les miserables 1998 movie review

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"Les Miserables'' is like a perfectly respectable Classics Illustrated version of the Victor Hugo novel. It contains the moments of high drama, clearly outlines all the motivations, is easy to follow and lacks only passion. A story filled with outrage and idealism becomes somehow merely picturesque.

Liam Neeson stars as Jean Valjean, and the movie makes its style clear in an early scene, where he stands, homeless and hungry, at the door of a bishop, and says, "I am a convict. My name is Jean Valjean. I spent 19 years at hard labor. On my passport I am identified as a thief.'' And so on. "I know who you are," replies the bishop, but not before the audience has been spoon-fed its briefing.

Valjean is taken in, fed and sheltered, and tries to steal the bishop's silver. In one of the most famous episodes from Hugo's novel, the bishop tells the police he gave the tramp the silver, and later tells Valjean: "I've ransomed you from fear and hatred and now I give you back to God." There was a similar scene in Claude Lelouch's 1995 "Les Miserables," which intercut passages from the novel with a story set during World War II; it was touching, but this version feels more like a morality play.

Valjean sells the silver, gets a job in a provincial factory and uses the nest egg to buy the factory. As we rejoin him some years later, he is the local mayor, respectable and beloved, trying to teach himself to read and write. Then fate re-enters his life in the person of Inspector Javert ( Geoffrey Rush ), a police official who recognizes him from his years at hard labor and wants to expose him: In this world, if you once do something wrong, you are banished forever from the sight of those lucky enough not to have been caught.

Consider, in the same light, poor Fantine ( Uma Thurman ), fired from the factory and forced into prostitution because it is discovered she has a child out of wedlock. Valjean discovers her plight (he was unaware of the firing), nurses her through a fatal illness and promises to care for the child. Thurman's performance is the best element of the movie.

With the unyielding Javert forever at his back, Valjean takes his money and flees to Paris, taking refuge in a convent he had once (foresightedly) given money to. There he and the child, Cosette, spend 10 years. Then Cosette, now a young woman played by Claire Danes , yearns for freedom; Valjean, against his better wishes, takes a house for them. Cosette falls for the fiery radical Marius ( Hans Matheson ), who is being tailed by the police, which puts Javert once more onto the trail of poor Valjean.

Javert is the kind of man who can say with his dying breath, "I've tried to lead my life without breaking a single rule." He means it, and will never cease his pursuit of Valjean, even though the other man, as mayor, spared his job: "I order you to forgive yourself." As Javert pursues his vendetta against a man who has become kind and useful, Marius leads the mobs to the barricades, which look a lot here as they do in the stage musical.

That musical, by the way, is a long time coming. This is the second movie made of "Les Mis" during a decade when the "musical version" has been promised annually. There is, I think, an obvious person to direct it: Alan Parker , whose " Evita " and "Pink Floyd the Wall" show he is one of the few modern filmmakers who understands musicals. In the meantime, this dramatic version is by the Danish director Bille August , whose work (" Pelle the Conqueror ," "Best Intentions" from the Bergman screenplay "House of the Spirits"), while uneven, has shown a juiciness and complexity.

Here we have a dutiful, even respectable, adaptation that lacks the rabble-rousing usually associated with "Les Miserables." The sets and locations are handled well, the period looks convincing, but the story is lame. When Cosette pleads with her father to leave the convent, she sounds more like a bored modern teenager than a survivor of murderous times. ("Don't leave the cab!" he tells her on their first venture into the world, so of course she immediately does.) Her father could of course settle all her objections with a few words of explanation, but in the great movie tradition of senselessly withholding crucial information, he refuses to; it must have been difficult for Neeson to maintain that expression of fearful regret in scene after scene. Rush, in his first major role since " Shine ," somehow doesn't project the fevered ethical madness that drives Javert; he comes across more as a very stubborn bore.

It's hard to make a period picture come alive, but when it happens (" Restoration ,"  " Dangerous Beauty ," " Amistad ") we feel transported back in time. "Les Miserables" only made me feel transported back to high school history class.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Les Miserables (1998)

Rated PG-13 For Violence, Brief Language and Sexuality

129 minutes

Liam Neeson as Valjean

Geoffrey Rush as Javert

Uma Thurman as Fantine

Claire Danes as Cosette

Hans Matheson as Marius

Directed by

• Bille August
• Rafael Yglesias

Based On The Novel by

• Victor Hugo

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Les Miserables

The third American bigscreen rendition of Victor Hugo's classic novel, Bille August's "Les Miserables" is without a doubt the most emotionally powerful and handsomely mounted production of the story yet. Superb international cast includes a terrific Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush, in his first role since winning an Oscar.

By Emanuel Levy

Emanuel Levy

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The third American bigscreen rendition of Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Bille August’s “Les Miserables” is without a doubt the most emotionally powerful and handsomely mounted production of the story yet. Superb international cast includes a terrific Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush, in his first role since winning an Oscar. Though the romantic, “Romeo and Juliet”-like plot appears mostly in the last reel, Columbia could profitably use it to lure younger audiences to a period piece that naturally holds stronger appeal for older and more educated viewers. A classy entertainment that does full honor to its source, this early-summer release should play well as counterprogramming to season’s more typical action-adventure fare.

Hugo’s seminal 19th century novel, filmed in Hollywood in 1935 by Richard Boleslawski and in 1952 by Lewis Milestone, continues to intrigue new generations of artists and audiences: In addition to the three U.S. movies, there have been a number of TV adaptations, Italian and French film versions (most recently by Claude Lelouch, with Jean-Paul Belmondo), and a long-running musical that is still playing all over the world.

Most film versions begin with the trial of Valjean and his imprisonment in Toulon for committing a minor crime, stealing a loaf of bread. In this adaptation, scripter Rafael Yglesias starts with Valjean (Neeson) being released on parole after enduring 20 years of hard labor and cruelty. The harsh treatment has made Valjean a brute with strong survival instincts but no sense of morality. The only things he can rely on are his instinctive wit and sheer physical strength.

In the first sequence, Valjean, on his way to Dijon to report for parole, stops at a bishop’s house, where he’s amazed to be treated with respect. Nonetheless, incapable of trusting anyone, he steals the silverware and runs away. Caught by the police and brought back, he’s even more astonished when the bishop claims the silverware was a gift and, as further proof of Valjean’s innocence, hands him two silver candlesticks. In return, the bishop asks Valjean to be kind and help others, whereupon an inner moral odyssey begins, one that forces Valjean to wrestle with his conscience.

Story then jumps to 1822, with a reinvented Valjean serving as the humble and popular mayor of Vigau, a small, thriving village, where he also runs a profitable factory. First encounter with former inspector Javert (Rush) occurs in this peaceful town, when the strict lawman joins the local police. Suspicious of Valjean’s true identity, Javert eventually recognizes him as a onetime convict and, infuriated, goes to Paris to demand that Valjean be denounced. But he lacks sufficient proof.

