Crowe has been a worry from me since I first heard the casting. I love what I see as the tragedy of Javert being unable to break free from his restrictive views of good and evil-Javert's Suicide is heartbreaking-and I think the relative subtlety and reserved nature of the character means that a deft bit of acting is required to do him justice. Also, Stars is a personal favorite, and I'm going to hate to see it done poorly. But then, few casts, stage or otherwise, are perfect across the board. If the rest are pretty good, a somewhat lackluster Javert isn't a dealbreaker.
I admit that no one will ever surpass Colm Wilkenson for me, but it's good to hear that Jackman is good in the role.
The differences in staging and the nods to the book are very interesting. I've only read the book once and that years ago, but I remember those details, and think that including them was a good idea.
I'm not sure when I'll be able to get to the movie, but I'm definitely looking forward to it, and I enjoyed reading your thoughts on it. Thanks! :)
Crowe was the main concern for me as well, since I'm not even a huge fan of him generally (I like him in only a few roles, like Master and Commander) and certainly not as a singer.
But he isn't horrible - and I do think he has the potential skill as an actor to pull of the subtlety of the role, it is just a shame that he couldn't concentrate on the performance as much given his obvious struggles with the vocal. There is almost a strange kind of fragility to his performance, and Stars is certainly not as rousing/confident as it should be - it is more contemplative (and includes an odd bit of foreshadowing with Javert walking along a ledge which I didn't really like.) But it doesn't ruin the film, imo.
Colm is wonderful as the Bishop! Vocally, I don't think anyone could match him (similarly; Philip Quast as Javert) but in terms of performance I loved Jackman's interpretation.
Awesome review! I had originally planned to see it Tuesday with my Mom, but she wants to wait for the weekend. *le sigh* Thank you for bringing up some of the discrepancies between the musical and the book. I'd actually forgotten quite a few of them. I'm really looking forward to seeing this! (I'm also amused at how many award nominations it has received before its actual release, lol.)
Thanks! While I think the musical is just a brilliant adaptation of the book, I was happy to see those little niggling things fixed by the movie. I just love it that Hooper and Co actually went back to the original source material rather than doing a straight-up adaptation of the stage show.
I really hope it does well in the awards season - not only because it deserves them (adapted screenplay, Jackman and Hathaway especially) but also hopefully to pave the way for more musical films!
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I admit that no one will ever surpass Colm Wilkenson for me, but it's good to hear that Jackman is good in the role.
The differences in staging and the nods to the book are very interesting. I've only read the book once and that years ago, but I remember those details, and think that including them was a good idea.
I'm not sure when I'll be able to get to the movie, but I'm definitely looking forward to it, and I enjoyed reading your thoughts on it. Thanks! :)
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But he isn't horrible - and I do think he has the potential skill as an actor to pull of the subtlety of the role, it is just a shame that he couldn't concentrate on the performance as much given his obvious struggles with the vocal. There is almost a strange kind of fragility to his performance, and Stars is certainly not as rousing/confident as it should be - it is more contemplative (and includes an odd bit of foreshadowing with Javert walking along a ledge which I didn't really like.) But it doesn't ruin the film, imo.
Colm is wonderful as the Bishop! Vocally, I don't think anyone could match him (similarly; Philip Quast as Javert) but in terms of performance I loved Jackman's interpretation.
I hope you enjoy it when you get to see it!
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I really hope it does well in the awards season - not only because it deserves them (adapted screenplay, Jackman and Hathaway especially) but also hopefully to pave the way for more musical films!
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