IDK I have a feeling all of you already have seen the film or the musical or know the story, though. Going in, I did not know anything about the story other than it involved bread, candlesticks, and a malnourished child.

Comments

[printfogey]

4. Ha! Is that what happens in the movie and musical? In the book Valjean proved it, they let the other guy go and he was arrested again. (And then he escaped again.)

I've never seen the musical on stage nor any earlier movie version, but I am seriously thinking of seeing this movie. So I can say I've seen at least one Les Miz adaptation, at least. :D

2. Good points, but I suppose more small-minded narrowness often doesn't feel as interesting to portray in fiction... There are other authorities referred to in the book that are more faceless and undramatised, like the ones who gave Valjean his initial sentence and his harsh punishments for trying to escape. I suppose it was Rule of Drama that made Hugo feel he needed one continuous character trying to track Valjean down, but I think he made Javert so destructive and self-destructive in his unyielding less to woobify him and more to show how barren his attitude is in the long run.

Er, and now I'm arguing against points re the movie which I haven't seen with things from the book which you haven't read, which is probably silly. ^_^