cometomecosette reblogged
okay now release the grantaire ‘drink with me’ cut
Please let it include deleted scenes!
cometomecosette reblogged
AARON TVEIT as Enjolras LES MISÉRABLES (2012) dir. Tom Hooper
cometomecosette reblogged
Les Misérables 2012: The Director’s Cut
Inspired by this post, in honor of the 10th anniversary of the 2012 movie musical, let’s take the Goncharov approach and talk about the missing scenes as if they were really there.
I’ll start:
One of the most underrated, powerful scenes from the 2012 movie has to be the end of “Confrontation,” where Valjean sings “And this I swear to you tonight…” as he watches Fantine’s body be carted away, while Javert sings “There is no place for you to hide…” as he stands at the edge of the harbor. Why it isn’t talked about more often I’ll never know!
Just when we think we’re done crying about Fantine’s death, our hearts are ripped out again when we see her body wrapped in a rough shroud, faceless and unrecognizable, brutally dumped out of her hospital room window onto the cart, then hauled away for burial. Just like the random corpses of the homeless in “At the End of the Day” – the young mother we’ve followed, cared about, empathized with, rooted for, and cried for is now just another casualty of poverty, being “thrown into the public pit” (as Hugo wrote) by uncaring men who treat her body like a bag of garbage to dispose of. Hearing the instrumental melody of “I Dreamed a Dream” at the same time makes it worse.
(The brutal realism is enhanced by the fact that Anne Hathaway really was inside that shroud – they could have used a stunt double or even a dummy, but she insisted on doing it herself, and as a result, even thought we can’t see her face, the body really does look like Fantine.)
Yet there is one person who cares about her, secretly watching from a tunnel under the factory. Hugh Jackman gives us some of his best acting in this scene, which fully compensates for the fact that he speaks Valjean’s lines more than singing them. As he hides there in the shadows, still dripping wet and shivering from having faked his own drowning, his blend of quiet anguish and staunch determination as he vows to save Fantine’s child is heartbreakingly beautiful.
Meanwhile, Russell Crowe offers some of his own best acting – though as usual it’s quieter and subtler than Jackman’s – as he stares into the distance, while behind him other policemen search the water for the presumably-drowned Valjean’s body. He seems outwardly calm and composed, but it’s clear from his eyes and the subtle twitching movement of his head that he’s restless and disturbed: somehow he knows Valjean is still alive. And though he barely expresses it above a whisper, his resolve to find him is fierce.
It’s a small moment, cutting back and forth between the two men in their different locations, but it’s so effective!
I have another one:
Another great, underrated moment comes at the end of “Attack on Rue Plumet,” after Éponine’s scream wakes both Valjean and Cosette. It really helps to remind us of their warm father/daughter bond, despite Valjean’s overprotectiveness and Cosette’s increasing focus on Marius. Hugh Jackman is so frantic as he runs into Cosette’s room, obviously thinking she was the one who screamed, and then so grateful and tender as he sees that she’s safe and hugs her in relief, singing “My God, Cosette! I heard a cry in the dark...”
And then Cosette, who was looking out the window when he came in, leads him there as she sings “Three men I saw beyond the wall...” and they anxiously look out together. In the stage version, that line is a fib to keep Valjean from finding Marius and Éponine hiding by the garden gate, but in this version it’s sincere, as Cosette caught a glimpse of Thénardier and the gang as they were fleeing, and Marius left long ago. I like this change. Where the stage version of the moment highlights Cosette’s growing distance from Valjean as she lies to him, this version reinforces their closeness: for just an instant, they’re “as one” again in their mutual fear and confusion.
This change also alters the meaning (I think) of Cosette’s reprise of the “Castle on a Cloud” melody, in a good way. In the stage version, Cosette seems to be manipulating Valjean, putting on the mask of the helpless, innocent little girl she once was to hide her secret romance. But here, since she’s not lying, it seems to reinforce that no matter how much she grows up and protests that she’s “no longer a child,” a part of her will always be his little girl.
I also love Amanda Seyfried’s shocked expression when Valjean sings “These are the shadows of the past!” and her bewildered, frustrated tone as she protests “Papa!” when bolts out of the room without further explanation.
