Full disclosure? I definitely picked up Les Misérables after I heard Joseph Quinn played Enjolras. If you don’t know Joseph Quinn, you probably haven’t seen the new season of Stranger Things, more’s the pity.
He doesn’t show up til episode three or four, not that it matters because every hour of the show was tragic. Tragic in the way it felt like, oh my god, how did they manage to fit this much unhappiness and suffering into each hour long episode.
Bottom line, I liked it, but it’s definitely hefty. As hefty as the book it sources its material from. Seriously, Les Miserables is a brick. You could probably commit a felony with the weight of the book alone.
I’ve only ever seen the musical version of the story before so there was a lot of new information and context for me to delve into in this series. For me, that was enough of a reason to watch, to find something new in a story I’ve already seen before.
In fact, since the musical version (as well as any other movie versions) has to be condensed into 2-3 hours you clearly lose a lot of story.
Chef’s kiss to Victor Hugo. The man straight up bayoneted me right in the heart.
I’m a notorious softy but this series really has me out here wasting my nightly skin care routine bawling my eyes out. The infamous barricade scene got me especially good.
First off, you’ve got Eponine. Her character really loses a lot of subtext and depth in shorter versions. So despite the absence of the heartbreaking “A Little Fall of Rain,” her death still hit me.
Gavroche. The cheeky little devil himself slain in the streets as he danced around shots firing through the air. Reece Yates’ Gavroche is a resourceful, unyielding rascal who weasels his way into your heart as easily as he swipes bread from the baker.
I watched this series for Enjolras but Fantine, played by Lily Collins, stole the show early on. Her casual rise and then steady fall into despair is even more horrific as it’s drawn out over multiple episodes. This is another character whose true depth is missing in condensed versions.
Honestly, the whole ensemble was pretty amazing, the casting was on point.
Dominic West and David Oyelowo as Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert showed an impressive amount of range through their characters. Both are well seasoned actors so no surprises there.
Olivia Colman and Adeel Akhtar, otherwise known as Monsieur and Madame Thenardier, were positively atrocious. I mean that as a compliment of course. Their characters are absolutely vile. Like the lowest of the low.
The musical version makes them seem a bit more fun but this version truly gives you a taste of what casual evil can be in people.
The scale of the production is pretty incredible too. The opening scene shows The Battle of Waterloo which features thousands of men layered together dead in the mud.
In reality they only had about 60 extras for this scene so they used a technique known as matte painting to fill in the rest of the scene.
In all fairness, I’m sure there’s also quite a lot to nitpick about this series. I definitely picked up a strange combination of accents for a film entirely about French people. I was deep in the story so I’m willing to let it go.
I read an article reviewing the series which knocked the content for being too in your face with “inequality is bad.” Honestly, I’m not sure what other message you’re supposed to get out of Victor Hugo’s massive textual critique on an unjust class system of 19th century France. Isn’t that rather the whole point?
Don’t get me wrong. I love the musical version. It’s a deep dive into the inner machinations of each character. Only instead of using the subtlety of people’s actions in a limited series, we come to explicitly understand their desires, fears, and hopes through each song.
Don’t ask me to choose between the two adaptations, I am a theater kid to the bone, but I might like this extended version better for understanding the story as a whole.
The same article that critiqued the series for its stance of inequality called it super miserable and long suffering. Again, a bit redundant considering the title and point of the material.
As there is no light without dark, we cannot truly understand the depth of joy without understanding the depth of despair.
Maybe I’m a little masochistic, but yes despite feeling absolutely miserable throughout the series I really enjoyed it in the end. However, if you don’t like getting your heart beat to a pulp continuously, I’d skip it.
So.
Did you think I’d neglect to talk about dear old Enjolras? What more can I say other than his character is exactly my type.
Enjolras, a fervent believer in freedom. Freedom of ideals, the absence of poverty, and the destruction of those who use their power to subjugate the masses.
“Vive la République. Vive la résistance.”