Central chapters concern the tender, caring relationship that evolves between Valjean and Fantine (Uma Thurman), a woman dismissed from her factory job on moral grounds when it’s disclosed that she has an illegitimate daughter. Malnourished, she resorts to prostitution and later falls ill when Javert arrests and tortures her. On her deathbed, Fantine makes Valjean promise to rescue her daughter, Cosette, and raise her as his child.

Moving ahead a decade, to the tumultuous events of the July 1832 revolution, third and most eventful act focuses on Valjean’s life with Cosette (Claire Danes), a young woman who’s fallen in love with militant student Marius (Hans Matheson). Faithful to the book, last sequence occurs on the banks of the Seine River, when Valjean and Javert fatefully face each other for the last time.

August’s film is structured and presented in a way that makes Hugo’s thematic concerns of love, forgiveness and redemption palatable to contempo audiences. Scripter Yglesias underplays the book’s political context, which takes prominence only in pic’s last reel. Since it’s impossible to tell the whole story, the focus is on Valjean’s struggle toward goodness and peace with himself, and the cat-and-mouse relationship between him and Javert as opposed yet not entirely opposite personalities. This version emphasizes more than previous ones the fact that both men were raised in the lower classes (Javert’s mother was a prostitute, his father a criminal) and that ultimately both live in fear: Valjean of getting caught, Javert of becoming a criminal.

Though Yglesias and August make a special effort to bring to the surface the more universal aspects of Hugo’s book, their film offers its own fascinations in detailing the zeitgeist, specifically the theories that prevailed regarding human nature, biological vs. cultural determinism, the attitude of society toward outcasts and, above all, the inherent tension between the power of conscience and the rigid rule of the law.

After a couple of disappointing projects (“The House of the Spirits,” “Smilla’s Sense of Snow”), August is back on terra ferma with “Les Miserables,” arguably his most ambitious film. The movie is directed smoothly and passionately, without the excessively sentimental and preachy tones of previous versions.

An actor’s director, August extracts forceful, multi-shaded performances from his two leads, Neeson and Rush, whose work here avoids the declamatory stiffness that marked the acting of Fredric March (miscast as Valjean) and Charles Laughton (Javert) in the 1935 film. Neeson’s combination of physical stature and lyrical expressiveness makes him a natural to play the tormented convict.

Rush judiciously avoids playing Javert as an outright villain, stressing instead the self-inflicted torture of a man fighting his own demons. Perhaps the greatest compliment to pay this adaptation is that it doesn’t contain a single weak performance: Thurman is touching in a difficult, atypical role; Danes is charming and likable as the daughter; Matheson is credible as a revolutionary idealist.

Pic’s tech credits are roundly impressive, led by Jorgen Persson’s sweeping widescreen lensing (in and around Prague and Paris), Janus Billeskov-Jansen’s smooth editing, Anna Asp’s lavish production design, Gabriella Pescucci’s rich costumes and Basil Poledouris’ effective score.

• Production: A Sony Pictures Entertainment release of a Columbia Pictures presentation of a Mandalay Entertainment presentation of a Sarah Radclyffe and James Gorman production. Produced by Radclyffe, Gorman. Co-producer, Caroline Hewitt. Directed by Bille August. Screenplay, Rafael Yglesias, based on the novel by Victor Hugo.
• Crew: Camera (Technicolor, Panavision widescreen), Jorgen Persson; editor, Janus Billeskov-Jansen; music, Basil Poledouris; production designer, Anna Asp; art director, Peter Grant; costume designer, Gabriella Pescucci; sound (Dolby/SDDS), David John; assistant director, Guy Travers; casting, Leonora Davis. Reviewed at the Century Plaza Cinema, L.A., April 22, 1998. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 131 MIN.
• With: Valjean - Liam Neeson Javert - Geoffrey Rush Fantine - Uma Thurman Cosette - Claire Danes Marius - Hans Matheson Captain Beauvais - Reine Brynolfsson Bishop - Peter Vaughan Cosette (age 8) - Mimi Newman

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REVIEW: Les Miserables (1998)

Jean Valjean (Neeson), an embittered and broken paroled convict, skips probation in search of a new life. Nine years later he has established a new identity and prospered as a small town business leader and mayor. His life is disrupted with Javert (Geoffrey Rush), a police officer and former gaol guard, recognises him from prison and works to reveal his true name.

Screenwriter Rafael Yglesias does a marvellous job of adapting Hugo for film. While the story has been stripped of many subplots and details, it compresses the core components into a tightly constructed two hour narrative. The core of  Les Miserables is the contrast and balance between law and justice: Javert is all law, inflexible and devastating, and pursues Valjean incessantly for breaking rules. Valjean, of course, is transformed from his experiences into a just and generous man. His good deeds over the course of his post-criminal life far outweigh the petty crime he originally committed.

This balance relies on strong performances, and August’s film benefits enormously from the casting of Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush. Neeson is perfectly cast for Valjean’s sheer physicality, and does an excellent job of playing the character’s gradual transformation from one stage of his life to the next. By contrast, Rush’s Javert is straight as an arrow, never-changing, but infused with an edge of unnecessary cruelty. The two actors drive the film. While Uma Thurman is excellent as Fantine, her role has been pared down considerably to fit the two-hour running time. Claire Danes has much more to do in the film’s second half, although her role does not feel like much of a challenge – essentially relying on the same emotional beats as in her Romeo + Juliet  two years earlier. Several of the supporting players stand out, notably Lenny James as the revolutionary Enjolras and Peter Vaughan as the Bishop Myriel.

The film was shot in Prague, which lends an excellent air of early 19th century Paris – except for moments when it becomes to apparent that it’s Prague. One wonders if there was musical issues involved in the making of the film: Basil Poledouris’ extant score is decent enough, but the original theatrical trailer listed Gabriel Yared in the role. Either way, the Boublil/Schönberg stage score looms over any adaptation; it’s so iconic that anything else feels somehow lacking.

Les Miserables  works as a strong period drama with rich characters, and as a reasonably faithful adaptation of a literary masterpiece. Rarely does the quality rise to feel particularly striking or transcendent, but to criticise that too much would be to punish the film for simply being really quite good instead of exceptional. If Hooper’s hopelessly compromised musical effort was too lacklustre for you, August’s attempt may remedy your disappointment.

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Les miserables: film review.

Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe sing -- and wage a Sisyphean battle against musical diarrhea -- in Tom Hooper's adaptation of the stage sensation.

By Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

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A gallery of stellar performers wages a Sisyphean battle against musical diarrhea and a laboriously repetitive visual approach in the big-screen version of the stage sensation Les Miserables . Victor Hugo ‘s monumental 1862 novel about a decades-long manhunt, social inequality, family disruption, injustice and redemption started its musical life onstage in 1980 and has been around ever since, a history of success that bodes well for this lavish, star-laden film. But director Tom Hooper has turned the theatrical extravaganza into something that is far less about the rigors of existence in early 19th century France than it is about actors emoting mightily and singing their guts out. As the enduring success of this property has shown, there are large, emotionally susceptible segments of the population ready to swallow this sort of thing, but that doesn’t mean it’s good.

