Listen Notes: the best podcast search engine
Les Misérables (2012)

Full Transcript for Les Misérables (2012)

TRANSCRIPT 🔗

WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.160 No matter what side you're on, you're both, you're 00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:05.339 just gonna end up in a pine box. I would love 00:00:05.339 --> 00:00:07.780 to see the stage production. Every word that 00:00:07.780 --> 00:00:10.380 he says is a dagger in me, like, oh my gosh. 00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:13.240 The Legion of Honor, the highest decoration in 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:39.880 France. I connect with you, Jackman. back to 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:42.100 the concession stand I'm your host CeeLo Cousineau 00:00:42.100 --> 00:00:45.159 and today I have with me again Manny how you 00:00:45.159 --> 00:00:50.460 doing Manuel hey CeeLo Bo Cousineau it's great 00:00:50.460 --> 00:00:52.060 to be back I just like to thank the American 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:55.100 people for um for calling the number and uh bringing 00:00:55.100 --> 00:00:59.000 me back so I appreciate the opportunity uh wow 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:03.259 okay what movie are you talking about today We 00:01:03.259 --> 00:01:06.780 were talking about Les Miserables, the Tom Hooper 00:01:06.780 --> 00:01:10.079 one from 2012, which is an adaptation of the 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:13.500 West End production musical, which in and of 00:01:13.500 --> 00:01:16.879 itself is an adaptation of the French production, 00:01:17.060 --> 00:01:19.280 which in and of itself is an adaptation of the 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:24.900 1980 concept album. Yes, and which is in itself 00:01:24.900 --> 00:01:29.159 an adaptation of the French book from which I 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:36.469 don't know when. 1800s victor hugo yeah uh so 00:01:36.469 --> 00:01:40.209 initial thoughts when and like what is your history 00:01:40.209 --> 00:01:43.969 of the movie oh boy i'm that's a that's a loaded 00:01:43.969 --> 00:01:46.590 question so i'm gonna condense this as much as 00:01:46.590 --> 00:01:50.549 possible so it came out in 2012 and i was a junior 00:01:50.549 --> 00:01:54.049 in high school at the time so it's um it's one 00:01:54.049 --> 00:01:56.670 of those like cultural phenomenons that I was 00:01:56.670 --> 00:01:58.609 able to live through. So that was cool. But at 00:01:58.609 --> 00:02:01.810 the time I was, um, so I was a band kid from 00:02:01.810 --> 00:02:03.250 sixth grade all the way through the end of high 00:02:03.250 --> 00:02:06.049 school. Um, and as such, of course, like a lot 00:02:06.049 --> 00:02:08.169 of my, a lot of my friends were either band kids, 00:02:08.229 --> 00:02:12.229 choir kids, or drama kids. Um, so when, when 00:02:12.229 --> 00:02:14.169 Les Mis came out, I initially saw that one on 00:02:14.169 --> 00:02:16.889 vacation when I was with my, my buddy and his 00:02:16.889 --> 00:02:19.610 parents. Um, cause I remember that was like around 00:02:19.610 --> 00:02:22.430 Christmas time. And then I caught it again a 00:02:22.430 --> 00:02:24.469 second time afterwards with, uh, one of my really 00:02:24.469 --> 00:02:27.370 close friends who, uh, she was a, she was a choir 00:02:27.370 --> 00:02:30.370 and drama girl. So, um, again, like perfect, 00:02:30.409 --> 00:02:34.150 perfect fit. Um, but I'll, I'll tell you what, 00:02:34.229 --> 00:02:37.129 man, like, so beforehand, I remember I knew nothing. 