There are not
many movies that centre on pain and hardships, or touch on the virtues of love
and mercy.
My family got hold of Claude Lelouch’s
1995 French movie ‘Les Miserables’ on VCD a couple of years back. It is
actually a semblance of Lelouch’s own life as a Jew who grew up with his mother
telling him telling him that he was Cosette,
his father, Simon, was Jean Valjean, and she was Fantine.
I came away from the 175 minutes of
interlocking heartrending tales of destitution and hardship shaken, in spite of
the goodness and faith that eventually triumphed over tribulations.
With trepidation therefore, I braced myself for the
must-see Hollywood musical version - adapted from the Broadway version of
Victor Hugo’s novel - directed by Tom Hooper.
This time, it is shorter - 158
minutes – and screened in the digital hall of Lido 1 that has the widest screen
and a superb sound system made for epic movies such as this. On this weekday
morning, we felt privileged to be enjoying the 900-seater with just a handful
of people!
Having seen the French version, I
was able to enjoy this musical and its cinematography without getting too
emotional and then spending time to recompose!
Although the Hollywood cast don’t
speak a word – every song is performed life during filming – there is a greater embodiment of soul and
vulnerability in songs than spoken lines. Maybe that’s how singing helps people
to let go of anguish in their soul. It also makes gut-wrenching scenes more
bearable to watch.
Every scene is as picturesque
as it is richly lyrical. It is an outstanding showcase of human grit, grace and
stoicism in the face of humiliating circumstances and people who mercilessly hound you.
But it’s also a tale of hope
found only in the darkest hours - Éponine when she dies in
the arms of Marius whom she secretly loves, Valjean
when the Bishop’s unexpected gracious gift of two candlestick holders spares
him from returning to prison, and when Valjean indeed pays it forward by
showing kindness to the dying Fantine.
Hugh Jackman brings a commanding screen
presence to his role as Valjean and is outstanding in representing the
antithesis of cruelty, vengeance, and legalism. (Brings to my mind Bible accounts of David who repeatedly held himself back from
killing King Saul even when he had opportunities to do so.)
Russell Crowe is convincing as Javert who lives only on the doctrine
of justice at all costs. He is repeatedly countered by Valjean’s inexorable mercy. In their final face off, he bows to the adage that good will always triumph over evil by jumping to end his life. In so doing, he deals with his own demons, and so spares Valjean's life.
Samantha Barks shines in her screen debut as Éponine. She holds her own beside heavyweight actors like Hugh Jackman
and Helena Bonham Carter.
Both movies end with a wedding.
At the end of Lelouch’s French movie,
the universal theme of hope is encapsulated in one line, “We are always a few sorrows
ahead...but the best years of our lives are yet to come.”
Hooper’s musical finale is, however, a beautiful celebration of human
love that triumphs over cynicism and adversities; as well as a rapturous vision
of hope. That it is set in a monastery only elucidates that God alone is
the source of love and hope that is beyond reason, beyond justice, and beyond expectations.