And while I know a lot of people make fun of the way Valjean rushes back to his own room just to mutter “Must be Javert! He’s found my cover at last! I’ve got to get Cosette away!” and then goes back to Cosette’s room, it makes perfect sense to me. Valjean is overwhelmed. The thing he’s been dreading all these years has finally happened, or so he thinks. It’s only natural that he should need a short moment alone to regain composure and think of a plan of action, then go back to Cosette to give her that plan.
(I’d like to see some more people do this. Here’s the screenplay: describe your vision of any scene that isn’t in the finished film. Let’s follow the Goncharov example and imagine an ideal director’s cut of this movie!)
Les Misérables 2012: The Director’s Cut
Inspired by this post, in honor of the 10th anniversary of the 2012 movie musical, let’s take the Goncharov approach and talk about the missing scenes as if they were really there.
I’ll start:
One of the most underrated, powerful scenes from the 2012 movie has to be the end of “Confrontation,” where Valjean sings “And this I swear to you tonight...” as he watches Fantine’s body be carted away, while Javert sings “There is no place for you to hide...” as he stands at the edge of the harbor. Why it isn’t talked about more often I’ll never know!
Just when we think we’re done crying about Fantine’s death, our hearts are ripped out again when we see her body wrapped in a rough shroud, faceless and unrecognizable, brutally dumped out of her hospital room window onto the cart, then hauled away for burial. Just like the random corpses of the homeless in “At the End of the Day” – the young mother we’ve followed, cared about, empathized with, rooted for, and cried for is now just another casualty of poverty, being “thrown into the public pit” (as Hugo wrote) by uncaring men who treat her body like a bag of garbage to dispose of. Hearing the instrumental melody of “I Dreamed a Dream” at the same time makes it worse.
(The brutal realism is enhanced by the fact that Anne Hathaway really was inside that shroud – they could have used a stunt double or even a dummy, but she insisted on doing it herself, and as a result, even thought we can’t see her face, the body really does look like Fantine.)
Yet there is one person who cares about her, secretly watching from a tunnel under the factory. Hugh Jackman gives us some of his best acting in this scene, which fully compensates for the fact that he speaks Valjean’s lines more than singing them. As he hides there in the shadows, still dripping wet and shivering from having faked his own drowning, his blend of quiet anguish and staunch determination as he vows to save Fantine’s child is heartbreakingly beautiful.
Meanwhile, Russell Crowe offers some of his own best acting – though as usual it’s quieter and subtler than Jackman’s – as he stares into the distance, while behind him other policemen search the water for the presumably-drowned Valjean’s body. He seems outwardly calm and composed, but it’s clear from his eyes and the subtle twitching movement of his head that he’s restless and disturbed: somehow he knows Valjean is still alive. And though he barely expresses it above a whisper, his resolve to find him is fierce.
It’s a small moment, cutting back and forth between the two men in their different locations, but it’s so effective!
cometomecosette reblogged
should we like. Do something for this christmas? it's the 10 year anniversary of les mis (2012)
@thecandlesticksfromlesmis replied: we should all just make art of some kind based around scenes that were omitted from the movie and we can just pretend like they’re in there
the Goncharov approach, I see
The anti-Director’s Cut, where we crowd-source all the missing scenes and make a film of only those.
“Wedding Chorale” and “Beggars at the Feast,” London, 2012. Cameron Blakeley as Thénardier, Linzi Hateley as Mme. Thénardier, Craig Mather as Marius.
An excellent performance. Cameron’s Thénardier is colorful without being a ham, as in all the clips I’ve shared of him so far. Linzi (the only actress I know of to have played both Éponine and Mme. Thénardier) has a naturally prettier voice than other Mme. T.’s do, but she uses it to just the right brash, characterful effect. The sweet, elegant voice of Craig’s Marius makes him the perfect foil for them.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard Mme. T. sing “It was the night that the barricades fell” with her husband. I’ll have to listen to more clips of this scene from London to figure out when that change was implemented. It seems that throughout the 2000s, a lot of productions (the movie, the School Edition, recent tours) have reassigned various lines of Thénardier’s to his wife to make their presences more equal rather than having him dominate.
