So there she sat in a torn and dirty gown, barely any hair left on her head, mouth swollen from an extracted tooth, violated by her first “customer.”
Anne Hathaway, lead actress in the movie musical, “Les Misèrables,” takes the viewer through her sorrow, rage and hopelessness in her role as Fantine.
Hathaway’s performance made tears well up in the eyes of audiences and has earned her two nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
“Les Misèrables” had the largest opening day for any musical and the second-best Christmas day opening, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It has been nominated for eight Academy Awards and four Golden Globes.
Set in early 19th century France, “Les Misèrables” follows the life of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman). An escaped convict, Valjean has a life transformation and goes on to be a successful and benevolent businessman.
When an officer re-cognizes him from his past life, Valjean is faced with the decision to be honest and imprisoned for his escape or lie and continue helping those around him.
Valjean, a man who is redeemed and, in turn, redeems others during a time when hope was sparse, showed compassion throughout the story.
Though the movie is one of great tragedy, that is not its focus. Instead, it focuses on the joy that comes from great tragedy.
Throughout the musical, each person in the audience can relate to a different story.
Fantine, a mother forced into prostitution in order to support her child, pulls at the heart strings of the audience.
Valjean realizes the joy he has from being able to father a young girl while experiencing the pain that comes with having a child he has to let go.
Young French revolutionaries ignite excitement and fire in the viewer as they fight for what is right, and then a classic love story that brings out the inner romantic with the audience.
Musicals are certainly not everyone’s favorite genre, especially one in which spoken words are in short supply. This musical lacks many words but entails a deep meaning within it.
Aside from the entertainment value, the movie teaches lessons of grace, love and sacrifice. A timeless story, “Les Misèrables” falls nothing short of brilliant and is a must-see film.
