Movie Review

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Les  Misérables (2012)                                         

                                                

Director: Tom Hooper                                           

Lead actors/actresses:

• ·         Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean
• ·         Russell Crowe as Javert
• ·         Anne Hathaway as Fantine
• ·         Amanda Seyrfried as Cosette
• ·         Eddie Redmayne as Marius Pontmercy

Genre: A musical film about fight, dream, hope and love.

Plot

The story started in 1815 when Jean Valjean, a convict known as prisoner 24601, is given a parole by a guard named Javert. Jean Valjean suffered 19-year of sentence because he stole a loaf of bread and also because of his repeated attempts to escape. It causes him to have hard times in looking for a job that will help him survive in the outside world but things change when he met the bishop of Digne, he is offered food and shelter. After the good intention shown to him by the bishop, Valjean steals bishop’s silvers at night and he ran away. When he is captured by the police and brought in bishop’s front he is very ashamed of himself. Instead of maltreatment he is expected to receive, the bishop told the police that Valjean did not steal anything because it is a gift from him. After that incident, he broke his parole and he viewed life in a different and better way.

Many years later, Jean Valjean became a different man. He is called Monsieur Medeleine, a factory owner and mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer where Inspector Javert has been assigned as the chief of police. Upon their first meeting, Javert had a feeling that he knows the mayor but he is not certain when or where. Meanwhile, a woman named Fantine who worked in Mayor’s factory, is discovered that she is sending money to her illegitimate child, Cosette, and that child is living in other person’s roof. After causing trouble, Fantine was kicked-out of the factory by the foreman. Fantine now jobless became a prostitute in order to support her daughter. Then, she was arrested by Javert due to the aggression she had shown to an abusive costumer but she is saved by the Mayor. Due to so much exhaustion, Fantine faint and the Mayor had her hospitalized. Unfortunately, she died.

The Mayor, upon hearing that an innocent man was accused to be him (Jean Valjean) hurriedly exposed his true self to Javert but he requested that before he treated him like a slave again, Valjean asked him for more time and to  let him fulfill the promise he had given to the late Fantine, - to look after her daughter. Luckily, Valjean was able to escape, he saved Cosette and he gave Eponine’s family (the place where she stay) enough money just to let go of Cosette and also to pay Fantine’s depts.  After telling Cosette that her mother died, he became her foster father.

Nine years later, there is an increasing poverty in Paris. Jean Maximilien Lamarque, the only government sympathetic to poor people is near to perish, therefore a large group of revolutionary students, known as the friends of ABC, plan a rebellion against the French monarchy. This group is lead by Marius Pontmercy, he lives near Eponine’s place. Marius became friends with Eponine but she is secretly inlove with  him.
When Valjean and Cosette go out to help the poor, Marius catch a glimpse of her then he instantly fall in love with Cosette. Unfortunately, along the way Eponine’s parents recognized Valjean and so it caused arguments then Javert came to break it up. Cosette and Valjean again disappeared  from the crowd. Marius, totally struck by Cosette’s beauty asked Eponine to look for her and promise to give anything. At the ABC café, the students are rallying when the received the announcement that Lamarque is dead. Eponine leads Marius to Cosettes’s place. They profess their love to one another, while Eponine’s heart laments. Eponine’s parents arrived to Valjean’s house and Eponine’s  screams to warn them. Valjean decides to leave the country and Cosette with unwilling heart followed his father. She left a farewell letter for Marius and Eponine decides not to show it to him. After losing all the hope to see his love, he decided to join the revolution thinking that he has nothing to live for.

The students interrupt Lamarque’s funeral procession and begin their revolt. Javert disguised as a rebel to spy on them is quickly exposed by Gavroche ,then he became captive. During the battle, Eponine saves Marius from blowing up the barricade at the cost of her life. She gave Cosette’s letter  to Marius before she died in his arms, after reading the letter of Cosette, Marius asked Gavroche to send his letter for Cosette but instead of giving it to Cosette, Gavroche gave it to Valjean.

After reading Marius letter expressing his love for Cosette, Valjean instead of leaving the country decides to save the young man’s life because he thinks that this is the man he is waiting for. When Valjean saved one of the revolutionists, he is allowed to take over Javert but when they’re alone he allowed Javert to escape. Javert ask him to shoot him while there’s a chance cause once his free he will still be hunting for him. On their next attempt to fight, the other Parisians did not join the revolution and this caused them to fail, everyone is killed expect Marius. He is saved by Valjean unconsciously. He do everything just to save the young man, he even ask Javert one hour just to take Marius to the doctor but Javert threatens to shoot him anytime, but he can’t. Javert unable to think what is the right thing to do decides to jump to his death in the Seine.

Marius recovers at his grandfather’s house clueless of his savior. He mourned for his friends and Cosette comforts her. Valjean upon seeing happy scenes of Marius and Cosette decides that he needs to leave but before that he told Marius the whole story of his life. Marius promised Valjean that he will not tell Cosette about her father’s past.

Marius and Cosette marry, although Cosette is sad because of his father’s absence. Eponine’s parents attempt to destroy the reception by saying that they saw Valjean carrying the murdered corpse through the sewers. As proof they saw him the ring knowing that is owned by  Valjean. After seeing the ring, Marius concludes that his father in law was his savior that night. After the analization, the newly wed hurry off to find Valjean. They rush in to bid him farewell. Valjean handed a letter to Cosette that contains the confession about his past life, then he happily join the spirit of the bishop, Fantine and other spirits he knows before. Together they sing a happy song.

Theme

1. The importance of love and compassion

Even at the very beginning of the movie, this theme is obviously shown. In the scene of the bishop and Valjean I can say that the bishop regardless of people personality or background still have a heart to help those in need. Even when he was betrayed, he had shown how compassionate he is.

2. Social injustice

This is theme is greatly emphasized in the movie, he focuses on the particular areas that need reform this are the following: education, criminal justice and treat of women.

  

3. Slavery

Because of the monarchic form of government, many people are getting into slavery, they starved while people in authority can do what they want.

4 Power

The struggle for power is one the themes in this movie. 

5. Poverty

This theme is somehow connected to slavery as seen in the movie, in the factory scene, workers are nagging because they do not have enough money to feed their child and yet they work hard but then its yet sufficient. Another is scene where there are many prostitutes who are willing to sell their bodies in exchange for money.

6. Forgiveness and Redemption

In this movie this 2 important themes are also emphasized by the director. It tell us to forgive ourselves first before others and also the idea in believing in second chance.

 Visual elements

• In terms of visual elements, I can proudly say that everything is perfect. Every desired angle is clearly achieve. Also the sound effects, background music, settings and lightning is wonderful. The movie is totally given justice.
• The refinement of the movements observed to the actors and actresses only shows the mastery of the director to the field.

Conclusion

• Les Miserables  is a worth watching type of musical film, it is a movie full of lessons in life. The scenes it shows gives big picture of painful reality that we're in. On the other hand, this also shows how to fight in order to gain what we aspire.