“Valjean’s Soliloquy,” plus the end of “Valjean Arrested, Valjean Forgiven,” London, 2012. Geronimo Rauch as Valjean, Adam Linstead as the Bishop.
What an intense Valjean! So much passion and turmoil, and such a rich, powerful voice! It must have been so exciting to see him in person. I love the way he thrusts the bag of silver away from him like some repulsive thing after the first two verses (as he did with the candlesticks while the Bishop was singing), only to frantically grasp it on “I am reaching, but I fall...” and then sling it resolutely over his shoulder on “I’ll escape now from that world...” He treats it as the concrete symbol of the change he resists at first, but ultimately embraces.
Adam’s Bishop is excellent too. Warm and compassionate, yet firm in his convictions and faith, and with such a strong and distinctive baritone voice.
“Epilogue,” London, 2012. Gerónimo Rauch as Jean Valjean, Sierra Boggess as Fantine, Samantha Dorsey as Cosette, Johnny Purchase as Marius, Danielle Hope as Éponine.
This is a beautiful performance.
Gerónimo’s Valjean is very touching: so feeble, pained and full of yearning for heaven at the beginning, then so sweetly overjoyed to see Cosette again. The way he laughs and cries at the same time on “Now you are here... again beside me...” is beautifully poignant. I also love the way he stands so tall and robust after he rises as a spirit and sings “Forgive me all my trespasses...” in a strong, full voice that sharply contrasts with the feeble voice he’s been using throughout the scene.
Samantha’s Cosette is also touching in her tenderness and grief.
Sierra’s Fantine is appropriately angelic. Being a soprano, not a mezzo, she does have to whisper through the low notes on “And you will be with God” (she really should have sung it transposed up, as in the School Edition), but the sweetness of her voice and her lovely demeanor make up for that one weakness.
The whole cast sings beautifully and ends the performance on appropriately moving, stirring note.
“A Little Fall of Rain,” London, 2012. Alexia Khadime as Éponine, Craig Mather as Marius.
One of my favorite live audios of this song.
Alexia’s beautiful voice clearly has the capacity for powerhouse singing, but here she uses it so sweetly and gently, beautifully conveying Éponine’s gentle, feeble joy. She effectively conveys her pain too, with just a little gasping and one small groan toward the end, not detracting at all from the song’s beauty or tenderness. Meanwhile, Craig’s Marius is fully alive, from his scolding “Good God, what are you doing?!” at the start, to his panic when he discovers her wound, to his tender “Shh... shh... shh...” just before “Hush-a-bye, dear Éponine...” And then the ending... oh, that ending! Those heartrending uncontrollable sobs! I know some Hugophiles will hate it; I know they’ll insist that Marius should mainly be pitying and not deeply grieve in this scene, because that’s the way Hugo wrote it and because we don’t want audiences to ship them. But the musical’s Marius and Éponine are very different from Hugo’s versions – she’s more heroic, he’s more of a true revolutionary, and the libretto’s every indication is that he truly values her as a friend. Hugo’s ghost forgive me, but I like their friendship in the musical and I like seeing him truly care for her and mourn her as she deserves.
By the way, if you listen to this on YouTube, you might notice it’s been added to a playlist called Songs for Inspiration #3. That’s my playlist for the YA Beauty and the Beast retelling I’m currently writing. I have this song placed at the point where my girl-Beast (whose personality owes more to Hugo’s Éponine than, say, to the Disney Beast) almost dies in her Beauty’s arms near the end. So if you like, when you listen, feel free to forget the Les Mis plot and tell yourself that a minute after this ends, a spell will break and the girl will be fine.
Was anyone else on Facebook in 2012 when the Les Mis movie's official page posted the Hugo quote "To love beauty is to see light," and hundreds of people went ballistic because they thought the movie was replacing "To love another person is to see the face of God" with that quote in order to avoid mentioning religion? Anyone else remember that?
Sierra Boggess as Fantine... :) Picture by wednesdayXfever (http://thephantoms-mask.tumblr.com/)
The lovely Sierra Boggess sings a lovely rendition of IDAD.