00:02:37.210 --> 00:02:39.189 I like never really read the book. I just knew 00:02:39.189 --> 00:02:40.969 the name. Cause it was some, it was famous. I 00:02:40.969 --> 00:02:42.879 knew it was. something but I didn't know if it 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:45.439 was a book or whatever so I went into it pretty 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:48.099 blind you know but it was cool but I mean I got 00:02:48.099 --> 00:02:49.560 to see a lot of cool actors that I knew about 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:51.860 of course Hugh Jackman um because I knew him 00:02:51.860 --> 00:02:53.719 from Wolverine Anne Hathaway because I'd had 00:02:53.719 --> 00:02:56.879 a crush on her since Princess Diaries um you 00:02:56.879 --> 00:02:59.000 know Amanda Seyfried which I was like mean girls 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:01.460 what are you doing here kind of a thing that 00:03:01.460 --> 00:03:04.979 was that was cool um but again I I had enough 00:03:04.979 --> 00:03:07.020 I had no ties to it previously but I mean I remember 00:03:07.020 --> 00:03:10.840 like really enjoying it uh quite a bit um kind 00:03:10.840 --> 00:03:12.479 of everyone and their dog in my inner circle 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:15.479 did. But I'll tell you what, man, like once it 00:03:15.479 --> 00:03:17.639 came time for the auditions for the spring musical, 00:03:17.879 --> 00:03:20.979 I never like was in any musicals myself other 00:03:20.979 --> 00:03:24.120 than I would do music for them. But I would always 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:27.460 sit in at the auditions, one, again, because 00:03:27.460 --> 00:03:29.199 I had friends to hang with, but two, because 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:30.900 it was just always fun seeing people try out. 00:03:31.139 --> 00:03:33.319 But I kid you not, man, like I remember just 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:37.180 for that spring musical, we had auditions using 00:03:37.180 --> 00:03:42.090 I Dreamed a Dream. um on my own and then one 00:03:42.090 --> 00:03:44.610 of my good friends that was his first time like 00:03:44.610 --> 00:03:47.710 actually trying out for the musical and um he 00:03:47.710 --> 00:03:50.990 did master of the house um which which actually 00:03:50.990 --> 00:03:52.270 which is actually good because it landed him 00:03:52.270 --> 00:03:55.530 a more comedic role in our our production that 00:03:55.530 --> 00:03:59.330 spring which was uh anything goes but um but 00:03:59.330 --> 00:04:01.530 i'll tell you what i yeah i would just at that 00:04:01.530 --> 00:04:04.419 point it was like I initially was really in love 00:04:04.419 --> 00:04:06.139 with it. I know I picked up a copy for myself 00:04:06.139 --> 00:04:08.699 on Blu -ray around Black Friday the following 00:04:08.699 --> 00:04:11.900 year. But then
Load full transcript
it just got to a point where I 00:04:11.900 --> 00:04:13.960 couldn't escape. And it's just like, look, folks, 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:16.220 there's more musicals out there in the world. 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:18.279 But for whatever reason, this one has just not 00:04:18.279 --> 00:04:21.379 escaped me. And I kind of grew tired of it. And 00:04:21.379 --> 00:04:24.779 so I hadn't watched it for years up until this 00:04:24.779 --> 00:04:28.319 particular rewatch for the episode. But more 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:30.500 thoughts on that later. I did read the book, 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:32.199 though, in that time. I did read the book, though, 00:04:32.259 --> 00:04:36.480 you know, in that whole break. Yeah, I have not. 00:04:37.420 --> 00:04:41.839 For me, I watched this the first time in college, 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:51.779 and I missed everything until, like, I completely 00:04:51.779 --> 00:05:01.990 missed Look Down and Valjean. Jean Valjean's, 00:05:02.050 --> 00:05:05.730 like, first big, like, breakthrough song. Completely 00:05:05.730 --> 00:05:14.110 miss all that. Only picked up with, uh, Fantine. 00:05:14.730 --> 00:05:21.629 And then, uh, I remember liking it for the most 00:05:21.629 --> 00:05:25.370 part. Um, like the emotional bits, the emotional 00:05:25.370 --> 00:05:29.689 beats hit for me really hard, really well. But, 00:05:32.139 --> 00:05:36.480 There were certain things that didn't agree with 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:41.060 me then and still don't agree with me now. And 00:05:41.060 --> 00:05:48.279 that's particularly with the visuals. So let's 00:05:48.279 --> 00:05:50.939 talk about them. What do you think of the visuals? 