[tally]

Originally Posted by Galinda

Crowe is growing on me too.
When was your last visit to the stage show? I haven't been in about 6 months. The last cast I saw were so perfect I have put off going back.. well I say perfect more Hadley Fraser was in it

Gareth Gates wasn't a bad Marius when I saw him. But can't stand him on the CD.

Can't forgive Cameron Mackintosh for the Jonas brother casting. Makes me angry!!! Have to skip on the Marius bits on the 25th Anniversary DVD and to think how many past Marius' were in the ensemble/choir.. what a waste!

BIB. Spot on!
I go once every two years plus a few other times if it's on tour.
I love Hadley Fraser, but dont think I've ever caught him in Les Miz, lucky you. I didn't get to see Gareth either, it didn't play a theatre near enough to see it,flying to London is much easier, it's only an hour, so I only picked up his performance on YouTube. I last saw it about 18months ago, I think. September is the next outing!

I always thought Colm would never be topped as JVJ, but one production had a Norwegian opera singer ( I'd have to rifle through all my programmes to find his name) and he was absolutely tremendous. His version of BHH brought the house down. I'm now in love with Alfie Boe as a great JVJ too.
John Owen Jones is another fantastic lead, though as I've recently seen him in the touring version of Phantom, I've got him in my head as Phantom not Valjean at the moment.

[mimicole]

I really enjoyed this! I wasn't prepared for quite how long it was though.

[SULLA]

Originally Posted by Galinda

For the teenyboppers?!!??

Jonas was

Crowe wasn't as bad as jonas.

True but both were hired for their name

[Lady Spice]

No matter how you feel about Crowe's performance (which is nowhere near bad as many make out, and he really has grown on me a lot by the third viewing,) it is perfectly fair and reasonable that the producers of this film wanted big names to be in it. We are not all Les Mis nutters, so there had to be some other draw for normal people to be tempted into theatres to watch it. They spent a fortune on this film, so of course they would do whatever they could to put bums on seats.

I agree with another poster on here (somewhere amongst these 27 pages......!) who said that Crowe's Javert wasn't the best sung, but his WAS the best acted.

[SULLA]

Originally Posted by Lady Spice

No matter how you feel about Crowe's performance (which is nowhere near bad as many make out, and he really has grown on me a lot by the third viewing,) it is perfectly fair and reasonable that the producers of this film wanted big names to be in it. We are not all Les Mis nutters, so there had to be some other draw for normal people to be tempted into theatres to watch it. They spent a fortune on this film, so of course they would do whatever they could to put bums on seats.

I agree with another poster on here (somewhere amongst these 27 pages......!) who said that Crowe's Javert wasn't the best sung, but his WAS the best acted.

Crowe wasn't bad. He just wasn't good

[ChrissieAO]

Originally Posted by SULLA

Crowe wasn't bad. He just wasn't good

I agree with that and he certainly looks the part, he has the same type of face that Philip Quast, Michael McArthy etc has.
I am going to see the film again next week so I have a feeling that Russell Crowe will grow on me...a bit..

[Galinda]

Originally Posted by tally

John Owen Jones is another fantastic lead, though as I've recently seen him in the touring version of Phantom, I've got him in my head as Phantom not Valjean at the moment.

JOJ is a legend!

Did you see/hear Ramin Karimloo's Valjean? Perfect.

[Mystical123]

Originally Posted by SULLA

Crowe wasn't bad. He just wasn't good

I agree with that, he wasn't terrible and his performance didn't really detract from the overall triumph of the movie. I don't agree that his Javert was the best acted though, half the time he completely failed to act at all while singing.

[tvqueen1905]

Went to see it for a second time and this time went to the IMAX version

second time round i took so much more in and understood it more and feel like there was so much i missed the first time

i cried at the end again but not as loud as last time

[LykkieLi]

Not impressed with the casting.

[notin]

Saw it this afternoon, I really enjoyed the film, wasn't blown away by it and too be honest would much prefer to see a live Show. The main triumph for me was Marius, Crowe was good, not as bad as others have made out and Samantha Barks did the Isle of Man proud. Cosette was for me the only weak link. A very good film, would I pay to see it again? No.

[Mystical123]

Originally Posted by LykkieLi

Not impressed with the casting.

What, all of them?

[sensoria]

Originally Posted by revans9

have no intention of seeing Les Mis (was left nonplussed by the stage show) but this thread makes for an entertaining read! I knew when I saw the trailer that it was all-sung but there was definitely an attempt to hide this fact.