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PHOTOS: ‘Les Miserables’: Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman Pose for THR

The Bottom Line Well-sung but bombastic screen version of the musical theater perennial.

The first thing to know about this Les Miserables is that this creation of Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, is, with momentary exceptions, entirely sung, more like an opera than a traditional stage musical. Although not terrible, the music soon begins to slur together to the point where you’d be willing to pay the ticket price all over again just to hear a nice, pithy dialogue exchange between Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe rather than another noble song that sounds a lot like one you just heard a few minutes earlier. There were 49 identifiable musical numbers in the original show, and one more has been added here.

Greatly compounding the problem is that director Hooper, in his first outing since conquering Hollywood two years ago with his breakthrough feature, The King’s Speech, stages virtually every scene and song in the same manner, with the camera swooping in on the singer and thereafter covering him or her and any other participants with hovering tight shots; there hasn’t been a major musical so fond of the close-up since Joshua Logan attempted to photograph Richard Harris ‘ tonsils in Camelot . Almost any great musical one can think of features sequences shot in different ways, depending upon the nature of the music and the dramatic moment; for Hooper, all musical numbers warrant the same monotonous approach of shoving the camera right in the performer’s face; any closer and their breath would fog the lens, as, in this instance, the actors commendably sang live during the shooting, rather than being prerecorded.

With Hooper’s undoubted encouragement, the eager thespians give it their all here, for better and for worse. The “live” vocal performances provide an extra vibrancy and immediacy that is palpable, though one cannot say that the technique is necessarily superior in principle, as it was also used by Peter Bogdanovich on his famed folly, At Long Last Love.

PHOTOS: Inside the Fight to Bring ‘Les Mis’ to the Screen

One of the chief interests of the film is discovering the singing abilities of the notable actors assembled here, other than Jackman, whose musical prowess is well-known. Crowe, who early in his career starred in The Rocky Horror Show and other musicals onstage in Australia, has a fine, husky baritone, while Eddie Redmayne surprises with a singing voice of lovely clarity. Colm Wilkinson, the original Jean Valjean onstage in London and New York, turns up here as the benevolent Bishop of Digne.

On the female side, Anne Hathaway dominates the early going, belting out anguish as the doomed Fantine. Playing her grown daughter Cosette, Amanda Seyfried delights with clear-as-a-bell high notes, while Samantha Barks , as a lovelorn Eponine, is a vocal powerhouse.

The problem, then, is not at all the singing itself but that the majority of the numbers are pitched at the same sonic-boom level and filmed the same way. The big occasion when Hooper tries something different, intercutting among nearly all the major characters at crossroads in the Act 1 climax “One Day More,” feels like a pale imitation of the electrifying “Tonight” ensemble in the film version of West Side Story.

It’s entirely possible that no book has been adapted more frequently to other media than Hugo’s epic, one of the longest novels ever written. About 60 big- and small-screen versions have been made throughout the world, beginning with a representation by the Lumiere brothers in 1897, and Orson Welles did a seven-part radio version in 1937. In 1985, five years after the Paris debut of the French musical, the English-language production, with a new libretto by Herbert Kretzmer and directed by Trevor Nunn, opened in London, to less-than-stellar reviews, and is still playing. The New York counterpart packed houses from 1987-2003 and, at 6,680 performances, ranks as the third-longest-running musical in Broadway history (it reopened in 2006 and played another two years).

PHOTOS: ‘Les Miserables’ World Premiere: Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway Celebrate Musical’s Big-Screen Adaptation

At the story’s core is Jean Valjean (Jackman), a convict who has served 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread and trying to escape and, upon his release, redeems himself under a new identity as a wealthy factory owner and socially liberal mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. But his former prison guard Javert (Crowe), now a police inspector, finds him out and, over a period of 17 years, mercilessly hounds him until their day of reckoning on the barricades in Paris during the uprising of June 1832.

Woven through it is no end of melodrama concerning Valjean raising Fantine’s beautiful daughter Cosette ( Isabelle Allen as a tyke, Seyfried as a young woman); the latter’s star-crossed romance with Marius (Redmayne), a wealthy lad turned idealistic revolutionary; his handsome comrade-in-arms Enjolras ( Aaron Tveit ) and the earthy Eponine, who woefully accepts that her beloved Marius is besotted by Cosette. Well and truly having rumbled in from the film version of Sweeney Todd , Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen gallumph through as small-time swindlers in very broad comic relief.

Startlingly emaciated in his initial scenes while still on strenuous prison work detail, Jackman’s Valjean subsequently cuts a more proper and dashing figure after his transformation into a gentleman. His defense of the abused Fantine and subsequent adoption of her daughter represent the fulcrum of Hugo’s central theme that a man can change and redeem himself, as opposed to Jalvert’s vehement conviction that once a criminal, always a criminal. The passions of all the characters are simple and deep, which accounts for much of the work’s enduring popularity in all cultures.

PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes of THR’s ‘Les Miserables’ Cover Shoot

But it also makes for a film that, when all the emotions are echoed out at an unvarying intensity for more than 2 1/2 hours on a giant screen, feels heavily, if soaringly, monotonous. Subtle and nuanced are two words that will never be used to describe this Les Miserables , which, for all its length, fails to adequately establish two critical emotional links: that between Valjean and Cosette, and the latter’s mutual infatuation with Marius, which has no foundation at all.

Reuniting with his King’s Speech cinematographer Danny Cohen and production designer Eve Stewart, Hooper has handsome interior sets at his disposal. However, with the exception of some French city square and street locations, the predominant exteriors have an obvious CGI look. His predilection for wide-angle shots is still evident, if more restrained than before, but the editing by Melanie Ann Oliver and Chris Dickens frequently seems haphazard; the musical numbers sometimes build to proper visual climaxes in union with the music, but as often as not the cutting seems almost arbitrary, moving from one close-up to another, so that scenes don’t stand out but just mush together.

The actors are ideally cast but, with a couple of exceptions, give stage-sized turns for the screen; this bigness might well be widely admired. Jackman finally gets to show onscreen the musical talents that have long thrilled live musical theater audiences, Hathaway gamely gets down and dirty and has her hair clipped off onscreen in the bargain, and Redmayne impresses as a high-caliber singing leading man, but there is little else that is inventive or surprising about the performances. Still, there is widespread energy, passion and commitment to the cause, which for some might be all that is required.

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Les Miserables (1998) (United States, 1998)

As written by Victor Hugo, the 19th century classic novel Les Miserables is a long, sprawling epic that encompasses everything from the political upheaval of post-Revolutionary France to the intimate orchestrations of the heart. Over the years, millions of fans have come to admire Jean Valjean, the book's protagonist, who proves that a man can change, and to adore Cosette, the one girl who captures his heart. Considering the book's length, which easily exceeds 1000 pages, there's no way that a 135-minute motion picture can begin to capture its vast scope (nor, for that matter, can a 3-plus hour popular musical). Nevertheless, while screenwriter's Rafael Yglesias makes a host of significant cuts, he manages not only to capture the essence of Les Miserables ' key theme - redemption - but also to faithfully render the characters as more than one-dimensional condensations of their literary inspirations.