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:55.439 Okay, so I'll say a few things on the visuals. 00:05:55.660 --> 00:06:00.850 First and foremost, shot on film. They're with 00:06:00.850 --> 00:06:04.870 a lot of practical sets. So in terms of like 00:06:04.870 --> 00:06:09.310 depth, like again, like brick and stone and things 00:06:09.310 --> 00:06:11.970 like that look absolutely beautiful. The colors 00:06:11.970 --> 00:06:14.310 that need to pop really pop, which in this case 00:06:14.310 --> 00:06:18.529 are, you know, red, white, black, and blue. Those 00:06:18.529 --> 00:06:21.310 colors always pop. And again, you really get 00:06:21.310 --> 00:06:24.610 that again from, again, just like a nice, just 00:06:24.610 --> 00:06:29.420 a nice film presentation. Again, the sets are 00:06:29.420 --> 00:06:32.139 also incredibly beautiful because they had like... 00:06:32.139 --> 00:06:35.459 I forget what the budget was on this. I know 00:06:35.459 --> 00:06:37.579 it was obviously several million, but they used 00:06:37.579 --> 00:06:39.819 it very, very well in terms of the beautiful 00:06:39.819 --> 00:06:42.040 sets that they built. And actually, fun fact, 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:44.759 the barricade was actually built on the same 00:06:44.759 --> 00:06:49.959 set that was used for Diagon Alley in the early 00:06:49.959
--> 00:06:52.360 Christopher Columbus Harry Potters. Interesting. 00:06:52.579 --> 00:06:55.860 We like some resourcefulness. And again, that's 00:06:55.860 --> 00:06:58.910 also just a good set. you know nice and nice 00:06:58.910 --> 00:07:02.610 and condensed too for it um so at least on those 00:07:02.610 --> 00:07:04.629 on those fronts i think the visuals look really 00:07:04.629 --> 00:07:07.209 nice but there are some aspects of them that 00:07:07.209 --> 00:07:10.310 are particularly dated some of which being when 00:07:10.310 --> 00:07:12.970 they throw in like some background cgi like when 00:07:12.970 --> 00:07:15.910 javert is doing one of his solo numbers and he's 00:07:15.910 --> 00:07:17.610 at the top of a building and then there's like 00:07:17.610 --> 00:07:20.230 this statue of an angel then you see like all 00:07:20.230 --> 00:07:22.329 of like paris around him those looked a little 00:07:22.329 --> 00:07:27.399 a little rough um particularly now Uh, there's 00:07:27.399 --> 00:07:31.160 also, um, the decision and granted they, I know 00:07:31.160 --> 00:07:32.920 that they filmed all these different sequences, 00:07:33.079 --> 00:07:36.680 uh, different ways. And again, as they, they 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:38.860 just kind of fit, you know, did what they wanted 00:07:38.860 --> 00:07:42.860 to do during editing. But what came out in the 00:07:42.860 --> 00:07:47.040 final product was definitely a lot of more closeups 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:51.899 than I would prefer, especially in, in a, like 00:07:51.899 --> 00:07:54.959 an epic musical form. So there was a, a lot of 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:58.920 closeups, which were, again definitely definitely 00:07:58.920 --> 00:08:03.000 a choice right because like again like like like 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:05.220 tom hooper was even like asked about this quite 00:08:05.220 --> 00:08:06.939 a bit in an interview and again on his take on 00:08:06.939 --> 00:08:08.899 is like look we shot these scenes you know a 00:08:08.899 --> 00:08:11.420 ton a lot of different times some with close 00:08:11.420 --> 00:08:13.860 -ups some with not like i dreamed a dream he 00:08:13.860 --> 00:08:16.079 kind of was like well that's more of like a medium 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:18.279 which i like okay i'll give you that we're at 00:08:18.279 --> 00:08:20.100 least like not all up in anne hathaway's face 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:24.379 um but definitely a lot of close -ups a lot of 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:28.339 I don't know, a lot of movement from, like, Handycam, 00:08:28.459 --> 00:08:31.480 which felt, again, very, I guess, very of its 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:34.019 time, very early 2010s music video, I guess. 