Les Miserables (1958)

“[facing Marius] I’m all right. I’ve got to confess this to you, Marius. I haven’t liked you too much, but you know how it is.” – Jean Valjean

Number of Times Seen – 1 (9 Feb 2021)

Brief Synopsis – After a released convict breaks his parole, he decides to turn his life around but a relentless policeman does all he can to try and capture him.

My Take on it –Any who knows me, knows that I’m not the biggest fan of foreign language films, but this is an adaptation that I have been interested in seeing for quite some time due to the way that I really love this classic story.

They do a wonderful job giving us another great adaptation of this Victor Hugo classic.

The story plays out in a great way and we can get a clear idea about the characters as things unfold.

The film gives a full adaptation of the story and clocks in at 3 and a half hours which might be a bit too long.

They do a wonderful job adding in flashbacks to the Napoleonic Wars which adds even more to the characters and story.

The extended runtime of this film helps develop these characters even more than most other adaptations which gives us even more reasons to care about these characters as the story unfolds.

The film is able to show the kind of lives that these characters lived at the time and make the poverty of the time seem so much more realistic to watch unfold.

The way that the two main characters react towards one another is great and adds so much to the way that this story plays out.

Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – In the “Battle of Waterloo” flashback, English soldiers can be heard singing “The British Grenadiers,” one of the most famous UK martial songs. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10)