I've always enjoyed movie musicals but not all-sung musical theatre. yes, there have been musicals that have been all sung before but they are all adaptations of musical theatre shows (Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom, Sweeney Todd, Nine etc)

By its nature, Les Mis is a very bombastic, in-your-face show and if you go in not realising what it's going to be like, you're going to struggle. I remember it took me years to get past the first 20 minutes or so of Moulin Rouge as it felt like i was being attacked by the film rather than watching it.

Whatever Les Mis is, it certainly isn't easy to watch with misery upon misery and i expect the film is the same

I do feel sorry for people who are dragged along by someone devoted to / obsessed with the show. Within 20 minutes you'll know it's not for you. Then not only do you have to sit through the rest but will then end up being argued with when you say it was a relief that it's over

I have just finished reading the book (after a year) and never thought of the stage show or the film but someone bought me a ticket to the show.

I am not sure had I not read the book I would have had the attachment to the characters as Fantine for instance is reduced to a tiny bit part. In the book her tragic story is just brutal.

It's a great book and a great examination of life. I wish someone would make a non singing film version over say 3 films and really do it justice.

[derek500]

Originally Posted by sensoria

It's a great book and a great examination of life. I wish someone would make a non singing film version over say 3 films and really do it justice.

There have been several non-musical versions made.

This one, a four part TV mini-series, was very good.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230534/?ref_=sr_5

[alcockell]

I'm housebound, and pissed off that Big Media insist on this windowing shit.

When can I expect to be able to stream it legally off Blinkbox or buy on Bluray?
Why can't Universal get their arses in gear and be willing to offer for streaming for 150% cinema ticket? I'd be willing to pay up to a tenner to stream the bloody thing when it's at the cinema...

Or do I have to wait up to a year to watch the damn thing?

[Mystical123]

Originally Posted by alcockell

Or do I have to wait up to a year to watch the damn thing?

It'll be out on DVD in March I believe.

[Patsey10]

Originally Posted by Galinda

JOJ is a legend!

Did you see/hear Ramin Karimloo's Valjean? Perfect.

I think Ramin is my favourite JVJ! As much as I loved Alfie Boe I think Ramin's acting was brilliant. At the end of the show when JVJ is old he was so convincing. That said I also enjoy John Owen Jones in the role

[tally]

Originally Posted by Galinda

JOJ is a legend!

Did you see/hear Ramin Karimloo's Valjean? Perfect.

Yup and Oh yes. Absolutely wonderful. He's another I'd go and see in anything.

[tracystapes]

Isn't March a bit early for a DVD release?

[Mystical123]

Originally Posted by tracystapes

Isn't March a bit early for a DVD release?

I heard it rumoured somewhere, can't remember where.

[natalian]

Originally Posted by LykkieLi

Not impressed with the casting.

Surely you can't have been unimpressed with the casting of Samantha Barks as Eponine, she was fantastic. How often is it that the unknown supporting actress blows everyone else out of the water.

[MadMoo40]

Originally Posted by tracystapes

Isn't March a bit early for a DVD release?

March/April according to this

http://www.ondvdreleases.com/1521-le...ease-date.html

[Patsey10]

Originally Posted by natalian

Surely you can't have been unimpressed with the casting of Samantha Barks as Eponine, she was fantastic. How often is it that the unknown supporting actress blows everyone else out of the water.

I agree-she was brilliant. Saw her as Nancy in Oliver last week, I hope she has has a long and successful career

[JayQ]

Listen here : http://www.three.fm/on-air/podcasts/heard-on-3fm-428380

[KidMoe]

I thought it was about as good as it could be, but it wasn't without problems. The female cast were pretty much spot on, but the blokes not quite so much. Jackson was merely ok, the actor playing Marius wasn't great but Russell Crowe wasn't, to my surprise, the weakest cast member. He doesn't have the best voice but he wasn't as dreadful as I was expecting, wheras I really didn't like the Thénardier's. Master of the house is a highlight on the stage but in the film I thought it was very badly handled and Cohen in particular was pretty dreadful in the role.

As someone who is pretty familar with the stageshow, some of the changes to the score irked somewhat as well but for the most part were understandable, with the expection of the Confrontation, which was both terribly sung by Jackman and dropped Valjean's lines from the last verse completely for no apparent reason.

So, by no means a poor attempt at the material, but the stage show is superior I think.