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:40.460 Yeah. Which, again, were a choice. Again, dated 00:08:40.460 --> 00:08:43.320 a little bit. But at the same time, I'm a sucker 00:08:43.320 --> 00:08:46.179 for that type of time capsule. So I don't know. 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:50.340 It adds, like, a layer of campiness. But then 00:08:50.340 --> 00:08:51.919 just kind of, I guess, wrapping up my thoughts 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:54.710 on these, going back to being shot on film. I 00:08:54.710 --> 00:08:56.950 think, again, the nice grain structure adds a 00:08:56.950 --> 00:08:59.730 sort of grittiness as well that I think I like 00:08:59.730 --> 00:09:02.490 about the presentation as opposed to more of 00:09:02.490 --> 00:09:07.070 a completely digital presentation which gives 00:09:07.070 --> 00:09:11.529 more of a masterpiece theater type of look to 00:09:11.529 --> 00:09:17.190 it. You know? Yeah. I'm just trying to... Okay. 00:09:17.950 --> 00:09:24.789 I have different thoughts on it. Something that 00:09:24.789 --> 00:09:30.429 I just can't deal with is the constant movement, 00:09:30.690 --> 00:09:39.690 the strange framing, and it makes no sense to 00:09:39.690 --> 00:09:45.769 me because the same DP that did this did the 00:09:45.769 --> 00:09:49.789 King's Speech. Oh, I did not know that. Yes. 00:09:49.909 --> 00:09:55.100 And so, like, you can definitely see, Like the 00:09:55.100 --> 00:10:02.700 same kind of signature there with the framing 00:10:02.700 --> 00:10:06.100 and that kind of stuff. But it seems a lot more 00:10:06.100 --> 00:10:13.740 deliberate and artisanal, I guess, in the King's 00:10:13.740 --> 00:10:19.179 Speech. Like you showed me that you can lock 00:10:19.179 --> 00:10:22.289 off a camera and that you can make... deliberate 00:10:22.289 --> 00:10:26.590 choices that are character driven. What the hell 00:10:26.590 --> 00:10:30.549 did you do in Les Mis? It's just like, are you 00:10:30.549 --> 00:10:37.350 filming a music video? And it's just like, between 00:10:37.350 --> 00:10:45.009 this and Phantom, Fantasy Grunge, not a fan. 00:10:47.110 --> 00:10:51.080 And they're set in the same time. And it's like, 00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:54.519 okay, I guess like it's supposed to be a dichotomy 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:57.080 between the rich and the poor, but it's just 00:10:57.080 --> 00:11:01.240 like, why is everything so dirty? And like, I 00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:03.440 get it's supposed to be more grounded, but just 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:09.100 like, give me pretty Paris, man. I don't know, 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:10.559 man. From what I've heard, Paris is actually 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:14.059 pretty filthy, but I get what you're saying. 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:22.860 It's just like, I don't know. It's a weird movie 00:11:22.860 --> 00:11:25.120 for me because I'm passionate about the things 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:28.279 that I really love. It's like, it's like Apocalypse 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:30.340 Now. I'm passionate about the things that I really 00:11:30.340 --> 00:11:33.980 love and also passionate about the things that 00:11:33.980 --> 00:11:38.320 drive me crazy. You know, I would, I would prefer 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:40.799 you be that way as opposed to being, having a 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:45.720 more
