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Les Miserables 2012 Movie Cast
Jan. 29th, 2013 09:33 pmNEXT UP: the 2012 movie soundtrack! WHAT IT TOTALLY COUNTS, it is a different experience listening to it as a soundtrack in the context of other soundtracks rather than as part of a movie.
For one thing, this soundtrack goes for less "pretty music", which works in the context of a movie but is a little disconcerting when listening to it as music qua music. Valjean's "Who Am I", for example, is not particularly pretty, but it is successfully very emotional.
Although something I found interesting is that this is the soundtrack I've heard thus far that is the least interested in being pretty, and yet it also has the only Grantaire who actually sings in an aesthetically appealing way. Apparently most people take the "Grantaire was ugly and a drunkard" and decide that he ought to sing unmusically. This movie disagrees. WHICH I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH, as George Blagden is great, but it is an interesting comparison with EVERYONE ELSE EVER.
Anyways! It was cool to now hear Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop now that I am familiar with him as Valjean. By his voice he's clearly the same actor, though older! He does well as the Bishop, and I think I actually like him better in that role than as Valjean.
Something that confused me when I watched the movie and which continues to confuse me is why Thenardier puts on a French accent for part of Master of the House. It is a WEIRD DECISION. I do not get it.
Enjolras is good stuff here. Different from Anthony Warlow but just as good. I AM SORRY MICHAEL MAGUIRE, YOU JUST DO NOT MEASURE UP.
I have mentioned in previous posts that I am a fan of Eddie Redmayne as Marius. He is a fantastic Marius! A+ casting. I'm a little confused why so much of tumblr seems to be in love with his face (I like his Marius and he looks and sings and acts well for the role, but his face would not be my personal choice for Most Attractive Face in that movie. He probably wouldn't be in the top five, even.), but that's okay. To each their own.
OH AND I HAVEN'T EVEN MENTIONED ANNE HATHAWAY AS FANTINE YET. Because if it isn't BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS TO YOU SHE IS THE BEST FANTINE EVER then I just don't know if I can handle how wrong you are. :P
CONTINUING, with Javert. I very much like this Javert, though I know he's not up everyone's alley. He is very different Philip Quast -- much gentler -- and even more so than Terence Mann. But even though he's clearly a DIFFERENT Javert, he's also still clearly a Javert.
Valjean I have no opinion on, as apparently I'm just like "yep, it's a Valjean" with every Valjean I've heard thus far. Either it's hard to go wrong with Valjean or everyone works very hard at casting the right people for Valjean, and I haven't decided which yet. :P
I found it an interesting (in a good way!) choice to make Gavroche sing the descant ladies' part in Drink With Me. I've always been a little confused by where the ladies come from in that song in the stage musical, as I've never actually seen the stage show. Were there ladies fighting on the barricade with Les Amis? Or were they just magically there as backup singers?
So they decided, on this one-cd-long highlights album, to put on the instrumental track of the final battle, when there's all sorts of actual singing bits they chose not to include. INTERESTING CHOICE, PTB. I mean, I like that instrumental bit! But you chose to include that and to NOT include Grantaire's verse of Drink With Me! I DISAGREE WITH YOUR LIFE CHOICES. Also I could do without "Suddenly." Like, whatever, I like it better in the context of book!Valjean's relationship with book!Cosette, but it's still not a song that appeals to me very much and I don't anticipate listening to it much at all (if ever). MY OPINIONS OF THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE DIFFERENT THAN YOURS, PTB.
Anyways, then I got all choked up during the ending bit, which I didn't do for the TAC or the OBC and have never done for the CSR, which is interesting. I'm trying to decide whether it's because this recording does a good job of conveying emotion (which, I mean, it DOES), or whether I'm just in a more emotional mood today. Both are possibilities!
For one thing, this soundtrack goes for less "pretty music", which works in the context of a movie but is a little disconcerting when listening to it as music qua music. Valjean's "Who Am I", for example, is not particularly pretty, but it is successfully very emotional.
Although something I found interesting is that this is the soundtrack I've heard thus far that is the least interested in being pretty, and yet it also has the only Grantaire who actually sings in an aesthetically appealing way. Apparently most people take the "Grantaire was ugly and a drunkard" and decide that he ought to sing unmusically. This movie disagrees. WHICH I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH, as George Blagden is great, but it is an interesting comparison with EVERYONE ELSE EVER.
Anyways! It was cool to now hear Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop now that I am familiar with him as Valjean. By his voice he's clearly the same actor, though older! He does well as the Bishop, and I think I actually like him better in that role than as Valjean.
Something that confused me when I watched the movie and which continues to confuse me is why Thenardier puts on a French accent for part of Master of the House. It is a WEIRD DECISION. I do not get it.
Enjolras is good stuff here. Different from Anthony Warlow but just as good. I AM SORRY MICHAEL MAGUIRE, YOU JUST DO NOT MEASURE UP.
I have mentioned in previous posts that I am a fan of Eddie Redmayne as Marius. He is a fantastic Marius! A+ casting. I'm a little confused why so much of tumblr seems to be in love with his face (I like his Marius and he looks and sings and acts well for the role, but his face would not be my personal choice for Most Attractive Face in that movie. He probably wouldn't be in the top five, even.), but that's okay. To each their own.
OH AND I HAVEN'T EVEN MENTIONED ANNE HATHAWAY AS FANTINE YET. Because if it isn't BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS TO YOU SHE IS THE BEST FANTINE EVER then I just don't know if I can handle how wrong you are. :P
CONTINUING, with Javert. I very much like this Javert, though I know he's not up everyone's alley. He is very different Philip Quast -- much gentler -- and even more so than Terence Mann. But even though he's clearly a DIFFERENT Javert, he's also still clearly a Javert.
Valjean I have no opinion on, as apparently I'm just like "yep, it's a Valjean" with every Valjean I've heard thus far. Either it's hard to go wrong with Valjean or everyone works very hard at casting the right people for Valjean, and I haven't decided which yet. :P
I found it an interesting (in a good way!) choice to make Gavroche sing the descant ladies' part in Drink With Me. I've always been a little confused by where the ladies come from in that song in the stage musical, as I've never actually seen the stage show. Were there ladies fighting on the barricade with Les Amis? Or were they just magically there as backup singers?
So they decided, on this one-cd-long highlights album, to put on the instrumental track of the final battle, when there's all sorts of actual singing bits they chose not to include. INTERESTING CHOICE, PTB. I mean, I like that instrumental bit! But you chose to include that and to NOT include Grantaire's verse of Drink With Me! I DISAGREE WITH YOUR LIFE CHOICES. Also I could do without "Suddenly." Like, whatever, I like it better in the context of book!Valjean's relationship with book!Cosette, but it's still not a song that appeals to me very much and I don't anticipate listening to it much at all (if ever). MY OPINIONS OF THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE DIFFERENT THAN YOURS, PTB.
Anyways, then I got all choked up during the ending bit, which I didn't do for the TAC or the OBC and have never done for the CSR, which is interesting. I'm trying to decide whether it's because this recording does a good job of conveying emotion (which, I mean, it DOES), or whether I'm just in a more emotional mood today. Both are possibilities!