Towering over the entire film is Liam Neeson, the Irish actor who seems at home in any kind of picture, whether it transpires in contemporary America, World War II Germany, or centuries-ago Scotland. Here, the setting is France during the 1820s and 1830s. Using all his considerable powers as an actor, Neeson buries himself in the role of Jean Valjean, a convicted thief, who, after serving 19 years in prison, is released on parole. Valjean is a bitter, dejected man who is headed back to a life of crime until a monsignor takes pity on him, and, through a simple act of kindness, causes Valjean to re-evaluate his life and dedicate himself to the betterment of others. As brought to the screen by Neeson, Valjean is not only a grand, heroic figure, but a distinctly human individual as well, with frailties aplenty.

Valjean's opposite is Inspector Javert, an inflexible man who pursues the former criminal in part because he sees much of himself in his quarry. The one thing that separates the two is that, while Valjean lives a life characterized by love and kindness, Javert is consumed by a fear of transgressing the law that he clings to like a lifeline. Geoffrey Rush, as dislikable here as he was likable as David Helfgott in Shine , makes Javert a memorable villain, but he avoids the obvious temptation of turning the inspector into a cartoonish bad guy. As Valjean has his failings, so Javert has his virtues, and there are many times when we pity him more than hate him.

For the most part, Les Miserables is the story of Javert's attempts to track down and punish Valjean. It's an obsession that blinds Javert to all else, and consumes his entire life. Other characters enter and leave as the tale progresses. There is Fantine (Uma Thurman), a poor, sick prostitute who Valjean takes under his protection, and with whom he forms a powerful bond. Cosette (Mimi Newman and, later, Claire Danes) is Fantine's bastard daughter, who Valjean raises after her mother's death. And Marius (Hans Matheson) is a fiery revolutionary who captures Cosette's heart even as he plans to restore the Republic to France.

None of the supporting actors come close to matching Neeson's quiet intensity or Rush's zeal. Uma Thurman is surprisingly effective as Fantine, but she's on-screen for less than a quarter of the film. Mimi Newman is wonderful as the 8 year-old Cosette, but, after the girl ages 10 years, Claire Danes is a dubious replacement. Given to overacting her most emotionally-charged scenes, Danes seems wrong for the part. Hans Matheson, playing her love interest, is rather bland, but he is handicapped by an underwritten part. The Marius of the movie is a pale shadow of the Marius of the book, and the screen version of the love story is far from captivating. Marius often seems more like a plot device than a genuine character.

Directed by Bille August, who was once hand-picked by Ingmar Bergman to helm The Best Intentions , Les Miserables is a gloriously rich, if flawed, drama. The two-plus hours fly by as we are captivated by the characters and their circumstances. Despite being condensed from a novel that would take 20 hours to present in its entirety, the film rarely has the feel of being rushed. It progresses briskly, but in such a manner that we never lose sight of the two-pronged emotional core of the story: Valjean's rivalry with Javert and his deep, abiding love for Cosette.

This is not, of course, the first motion picture version of Les Miserables , but it is one of the better ones, with a streamlined script that doesn't have the uneven feel of many of its predecessors. There's little doubt that the popularity of the musical made it easier to finance the movie, but anyone expecting singing and dancing will be in for a shock. And, while this version of Les Miserables lacks the cleverness and contemporary spin evident in Claude Lelouch's brilliant 1995 re-interpretation , it is moving and effective in its own right, as a more "straightforward" adaptation. Kudos to all involved for a finely-crafted period drama that delivers over two hours of solid, literate entertainment.

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Review by Derek Armstrong

Bille August's Les Miserables is a decent visual re-creation of Victor Hugo's novel, whose primary fault is its minimal emotional resonance, the result of shortchanging story elements that the hit stage musical prepared viewers to anticipate as cathartic. To be sure, it demonstrates a production design dedicated to accuracy, right down to the piles of horse manure that litter the cobblestone streets, a detail whose presence calls attention to its absence in similar period pieces. The actors cast for August's rendition are equipped with the gravitas the characters require, particularly Geoffrey Rush and Liam Neeson, who both establish the intense dynamic of a Captain Ahab forever pursuing his white whale. It's not until the "So what?" ending that the viewer realizes something crucial was missing along the way. While purists will argue that the popularity of the musical has undermined attempts at a more straightforward telling of Hugo's tale, that's little excuse for keeping the characters at an emotional distance that eventually feels quite unrewarding. Screenwriter Rafael Yglesias might have focused more on the relationship between Cosette (Claire Danes) and her revolutionary boyfriend (Hans Matheson). Their plight is rendered unimportant by the cursory attention given the entire rebellion, which provides some of the wrenching high points of the musical. But even when measured only against the source material, this Les Miserables feels small and empty, offering little justification beyond its faithful visuals for nearly the 20th film adaptation of Hugo's words.

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Les Miserables Reviews

Rarely does the quality rise to feel particularly striking or transcendent, but to criticise that too much would be to punish the film for simply being really quite good instead of exceptional.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 23, 2021

Neeson's is an outstanding, memorable Jean Valjean who does a mighty job of anchoring this film and keeping its drama earthy and humane.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Jan 27, 2013

I feel like saying I hate this movie. I really don't. I was just bored out of my mind by its lack of anything real.

Full Review | Dec 6, 2012

Without a doubt the most emotionally powerful and handsomely mounted production of the story yet.

Full Review | Mar 26, 2009

[An] attractive, solid rendering of this popular classic.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 18, 2008

A beautiful testament to the strength of the human spirit. This version of Les Miserables is a triumph for everyone involved.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jan 26, 2006

The new version is a traditional telling of the story, and there is nothing wrong with tradition.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Apr 9, 2005

Somewhere, Victor Hugo must be rolling in his grave.

Full Review | Original Score: D | May 22, 2003

With a group like this, and with Hugo's literature, who could lose?

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Feb 8, 2003

Victor Hugo's great novel Les Miserables has been translated to screen at least five times before. Leave it to Liam Neeson to make a sixth seem indispensable.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 15, 2002

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 18, 2002

August's film won't make you forget the musical or the many previous movie versions, but an entertaining, stirring version of Hugo's tale of social justice is always welcome.

Full Review | Mar 24, 2002

Illustrates the redemptive power of forgiveness and the destructive consequences of self-hate.