lukewarm opinion, you know, but I guess 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:49.250 going with that, like, I don't know. Where does 00:11:49.250 --> 00:11:51.110 that strike the balance, you know, for you with 00:11:51.110 --> 00:11:53.870 this one in terms of what you really loved about 00:11:53.870 --> 00:11:58.049 it and what you hated? Well, I mean, just in 00:11:58.049 --> 00:12:02.990 keeping with the visuals, I thought there was 00:12:02.990 --> 00:12:08.250 some really good stuff. I thought the barricade, 00:12:08.289 --> 00:12:10.509 all the stuff the barricade was shot really well. 00:12:16.330 --> 00:12:19.370 Like you can, it's easy to follow and kind of 00:12:19.370 --> 00:12:25.230 stuff. I wonder if the coffins, specifically 00:12:25.230 --> 00:12:28.129 the coffins on the barricade, if that was pulled 00:12:28.129 --> 00:12:35.830 from the stage show? Because you see on the barricade 00:12:35.830 --> 00:12:39.909 itself, a rich person's coffin, poor person's 00:12:39.909 --> 00:12:44.240 coffin. And it's just like no matter what side 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:46.480 you're on, you're both you're just going to end 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:51.159 up in a pine box. Which I mean, that's that's 00:12:51.159 --> 00:12:53.700 great. That's great commentary in terms of in 00:12:53.700 --> 00:12:56.299 terms of the of the themes. Right. And just like 00:12:56.299 --> 00:13:00.080 kind of focusing like on this group of. Miserable 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:04.720 people to use a inappropriate term, like just 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:07.019 different groups of groups of people, you know, 00:13:07.019 --> 00:13:09.100 because whether they're rich or poor, you know, 00:13:09.100 --> 00:13:10.700 at least under the circumstances that they're 00:13:10.700 --> 00:13:13.669 placed under. You know, there's no one's particularly 00:13:13.669 --> 00:13:18.429 happy or at least gets off particularly, particularly 00:13:18.429 --> 00:13:20.909 well. So it's kind of a it's kind of a nice visualizer 00:13:20.909 --> 00:13:23.370 there to like, you know, death is the great is 00:13:23.370 --> 00:13:26.190 the great equalizer here. Yeah. You know, it's 00:13:26.190 --> 00:13:30.029 the one thing that we are all it's the one thing 00:13:30.029 --> 00:13:33.669 that everyone is guaranteed death and taxes. 00:13:34.149 --> 00:13:42.429 Yeah. And stupidity. That as well. That as well. 00:13:44.950 --> 00:13:52.009 Let's see. Sorry about production issues. I had 00:13:52.009 --> 00:13:56.090 no issues at all with the production. They did. 00:13:56.269 --> 00:14:05.929 Okay, fine. It definitely shows in the movie, 00:14:06.009 --> 00:14:15.100 in the film itself. between Anne Hathaway, Hugh 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:20.080 Jackman, and Russell Crowe. They can all sing. 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:24.840 It's just so frustrating because they were just 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:27.240 such big stars that they were so busy with everything 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:31.580 else that they couldn't get the
time to actually 00:14:31.580 --> 00:14:36.620 get with the same voice coach. And that's especially... 00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:41.080 the problem with Russell Crowe. I think he was 00:14:41.080 --> 00:14:44.820 filming a bunch of different projects and in 00:14:44.820 --> 00:14:48.620 each production he was going to a different voice 00:14:48.620 --> 00:14:53.120 coach and that's I think a big reason why his 00:14:53.120 --> 00:14:58.899 performance really suffered. Just like from a 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:02.220 vocal standpoint or in general? From a vocal 00:15:02.220 --> 00:15:10.419 standpoint. Which, I honestly don't really agree 00:15:10.419 --> 00:15:13.200 with a lot of people that he was miscast or that 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:15.919 those people were miscast. Because, like, they 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:22.799 can sing. Like, he was a singer in, like, a metal 00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:26.799 band or something like that. And so it's just, 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:31.659 like, I think the real issue happened when they 00:15:31.659 --> 00:15:37.720 were doing live singing. On set and using that. 