Les Miserables - The Musical Movie

[Pelado]

So no sequel, then.

What would a Les Mis sequel look like? New thread?

[MarkGrace]

Exactly. I wonder how many of the anti-stage actor crowd have actually seen stage plays/musicals beyond the community theater (or even HS) level.

Anybody who has seen Les Mis or the like on Broadway (or even in one of the good touring companies) would laugh at the idea that the "singers can't act".

Nobody's saying they can't act for stage. And I think everyone here has seen stage plays and musicals beyond community theater. They've probably also seen stage actors cast in roles on screen, which forms part of the basis of their opinion.

[All-American]

What would a Les Mis sequel look like? New thread?

It'll be tough, seeing as how everybody died . . . .

. . . but what if they DIDN'T?!?!

[youtube]KniEJEuBe9o[/youtube]

[MarkGrace]

Maybe. Maybe not. But it was certainly possible. Moreover if we remove the artistic debate why would they or anyone care?

I mean remove it in terms of a debate and just say we agree that's what needed to be done. Assuming enough of these people exist to fill all the roles (and who even knows if they do), you're talking about an extremely limited pool of people. It might have been possible in the sense that anything is possible, but for all practical purposes I doubt it was very possible. Fans love to treat this stuff like it's all done in a vacuum, but not everyone is sitting around waiting to make tom hooper's next movie.

But I'm not sure why I keep going around the singing carousel. Singing was far from being the film's biggest problem.

[All-American]

But I'm not sure why I keep going around the singing carousel. Singing was far from being the film's biggest problem.

Yeah, but they had to be French.

[FMCoug]

Nobody's saying they can't act for stage. And I think everyone here has seen stage plays and musicals beyond community theater. They've probably also seen stage actors cast in roles on screen, which forms part of the basis of their opinion.

Example?

Screen to stage is a MUCH more difficult transition than the other direction. Most actors would tell you this. And most would also say that the true craft of acting is honed only one place ... on stage.

[FMCoug]

I mean remove it in terms of a debate and just say we agree that's what needed to be done. Assuming enough of these people exist to fill all the roles (and who even knows if they do), you're talking about an extremely limited pool of people. It might have been possible in the sense that anything is possible, but for all practical purposes I doubt it was very possible. Fans love to treat this stuff like it's all done in a vacuum, but not everyone is sitting around waiting to make tom hooper's next movie.

But I'm not sure why I keep going around the singing carousel. Singing was far from being the film's biggest problem.

<sarcasm>Of course Samantha Barks did a piss poor job "acting" as Eponine compared to Amanda Seyfried as Cosette right?</sarcasm>

[MarkGrace]

<sarcasm>Of course Samantha Barks did a piss poor job "acting" as Eponine compared to Amanda Seyfried as Cosette right?</sarcasm>

Acting? Didn't think she was very awesome. I already said I didn't care a ton for epinone and marius as they gave the most stage performances. Good voices though.

[MarkGrace]

Example?

Screen to stage is a MUCH more difficult transition than the other direction. Most actors would tell you this. And most would also say that the true craft of acting is honed only one place ... on stage.

Because it's more difficult to go one way (and I believe it is in the direction you say), doesn't mean it's immediately possible to go the other. Examples: matthew morrison, lea michele.

You're kind of jumping into this late. Just start at page 1 and as everything from the last few pages is just repeats at this point.

[FMCoug]

Acting? Didn't think she was very awesome. I already said I didn't care a ton for epinone and marius as they gave the most stage performances. Good voices though.

We'll have to agree to disagree. For this particular movie, my opinion is that the acting deficits of Marius and Eponine were MUCH MUCH less of an issue than the vocal deficits of the Hollywood Stars.

[All-American]

We'll have to agree to disagree. For this particular movie, my opinion is that the acting deficits of Marius and Eponine were MUCH MUCH less of an issue than the vocal deficits of the Hollywood Stars.

Possible.

Although I will say that there was value added by that shot of Russell Crowe looking down upon Valjean in the dry docks. That was the kind of thing which you couldn't put in a stage production, and it probably wouldn't have packed as much of a punch if it had been, say, Nathan Gunn instead of Russell Crowe.

[LA Ute]

During the Jean Val Jean and Javert fight scene, when Val Jean shouts out, "I'm the stronger man, by far...." Am I the only one here who questioned whether that is actually true? I mean, he was Wolverine and all. But Javert was a freaking Gladiator. And a damned ripped one, at that.

If anything, I think it would be a pretty even match, and to say he is the stronger man by far is a bit of a stretch.

Even Javert acknowledged Valjean's extraordinary strength. He began to suspect that the Mayor was really Valjean when he saw Wolverine lift that wagon off the poor fellow who'd been pinned under. C'mon, pay attention.

[MarkGrace]

We'll have to agree to disagree. For this particular movie, my opinion is that the acting deficits of Marius and Eponine were MUCH MUCH less of an issue than the vocal deficits of the Hollywood Stars.

Yeah, that's no biggie, I don't expect everyone to agree. I again disagree with what you just said here -- to me the biggest standouts in the film were Hathaway and Jackman, and I don't think that was coincidental (I also don't think it was because of their vocals).

The funny thing is, if you asked people to name the single actor that has possibly the biggest crossover cred between film and stage musicals, I think most would point to the very guy Les Mis had in the lead role. If I recall he's even won a Tony. But if the movie was after better vocals, there's a lot they could have done even with the cast they had, and obviously they didn't choose to do that. It was an experiment that was always going to yield mixed results and ignite a debate.

[Mrs. Funk]

This blogger wrote a review of Les Miz by pasting together everything he's seen about it on Facebook. He has not himself seen the film. I got a chuckle.

[jay santos]

This blogger wrote a review of Les Miz by pasting together everything he's seen about it on Facebook. He has not himself seen the film. I got a chuckle.

Interesting comment:

(At this point I reveal that no one, NO ONE, said one word about Eponine. I can't review her. Literally nobody has mentioned her. Was she in it?)

She was one of the Broadway trained actors. hmmm...