Full Review | Mar 2, 2002

August never manages to build any real momentum or urgency to pull the story along -- it's more like he wades through it, moving from one set-piece to the next with deliberate care.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Feb 27, 2001

It's not that this is a bad film, after all it does have fine actors and it is based on a great story. It just doesn't live up to its predecessors.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Jan 1, 2001

A disappointing film that can be strangely cold and antiseptic, its wonderful story and its production save the day in the end. But if you don't want to see this version, you can rent one of the others or wait a few years for the next one.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 1, 2000

Much of what I enjoyed of the novel was missing, but then it should come as no great surprise that not all 1600 pages of story would make it to the screen.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/8 | Jan 1, 2000

Does a superb job of translating the characters, story, and heart of the novel to the screen.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jan 1, 2000

Neeson is ... able to overcome the weakness of the script by his powerful presence, though the tremendous love he feels for Cosette does not really come across.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 1, 2000

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Les Misérables

• Valjean, a former criminal, has atoned for his past and now finds himself in the midst of the French Revolution, avoiding a law-obsessed policeman hell-bent on capturing him.
• Jean Valjean, a Frenchman imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a police officer named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France. — Tim Kearns <[email protected]>
• Released on parole from prison, where he was sent for stealing bread for his starving relatives Jean Valjean attempts to rob a saintly bishop who has befriended him but when the bishop declines to turn him in and gifts him his silverware Jean swears to do only good, selling the silverware to finance a factory in a small town of which he has become mayor. When one of the factory workers, the down-trodden Fantine, dies Jean adopts her daughter Cosette, taking her to Paris as his own child. Here she meets and falls in love with Marius, a young student, part of the June rebellion of 1832. But Marius's political stance puts him in danger and Jean is being relentlessly pursued by policeman Javert, who recognizes him and wants to bring him down. — don @ minifie-1
• The classic story of a prisoner on parole in charge of raising a female as his own in the midst of the French Revolution. As they try to live in the best way that they can, a police officer does everything that he can to locate the prisoner for what he did in the past. — RECB3
• Jean Valjean, a man arrested for stealing bread nineteen years earlier, is released on account of Mrs. Herberst, Valjean's wife. When no one is willing to allow a convict to stay the night, Bishop Myriel kindly welcomes him into his home. Valjean explains to Myriel that sleeping in a real bed will make him a new man. In the night, Valjean, interrupted by Myriel while stealing his silverware, strikes him and flees. When the police arrest Valjean for stealing and drag him back to Myriel, Myriel tells them that the silverware was a gift and scolds Valjean for forgetting to take his candlesticks as well. Myriel then reminds Valjean that he is to become a new man. Nine years later, Valjean is now a wealthy industrialist and a mayor. Fantine, a single mother working at one of Valjean's factories, is fired when her manager learns she has had a daughter out of wedlock. However, Valjean is preoccupied with the arrival of Inspector Javert, who previously served as a guard at the prison in which Valjean was held. Fantine, in desperate need of money to pay the extortionate demands of Mr. and Mrs. Thénardier for looking after her daughter Cosette, turns to prostitution. Javert starts to suspect that the Mayor and Valjean are the same person. Fantine is attacked by some customers, and when she retaliates, Javert beats and arrests her, planning on sending her to prison. Citing his authority to do so as mayor, Valjean insists on her release and she is let go. Valjean nurses Fantine back to health, and promises her that she will have her daughter back. However, the Thénardiers continue to extort more money from Valjean and Fantine on the pretence of Fantine's daughter being ill. Later, Valjean receives word that another man is mistaken as being him and is about to be arrested. Valjean arrives at court where the man is being tried and reveals his identity that he is the real Valjean. Valjean then returns home and finds Fantine at death's door. Before she dies, Valjean promises Fantine that he will raise her daughter as his own. Javert arrives at Valjean's home to arrest both him and Fantine, but Fantine dies when Javert tells her she will be sent to prison. Angry and grieving, Valjean fights Javert and knocks him out, then flees the town. Valjean eventually finds and rescues Cosette from the Thénardiers, the corrupt innkeepers who were supposed to care for her, but are actually forcing her to be their servant. They care little for the girl, seeing her merely as a way to bring in money (going so far as to offer up Cosette as a child prostitute to the as-yet unrevealed Valjean). Both Valjean and Cosette finally make it to Paris where they start a new life together as father and daughter, cloistered within a religious convent. Ten years later, they leave the convent, and Cosette, now nineteen years old, falls deeply in love with a revolutionist, Marius. Meanwhile, Javert is now undercover as an insurrectionist, trying to undermine the organization to which Marius belongs. During an attempt to finally arrest Valjean, Javert is captured by Marius and is brought to the barricades as a prisoner to be executed. Valjean journeys to the barricades himself when he learns how much Cosette and Marius love each other, intending to persuade Marius to return to Cosette. When the soldiers shoot and kill Gavroche, a young boy allied with the revolutionists, Valjean uses his influence with Marius to have Javert turned over to him, so that he himself can execute him. Valjean takes Javert to a back alley, but instead of killing him, sets him free. Marius gets shot and Valjean takes him down a sewer to bring him to safety. Javert catches them, but agrees to spare Marius. Valjean takes Marius back to his home, also saying goodbye to Cosette. When Valjean returns to Javert, Javert tells him that he is now unable to reconcile Valjean's criminal past with his current lawful existence and the great kindness, generosity, and goodness that Valjean has shown. Stating, "It's a pity the rules don't allow me to be merciful," Javert finally sets Valjean free, shackles himself, adding "I've tried to live my life without breaking a single rule," and throws himself into the Seine thus taking his own life. Valjean walks down the empty street, finally a free man, with a smile on his face.

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Re-Reading Les Misérables

Thoughts and commentary on Victor Hugo’s masterpiece.

Review: Les Misérables Movie 1998

Film directed by bille august, starring liam neeson and geoffrey rush.

Whatever the reason, I never got around to watching it until now.

On one hand, I wish I had seen it at the time. On the other, I might have been more caught up in “Augh! It’s different!” objections when I was younger. I’m a lot more mellow about adaptation changes these days, except when they completely miss the point. Not that it’s hugely different, but there are some fairly major changes.

It’s beautifully shot, some of it on location in Paris. It’s as visually appealing as the Tom Hooper-directed 2012 musical ( my review ) – more so, when you factor in how gritty the 2012 version gets. (The sewers in this version must have been the cleanest in Europe. The sewers in the Hooper version…let’s jus say they’re a bit more true to the sewers in the book .) I’m not familiar with director Bille August ’s work, but I see that he also directed The House and the Spirits - a movie that I remember thinking (at 18) was a dull waste of a great cast. Fortunately I never got that feeling here, though both are epics dealing with the intersection of family drama and political turmoil.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the music was composed by Basil Poledouris , whose score for Conan the Barbarian is one of my favorites, but this score didn’t make much of an impression.

This is another adaptation that focuses heavily on Jean Valjean’s story, to the exclusion of everyone else’s threads, in order to cram at least one complete story into a single movie. (The musical is unusual in that it actually treats the story as an ensemble piece.) It’s not quite as extreme as the Jordan/Perkins version . Sure, it drops the Thénardiers once the action moves to Paris, and the rebellion seems to take about as long as the chase through the sewers. But Fantine and Cosette have more presence, and it does a much better job of setting up the revolutionaries and making it feel like they have their own story that’s intersecting with Valjean’s, even if you don’t see much of it.

The acting is much more… human here than in the 1978 version, though it does suffer from not showing you at least a little of Valjean’s backstory at the beginning.