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:45.940 Right. I guess sticking to Russell Crowe just 00:15:45.940 --> 00:15:49.000 for a second, I'm not going to say that the guy 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:53.000 can't sing, but at least in terms of what he 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:56.080 gives, the nice way that I can put it is that 00:15:56.080 --> 00:15:59.899 the man can carry a tune, but in terms, at least 00:15:59.899 --> 00:16:04.429 for this particular performance, That's about 00:16:04.429 --> 00:16:07.929 as much as he can do, in my opinion. He can carry 00:16:07.929 --> 00:16:15.490 a tune. But that's what it is. I don't have too 00:16:15.490 --> 00:16:19.549 much of an issue with it. I even consider his 00:16:19.549 --> 00:16:24.389 performance to be even just a little bit stiff. 00:16:24.809 --> 00:16:28.269 But I can actually almost put that aside if I 00:16:28.269 --> 00:16:30.870 look at it in the context of... Well, he's playing 00:16:30.870 --> 00:16:36.070 a very rigid and stubborn man in his beliefs, 00:16:36.090 --> 00:16:40.350 in his philosophy. So for those particular aspects, 00:16:40.450 --> 00:16:44.129 or at least just for, I don't know, to tie it 00:16:44.129 --> 00:16:47.190 again to his character, it works for me. So I 00:16:47.190 --> 00:16:50.330 also would agree that I don't think he was miscast. 00:16:50.649 --> 00:16:53.470 Again, I think he carries a tune just fine, and 00:16:53.470 --> 00:16:58.539 he is a stubborn enough bloke that... You know, 00:16:58.539 --> 00:17:01.179 again, for the characters of Vare, you know, 00:17:01.179 --> 00:17:05.700 it works. It works for me. He's talking about 00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:12.619 casting and otherwise. I appreciate the work 00:17:12.619 --> 00:17:20.759 that Eddie Redmayne. Who's the other person he 00:17:20.759 --> 00:17:25.980 said? Sammy Tillman. Yeah, Amanda Siegfried. 00:17:28.539 --> 00:17:34.079 Eponine. Because all these other people, the 00:17:34.079 --> 00:17:37.019 voice work, the work that they put in to get 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:42.380 the singing right. I love everything post -Stars. 00:17:43.859 --> 00:17:47.059 Aside from some of the visuals. Everything past 00:17:47.059 --> 00:17:52.980 that is great. Great with the singing. Even Bring 00:17:52.980 --> 00:17:57.210 Him Home. I love it. Like that's a lot of, that's 00:17:57.210 --> 00:17:59.170 a sticking point with a lot of people, but it's 00:17:59.170 --> 00:18:02.509 just like, I think he did a phenomenal job for 00:18:02.509 --> 00:18:06.690 what he was asked to do. Singing for 12 hour 00:18:06.690 --> 00:18:13.890 days, which is not what happens usually. Oh, 00:18:13.990 --> 00:18:18.829 exactly. Like, I guess just sticking to, I guess, 00:18:18.849 --> 00:18:20.349 again, what they had to do for this production, 00:18:20.450 --> 00:18:23.769 right? Because they did opt for a live setting. 00:18:25.180 --> 00:18:28.680 This is where I, I'm not, I'm not like a big 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:31.000 theater or, well, no, I like theater. I'm not 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:33.680 a big musical person, even like as a person that 00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:36.180 likes music myself. I have issues with a lot 00:18:36.180 --> 00:18:38.660 of things about musicals, but that's, I digress. 00:18:38.859 --> 00:18:41.599 What I like about this in terms of the adaptation 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:45.779 is that like, here's the thing. I'm not, I'm 00:18:45.779 --> 00:18:48.140 not going to sit around and listen to. individual 00:18:48.140 --> 00:18:50.519 songs off of broadway musicals i'm not that kind 00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:52.539 of guy i find it quite annoying shout out to 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:54.319 everyone that is cool with it though you know 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:56.980 no no shade there but with this with this one 00:18:56.980 --> 00:18:59.519 too this isn't something again in terms of this 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:01.559 specific production i'm not even necessarily 00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:03.920 like watching it or going back to it like for 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:05.619 the music i'm going back to it for the performances 