Les Miserables 4K 2012 Ultra HD 2160p

Storyline
Jean Valjean, known as Prisoner 24601, is released from prison and breaks parole to create a new life for himself while evading the grip of the persistent Inspector Javert. Set in post-revolutionary France, the story reaches resolution against the background of the June Rebellion.

User Review
"Les Miserables' is without a doubt the most ambitious project of recent years, a musical of incredible emotional power and unprecedented scope and visual perfection. It's a film in which an enormous team of filmmakers has invested titanic efforts. Personally, I was really looking forward to this picture because I truly respect Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, and also because I witnessed how unreal this musical looks on stage. And after watching this movie, I realized that my expectations were justified, and the adaptation of such a monumental novel and musical on the big screens was successful. This is proved by at least 8 nominations for His Majesty 'Oscar'. However, the reaction of the critics to this film looks ambiguous, and the film has some rough edges and flaws. That's why I think that this film needs an objective assessment, which I will try to give it.

I want to start with the scale of the work done. The film had barely begun, but the very first scene of 'Les Miserables' made a lasting impression on me. Imagine hundreds of people (convicts) under the pouring rain and the strongest storm pulling the ropes, rattling the chains against the background of the recreated Paris of the 19th century. All this action is accompanied by majestic music and simultaneous singing of all those present on the screen. Such large-scale filming! Brilliant camera work, coordinated work of actors and extras, realistic scenery and special effects, direction, well, and finally, the great music - all this brings the genre of musicals to an entirely new level. But when the plot leaves one or two actors on the screen, the crowds disperse, and the singing turns into normal speech, then all the magic disappears somewhere. And it's not the fault of the filmmakers - that's how the human psyche works: we want more and more, even when the plot doesn't suggest it. And having got such a grand, spectacular scene at the very beginning of the film, we want even more. And if some actors pull off certainly not spectacular scenes on their game and emotions, the others, alas, do not succeed. And so it creates some imbalance. But I repeat: many of the episodes are simply brilliant, and will live in my memory for a long time.

Plot. In general, this movie is an adaptation of the world famous musical 'Les Miserables', which is based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, which, in turn, is partially based on the events developing before the revolution of 1848 in France. That is, roughly speaking, this film is an adaptation of an adaptation. And there is no point in drawing parallels between it and the novel, much less the history of France. Nevertheless, the plot is not bad, although it is rather bumpy and crumpled. So I personally can't imagine what it will be like to watch the movie for people who are not familiar with Hugo's novel. But, anyway, the action is very exciting, touching and multifaceted, so you definitely will not get bored.

Les Miserables' is a musical, so it's worth saying a couple of words about the music. And there's something never seen before! The actors sing while they're filming. I couldn't believe my ears. How could that be? Crowds of people singing at the same time, with the lead voices clearly distinguished - and it's all, what they call, live sound. It's such an elaborate mechanism and I have no idea how it works. But that's not important - what's important is how it all looks and sounds! Brilliant, emotional, mesmerizing! Separately, I want to highlight Anne Hathaway's solo in the song 'I dreamed a dream'. To think it was a live sound and scene, filmed without any gluing, without any editing! It's real live emotion, brilliant vocals, as well as the most powerful musical accompaniment. Also worth mentioning is the climactic song 'One day more', in which the voices of dozens of people came together. Just the most complicated work from every point of view, such an abundance of vocal parts combined together. Brilliant! What to say about the final song, that scene on the barricades... It brought me to tears. Of course, this idea of live sound has a downside. Not everyone was able to do that live sound, and some of the actors were a bit hypocritical. But the emotional background in this movie interrupts any falsity, and therefore it is safe to say that this risky venture with a live performance was a success.

The acting. It's great and controversial at the same time, as the film has some brilliant acting as well as some rather mediocre ones. I don't know how to express my admiration for Hugh Jackman's work. He managed to do something impossible: he revealed his complex character Jean Valjean absolutely right. He showed his character's almost twenty-year journey from a convict to an adult man with years of experience. I in no way expected him to be so skilled, amazing! Anne Hathaway is simply divine. I think her role as Fantine will be studied in acting textbooks years from now. Her screen presence is barely more than 20-30 minutes, which is nothing at all from the 2.5 hours of timing. Nevertheless, after watching the film, the first thing that comes to mind is Anne Hathaway's acting. Not only did she lose more than 10 kilos and her luxurious hair for the role, she put so much emotion and pain into her work. I am speechless... Masterpiece! Russell Crowe... I kept looking at him and thinking, ""This isn't right. I mean, he sings beautifully, his baritone is very good, and he seems to fit the character of Inspector Javert. But it just didn't feel right. And then I got it: he tries very hard to hit notes, to control his voice and emotions, and that's why he stands like a post. Although vocally Russell Crowe did almost everyone's best, he was not emotionally expressive. I was also not particularly impressed with Amanda Seyfried as Clozette, though you have to admit she is very charming and the role suits her. I was very pleased with Eddie Redmayne and was pleasantly surprised by Samantha Barks (she sang 'On my own' very well), who I didn't know before. Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen brought an element of humor to the screen and played their roles very well. In general, if we consider the ensemble of actors in general - the impression is positive.

Separately, I want to praise Tom Hooperaz for directing - he handled such a large-scale project. Credit to the makeup artists, costumers and cameraman.