Modernization

I liked the way they tried to expand Fantine’s story, showing a little more of her slow descent into poverty and giving her and Valjean the beginnings of a relationship, cut short by the fact that she’s dying. You can imagine the two of them raising Cosette together in a happier world.

I also liked what they did with Cosette, giving her more agency and allowing some of the fire to burn that is tightly controlled by 1832 society in the book, and completely absent from the 1978 version ( my review ; she and Marius could both be replaced by cardboard cutouts). She’s the one who chooses to leave the convent, not Valjean. She demands answers from her father…and gets them. She even convinces him to help Marius during the rebellion.

Maybe it was just a way to give Uma Thurman and Claire Danes more to do, but I think it made for a better film. Though it did write them into a corner at the end. (I’ll get back to that later.)

I was impressed that, 16 years ago, they took the bold step of making Enjolras black…until I saw that they’d made him second in command. Way to throw away an opportunity.

Alterations

A lot of the changes to the story, particularly those that would have bothered me at 22, are clearly designed to raise the stakes of the drama. Jean Valjean actually strikes Bishop Myriel during the robbery. Javert actually witnesses the attack on Fantine (by three men, not just one), and arrests her when she fights back. Marius isn’t a hanger-on with the revolutionaries, he’s their leader. And it isn’t fear of Javert that prompts Valjean to leave Paris, it’s Javert showing up at his door…for, as it turns out, a completely unrelated reason: he’s trailing Marius. This leads to several scenes in which Javert and Cosette actually meet…including a physical confrontation between Javert, Cosette, and Marius. (Javert needs to learn: you don’t try to kidnap Liam Neeson’s daughter .)

For the most part, these changes work. But it’s baffling when they make changes that don’t have any clear purpose, except maybe to make them easier for the English-speaking actors to pronounce, like changing names (Fauchelevent becomes Lafitte, and Montreuil-sur-Mer becomes Vigau).

And then there’s the fact that Valjean actually tells Cosette the whole truth during the insurrection. That makes the main conflict for the last 100 pages of the book impossible, which is probably why they just stop with Javert’s suicide. My wife and I watched as the credits rolled, and said to each other, “They’re leaving it here ?” But the earlier change didn’t leave them anywhere to go, except maybe the wedding.

It’s the only way to honestly walk away with anything resembling a happy ending, but it’s also deeply unsatisfying.

LES MISÉRABLES Review

Les Miserables review. Matt reviews Tom Hooper's Les Misérables starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, and Anne Hathaway.

Les Misérables is a musical of big emotions.  Characters are brought to their lowest, experience love at first sight, sacrifice their lives for revolution, spend decades in pursuit of justice, and believe their quests are ordained by God.  The songs and their context can come off as cheesy, but the non-stop music and story wrap the production in grandeur that sweep the audience into a captivating world.  Paired with terrific performances, the film adaptation of  Les Misérables is almost unstoppable.  But director Tom Hooper throws up a barrier as he constantly blocks out the tremendous production values with far too many close-ups and editing that chases the music rather than guides it.  We still hear the people sing, but their voices should ring louder.

Set in Paris during the first half of the 19th century,  Les Misérables follows the journey of Jean Valjean ( Hugh Jackman ).  After being imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread (along with repeated escape attempts), Valjean devotes his life to God after being shown mercy by a kindly priest.  In his quest for redemption, he adopts the child Cosette ( Isabelle Allen ) after the death of her mother, Fantine ( Anne Hathaway ).  However, he constantly remains on the run from the unwavering Javert ( Russell Crowe ) whose devotion to justice demands that he capture Valjean for breaking parole.  As the story progresses, the characters get caught up in the 1832 Paris Uprising, which is led in part by Marius ( Eddie Redmayne ), who has fallen madly in love with adult Cosette ( Amanda Seyfried ).

The story of  Les Misérables can be divided into two halves: pre-1832 and the Paris Uprising.  The pre-1832 material is the stronger part of the story.  The emotions feel more honest and personal as we see wretched characters like Valjean, Fantine, and young Cosette pulled from their depths through the power of mercy and kindness.  It's tough to say that it's "gritty realism" when everyone is singing, but the story does feel more grounded in personal journeys.  It also helps that the first half has the majority of the musical's best songs.

Once the film moves into the second-half, it runs into problems as we're introduced to a slate of new characters like Marius, his fellow revolutionaries Enjolras ( Aaron Tveit ) and Gavroche ( Daniel Huttlestone ), along with the adult Eponine ( Samantha Barks ), who is infatuated with Marius.  These infatuations lack the emotional honesty of the first half because the movie now seems like it's in a rush.  A grounded tale has led to outsized emotions like Marius and adult Cosette falling in love at first sight, the students calling for revolution, and Valjean almost pushed to the background.  There's also a lull in the quality of the songs between "On My Own" and "Javert's Soliloquy."  But by the end of the movie, we're as uplifted as when we began the story.  The redemption is complete.

On the stage, directors must fill the area with big sets to help emphasize the importance of the situation against relatively small actors with a big voices.  Film doesn't have that problem.  Film can have both: close-ups, wide-shots, and allow viewers an experience that simply can't be created in a theater.  Unfortunately, Hooper never met a close-up he didn't like, and his adaptation of  Les Misérables puts a massive burden on the cast.  They are front, center, and kind of in the way.  The majority of the emotions are written on the faces of the actors and in the sound of their voices.

Thankfully,  Les Misérables has a tremendous cast.  Jackman, a Tony-winning musical performer, takes full advantage of the opportunity the film adaptation has provided him.  The production allowed the actors to sing live, which put them in control of the tempo, rather than having to match playback of previously-recorded audio. While I disagree with a few of Jackman's choices, his rendition of "Valjean's Soliloquy" does a remarkable job of setting the tone.  The rest of the cast is also impressive, but Hathaway is unforgettable.  It's the one time in the film where Hooper's static close-up works since it gives up complete control to Hathaway's heart-wrenching performance.  "I Dreamed a Dream" is a centerpiece song, and by the end of Hathaway's rendition, I was close to tears.

I wish I could credit Hooper to a canny decision to shoot the song this way, but he shoots almost every song that way.  As we saw with The King's Speech , Hooper is a fan of the close-up, but it works fairly well in that film, which is a nice, small story.   Les Misérables is epic, and every number almost feels like a wasted opportunity.  We're given occasional glimpses of what the costume department, art direction, and cinematography have to offer when Hooper pulls back the camera.  But then he quickly returns to the close-up and obscures the rest of the production. Combined with a limited number of sets, it feels like  Les Misérables has been crammed into a tiny box.

The film is also hampered by the weak editing.  I don't know the best way to cut together a song where multiple actors are singing in different locations, but neither do editors Chris Dickens and Melanie Ann Oliver .  Part of the problem boils down to staging, which falls on Hooper, but the editing constantly feels like its scrambling to keep up with whoever is singing the lead vocals.  This kind of approach greatly diminishes one of my favorite songs ("One Day More") and it's cringeworthy during the reprise of "A Heart Full of Love".  There's elegance to the music, and if there's an advantage to relying mainly on close-ups, it's that it keeps the shots simple.