00:19:05.619 --> 00:19:10.400 and what they do with singing live is that again 00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:12.619 they're not just singing it's and i know the 00:19:12.619 --> 00:19:15.160 actors really enjoyed the aspect that okay, we 00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:17.099 have this freedom to act, because that's what 00:19:17.099 --> 00:19:19.140 they're doing. They are acting as characters 00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:21.960 in these situations, and they are expressing 00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:28.519 themselves by way of song. Yeah, it's not diegetic. 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:31.480 Exactly. It's not going to be pitch perfect. 00:19:31.559 --> 00:19:33.279 It's not going to be a lot of things. It's going 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:37.059 to be, honestly, pretty rough, pretty raw. And 00:19:37.059
--> 00:19:41.539 I actually prefer that. So, again, I actually 00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:44.819 think, again... The cast did a phenomenal job 00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:47.880 with that, again, really getting, being able 00:19:47.880 --> 00:19:49.680 to embody their characters and their emotion, 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:53.460 again, through the way that they are, that they're 00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:56.460 singing. Obviously, of course, a standout moment, 00:19:56.579 --> 00:19:59.079 again, being, you know, being in Bring Him Home 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:03.720 or, of course, the classic and popular, you know, 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:06.339 either going back on my own or, of course, I 00:20:06.339 --> 00:20:09.160 Dreamed a Dream, which Anna Hathaway, I think, 00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:12.410 did phenomenal, like, show stealer with. Just 00:20:12.410 --> 00:20:16.869 that particular performance. Yeah. I don't know. 00:20:16.910 --> 00:20:20.730 I just feel bad for. I just feel bad for them. 00:20:20.789 --> 00:20:28.069 They get panned. For these. Singing performances. 00:20:28.609 --> 00:20:33.349 Where it's just like. In a studio. Like in a 00:20:33.349 --> 00:20:38.609 booth. They can really sing. And like they did. 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:44.640 I don't know what song they did, but the cast, 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:49.140 the main cast, did a song from Les Mis at the 00:20:49.140 --> 00:20:53.180 Oscars that year. Yes, I know it was... And I 00:20:53.180 --> 00:20:55.279 know I Dreamed a Dream was one of them as well. 00:20:56.180 --> 00:21:02.059 And this was like... I don't know if it's an 00:21:02.059 --> 00:21:09.059 issue with directing or just... I wish that they 00:21:09.059 --> 00:21:15.869 would... Have them sing live on the day but then 00:21:15.869 --> 00:21:22.769 have it recorded like ADR so you can get the 00:21:22.769 --> 00:21:28.069 emotionality but also you're letting them be 00:21:28.069 --> 00:21:36.009 able to sing at their best. Hmm. Um. Let's see. 00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:40.039 I got one more thought real quick in terms of 00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:45.059 the casting. This was actually kind of fun with 00:21:45.059 --> 00:21:48.220 what they did for this. But they sprinkled in 00:21:48.220 --> 00:21:52.740 a lot of little cameos from members of various 00:21:52.740 --> 00:21:55.859 productions from the West End in this, which 00:21:55.859 --> 00:21:58.579 I thought was a lot of fun. Well, first of all, 00:21:58.599 --> 00:22:01.940 Samantha Barks, who did Eponine. So she actually 00:22:01.940 --> 00:22:06.789 had just done it on the West End. and had auditioned 00:22:06.789 --> 00:22:08.730 for this, and actually she found out that she 00:22:08.730 --> 00:22:13.009 got the part of Eponine for the film during a, 00:22:13.250 --> 00:22:17.609 she was doing Oliver at the time, and that's 00:22:17.609 --> 00:22:21.049 when she found out. So that's fun, you know, 00:22:21.049 --> 00:22:24.329 came from