Even if you have already seen the play: “Les Miserables,” the film is well worth the price of a ticket and 2 1/2 hours of your time.
In some ways it is even better than the Broadway play/opera (There is no spoken dialogue): Close-ups allow for a more intense conveyance of emotion and the change in scenery and cinematography keeps the story-line clear.
Victor Hugo is a master at portraying “The Human Condition” and this is what sets him apart when it comes to historical novels. To my mind, only a handful of writers have ever been able to paint an accurate portrait of a particular time or event in history and also of universal human character/weaknesses/strengths/and struggles: Dickens, James, Shakespeare, and Tolstoy being a few of these.
Let us know what you think!