These glaring flaws still aren't enough to diminish the power of the musical in the hands of the right actors.  For some,  Les Misérables will seem remarkably corny.  It's simply too earnest, the characters too saintly, the conflicts too broad.  But I'm usually won over by earnestness, and I love that the movie wears its bleeding heart on its sleeve.  With songs of hope, love, charity, and freedom, we can't help but join in the crusade even if beyond the barricades there's a world we want to see.

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Les misérables, common sense media reviewers.

Powerful French drama has police brutality, strong language.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Few positive messages with even those tasked with

While certain characters are deserving of sympathy

Police brutality includes a teen being shot in the

A teen uses their drone to spy on other teens chan

Multiple uses of "motherf----r," variants of "f--k

A well-known mineral water is ordered in a bar. Re

Occasional smoking including that of a joint, whic

Parents need to know that Les Misérables is a hard-hitting, but gripping, Oscar-nominated French drama (with English subtitles) with violent scenes and strong language throughout. The movie is a social commentary about the relationship between the police and the communities it serves. There are few positive…

Positive Messages

Few positive messages with even those tasked with upholding the law abusing their power and showing a lack of compassion. Friends stick up for each other but often in the wrong way.

Positive Role Models

While certain characters are deserving of sympathy, the same characters are also responsible for loathsome behavior. Policeman Ruiz tries to do his best for the community he serves, but at times he fails to intervene when his colleagues cross the line and worse. Fellow police officers Chris and Gwanda often behave as if they are above the law, particularly Chris. They put their career ahead of the welfare of others. Teenager Issa, along with his friends, frequently break the law with petty crimes. But when Issa is the victim of police brutality they resort to violent and dangerous behavior. Other adult characters appear to run various parts of the city through fear and illegal means, which the police often choose to ignore. There is a lot of diversity amongst the cast, but there are a few female characters who take a central role. Although the Police Commissioner is a woman. A group of Muslim characters try to encourage kids in the neighborhood to behave by attending mosque.

Violence & Scariness

Police brutality includes a teen being shot in the head with a riot gun. They survive but are unconscious and suffer severe bruising to the face. Teens are also shoved against walls and floor by the police. Teens throw rocks and other objects at the police. A shot is fired into the air. Police officer accidentally tear gasses themselves. A stand-off between two rival groups include people with baseball bats and even an axe. Teen is placed in a cage with an aggressive lion who snarls and wields its claws at them. A riot breaks out which includes tear gas, grenades, and Molotov cocktails. A car is smashed up and fireworks are deliberately fired at it and police officers. A character is beaten with bats while on the floor and dragged down some stairs. Three police officers become trapped in a building with one suffering a severe cut to the face and eye after a bottle is thrown at them. Police officer makes sexual references about and to a 15-year-old girl. They then smash a cell phone. A chicken is placed in a room with a lion cub. Although nothing is shown it's presumed the chicken is eaten. Reference to beheadings, people being burned alive, and thrown out of windows, but these are all part of a "joke" between colleagues.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A teen uses their drone to spy on other teens changing. No nudity is shown. Sexual references are made when characters tease one another. Reference to prostitution.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Multiple uses of "motherf----r," variants of "f--k," "bastard," "d--khead," "d--k," "bastard," "s--t," "hell," "bitch," "piss," "balls," "dumbass," "damn," "bum," "whore," "a--hole," "p---y," "screw you," "jerking around," "blow job," and "ass." One use of the "N" word. Also "f-g" and "f--got." The term "gypsy" is used on a number of occasion.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

A well-known mineral water is ordered in a bar. Reference to Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram, the latter briefly being seen on a cell phone. Scene in a market place where there's reference to counterfeit goods. Characters discuss gambling on a soccer game, but no bets appear to be placed.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Occasional smoking including that of a joint, which is picked up off the floor and smoked. A hookah pipe is seen on a table. Characters are seen drinking beer in the streets, home, and at a bar, but never to excess. Brief reference to drugs including crack and heroin.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Les Misérables is a hard-hitting, but gripping, Oscar-nominated French drama (with English subtitles) with violent scenes and strong language throughout. The movie is a social commentary about the relationship between the police and the communities it serves. There are few positive role models -- and hardly any female characters -- with even the police behaving disgracefully and above the law. Much of the violence is between the police and the residents of a diverse suburb on the outskirts of Paris. This includes brutality on the part of the police. A young teen is shot with a riot gun, which although he survives, he does suffer severe bruising to the face. This leads to a full-scale riot. Objects, including rocks and fireworks, are thrown, in one instance causing a severe injury to someone's eye and face, while another is beaten on the floor with bats before being dragged down the stairs. The language is strong and prominent throughout. There are multiple uses of "f--k," homophobic slurs such as "f--got," and one use of the "N" word. There is occasional smoking including a brief scene where a marijuana joint is picked up off the floor and smoked. A drone plays an important role in the plot, but it is also used by a teenage boy to record girls getting undressed in their rooms, although no nudity is depicted. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

New to the area, Brigadier Stéphane Ruiz (Damien Bonnard) joins fellow police officers Chris (Alexis Manenti) and Gwada (Djebril Zonga) as they patrol a suburb just outside of Paris in LES MISÉRABLES. But when a lion cub is stolen by some teens it triggers a turn of events that threatens to spiral out of control.

Is It Any Good?

Set just outside of Paris, and loosely based on real events, this uncompromising French drama explores the dynamics and growing tensions between the police and the diverse neighborhood they serve. Les Misérables -- not to be confused with Victor Hugo's 19th century novel, although its presence lingers throughout -- shows the delicate threads that can hold a community together. Bonnard is excellent as "new kid on the block" Ruiz. Initially he watches on as his fellow officers bounce between community overseers to power-abusing overlords. But as the situation escalates, his conscience forces him to step in.

Comparisons to 1995's La Haine -- another superb French drama that tackled similar issues -- are well-founded. But Ladj Ly's feature-length directorial debut is deserving of its own standing. It's to Ly's credit that he can both generate sympathy and detest for the large array of characters. When the movie's final act kicks off, the scenes may be distressing, but you understand how they came about. A tough watch, that shines a light on issues that are all too sadly just as relevant today as they were in 1995. Perhaps even more so.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what Les Misérables has to say about the relationship between the police and the communities it serves. Did you think the film was realistic? How did it reflect other events that have made the news?

Discuss the strong language used in the movie. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?

Talk about the movie's violence . How did it affect you? Was it more shocking that the police were often those responsible? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

If French is not a language you speak, how did you find the subtitles? Were they distracting or did you get used to them quickly? What other international movies have you seen and how did this one compare?

Movie Details

• In theaters : January 10, 2020
• On DVD or streaming : January 9, 2020
• Cast : Damien Bonnard , Alexis Manenti , Djebril Zonga
• Director : Ladj Ly
• Studio : Amazon Studios
• Genre : Drama
• Run time : 104 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : language throughout, some disturbing/violent content, and sexual references
• Last updated : February 8, 2024

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Where to watch

Les misérables.

1998 Directed by Bille August

The legend comes to life.

In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.

Liam Neeson Geoffrey Rush Uma Thurman Claire Danes Hans Matheson Peter Vaughan Jon Kenny Gillian Hanna Silvie Koblížková Mimi Newman Ian Cregg Shane Hervey Lennie James Julian Rhind-Tutt Kelly Hunter Toby Jones Alex Norton Edward Tudor-Pole Kathleen Byron Patsy Byrne Václav Chalupa Ben Crompton Paola Dionisotti Edna Doré Tony Vogel James Saxon

Director Director

Bille August

Producers Producers

James Gorman Sarah Radclyffe Caroline Hewitt

Writer Writer

Rafael Yglesias

Original Writer Original Writer

Victor Hugo

Casting Casting

Editor editor.

Janus Billeskov Jansen

Cinematography Cinematography

Jörgen Persson

Production Design Production Design

Art direction art direction.

Peter Grant

Composer Composer

Basil Poledouris

Costume Design Costume Design

Gabriella Pescucci

Columbia Pictures

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

English French

Releases by Date

01 may 1998, 11 jun 1998, 10 sep 1998, 08 oct 1998, 06 nov 1998, 20 nov 1998, 24 dec 1998, 13 mar 1999, 22 nov 2019, releases by country.

• Theatrical M
• Theatrical U
• Theatrical 12
• Theatrical 15

Netherlands

• Theatrical M/12

South Korea

• Theatrical 16
• Theatrical PG-13

134 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by robyn ★★★½ 7

WHERE IS THE SINGING WHERE IS SEXY ENJOLRAS

Review by megan ★★★½ 2

at least i didn’t have to hear russell crowe sing in this one

Review by UltimateMovieRankings ★★★ 3

Since I liked the Hugh Jackmon Les Miserables movie so much....I figured I would try the Liam Neeson Les Miserables movies. The movie is based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo. This is basically a chase movie with Neeson (a convict) trying to get away from Geoffrey Rush (a cop). During the years of the chase, Neeson befriends many many people and makes their lives better...while Rush also comes across many people but only makes their lives worst.

This version tries to cram too much information in a little over 2 hours. The pace of the movie is so quick...that we never really understand why Rush hates Neeson so much....we never believe that Claire Danes really falls in love…

Review by Rodrigo Homsi ★★★

Uma boa adaptação com Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman e Claire Danes. Não tão conhecido como seu irmão mais novo de formato musical, esse tem um formato menos dramático e mais preocupado em contar a história do que emocionar o espectador. A cena final do inspetor Javert só pode ser adjetivada como patética e caricata.

Review by sarah ★★★½

the thought of patrick bateman crying to this makes me giggle

Review by carmen 2

if french then why british accent

Review by putri meita ★★★★

Uma Thurman ! That's it. That's the review.

Review by Danielle Lauren ★★★★ 1

Geoffrey Rush's performance merits an extra star.

Review by TheCloser79 ★★★★

Bille August draws some interesting storylines from Victor Hugo's great work and turns it into a rather good film. Neeson and Rush embody the main characters outstandingly and with their charisma are clearly the big plus. We also have a fantastic score of Basil Poledouris, who died much too soon, great sets and a whole series of really emotional or heartbreaking scenes. Unfortunately, the movie suffers from August's attempt to squeeze too much story into the 2h12min runtime, which is why the film often feels rushed or looks like a patchwork. Thurman and Danes often seem wasted. Despite the weaknesses, a worthy representative of Hugo's book.

Review by Dave LeCompte ★★★★

This is the one without all that pesky singing.

Review by Michael Dennos ★★★★ 2

The first difference between this and the 2012 version of Victor Hugo's novel: no singing in this one. The next is that despite being 20 minutes shorter than the musical version, this film doesn't feel as rushed. Also, more emphasis is put on the conflict between Valjean and Javert here, in fact it seems like the main driving force for the whole movie, which is most obvious in where this film chooses to end. I found that gave this film another distinctive quality to distinguish it from the musical. Liam Neeson does fine work as Valjean, giving him a slightly more vicious edge, and Geoffery Rush acts circles around Russell Crowe's portrayal of Javert. Rush gives the character a more…

Review by Katalas ★★★½

Bishop : Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I have bought your soul. I've ransomed you from fear and hatred, and now I give you back to God.

A more litterary approach on the adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les misérables , which makes it a little more enjoyable compared to Tom Hooper's musical.

This work from French writter Hugo isn't a discovery, as I've studied it in highschool, and that the author himself is considered to be one of the most important French artist of his era, and with Les misérables truly showcasing Victor Hugo's ability to write philosophical and social books.

There are a lot of social studies. From the living conditions of different…

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Les Misérables (1998)

The misery of 1998, connect with us.

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LES MISERABLES (1998)

What You Need To Know:

(C, B, H, Ro, LL, VVV, SS, CC, M) Moral redemptive worldview marred by humanistic, romantic & pluralistic elements; 27 obscenities including teaching a little girl to say a slang phrase which includes an obscenity; cruel acts of violence associated with war, prison & crime including a reenactment of the D-day invasion, several people shot at close range, pistol whippings, strangulation, torture by submersion in water, beatings, & falling down a well, 4 suicides & extreme domestic violence; implied prostitution, two scenes of implied sex & 1 scene with suggested sex though the adults are clothed with children watching at a distance; negative reference to homosexuality; many positive references to God, prayer & Jesus; and, theft, graft & treason.

More Detail:

The magnificent movie by Claude LeLouch, LES MISERABLES, is not another film adaptation of Victor Hugo’s redemptive story; instead, the movie is a unique re-telling of Hugo’s masterpiece using Hugo’s work as a metaphor for life. The movie opens at the turn of the 20th Century with the tragic story of Henri Fortin, a chauffeur who is wrongly sent to prison. After Fortin dies,the movie follows his son, young Henri, a boxer who eventually starts a moving business. His business flourishes until he helps the Zimans, a Jewish couple escaping the German occupation of Paris during World War II. When they are betrayed and captured, Henri also falls on hard times and is brutally tortured for aiding the Zimans. Henri escapes prison by dealing with the Gestapo and eventually sees the end of the war. Henri then saves the life of a policeman who comes to arrest him for war crimes. When a policeman realizes that Henri can testify against him in court, he commits suicide and Henri is blamed. Mr. Ziman escapes the farm where he has been held hostage and comes to Henri’s legal defense. In the end, prayer triumphs, and the misery of existence is alleviated by love and grace.

There are not enough superlatives to adequately commend the acting, the camera work, the music, the dialogue, and the set direction in LES MISERABLES. This is a wonderful work of love about lives in misery until touched by the grace, love and knowledge of God. The director shows us the depths of depravity to which man can sink. He does this with great tact, but many would easily take offense at some of these miserable scenes.

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