Broadway and doing that role on the 00:22:24.329 --> 00:22:28.750 film, which is great. Probably my favorite cameo 00:22:28.750 --> 00:22:32.950 here, which is Colm Wilkinson, who he, he's the 00:22:32.950 --> 00:22:36.390 bishop. in the film yeah he was valjean right 00:22:36.390 --> 00:22:39.589 yep in the original west end production of it 00:22:39.589 --> 00:22:41.490 as well as for like the 10th anniversary concert 00:22:41.490 --> 00:22:45.430 so i thought that was a very fitting um cameo 00:22:45.430 --> 00:22:47.390 and and role placement there and then there's 00:22:47.390 --> 00:22:49.170 a bunch of a bunch of other ones as well but 00:22:49.170 --> 00:22:51.690 those are a couple notable ones that i uh i would 00:22:51.690 --> 00:22:58.269 spotlight it's so interesting it was like for 00:22:58.269 --> 00:23:05.180 me between this and phantom There are standout 00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:15.160 numbers in Les Mis that really get me going. 00:23:17.559 --> 00:23:24.039 But somehow I think that Phantom was just the 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:29.519 perfect storm. It was so good. And it's just 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:31.859 like the things that they were able to do with 00:23:31.859 --> 00:23:36.130 that. um but this isn't a phantom this isn't 00:23:36.130 --> 00:23:41.950 a phantom episode but uh yeah i had a thought 00:23:41.950 --> 00:23:49.369 and then my thought went bye -bye now is it a 00:23:49.369 --> 00:23:53.329 phantom now is it a phantom episode yes how you 00:23:53.329 --> 00:24:05.349 doing uh but why does this movie speak to you 00:24:05.349 --> 00:24:13.029 or not? Lovely. Um, I'm going to, okay. Well, 00:24:13.130 --> 00:24:17.029 I guess to answer the question, um, L there are 00:24:17.029 --> 00:24:20.269 elements of it that speak to me, but for the 00:24:20.269 --> 00:24:25.130 most part, it actually doesn't. I, I, I like 00:24:25.130 --> 00:24:31.559 it as again, a, a beautiful, like, visual spectacle 00:24:31.559 --> 00:24:34.779 and actually like i would i would love to see 00:24:34.779 --> 00:24:36.819 the stage production i'm sure that's that that 00:24:36.819 --> 00:24:40.119 in of itself is absolutely phenomenal um just 00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:42.160 because i love what you can do with these grand 00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:48.420 stage productions um but the thing is i i read 00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:51.640 i read the book i read the book in college granted 00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:54.480 it was granted it was an abridged version which 00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:58.420 which does remove a lot of sections that hugo 00:24:58.420 --> 00:25:03.079 spends on the actual war and the history. But 00:25:03.079 --> 00:25:04.720 still, you get a lot of the core elements and, 00:25:04.740 --> 00:25:07.480 of course, a lot of the themes and philosophy. 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:10.759 But the thing is with... And this is actually 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:13.420 a criticism that people had when the musical 00:25:13.420 --> 00:25:17.000 came out initially. There were two sides. There
00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:19.480 were critics that didn't care for it initially 00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:22.359 because it's like... Basically, you're like, 00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:25.099 look, you are... You're turning classic literature 00:25:25.099 --> 00:25:29.859 into just a, you know... a spectacle for everyone. 00:25:30.059 --> 00:25:32.579 And we were, we're losing a lot out of it. Right. 00:25:32.859 --> 00:25:35.119 Basically just watering, watering it down. And 00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:36.440 then there was again, the opposite. We're just 00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:38.519 like, look, this is actually just look, it's 00:25:38.519 --> 00:25:40.319 a great musical. It's a brilliant ad. It's a 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:46.380 brilliant adaptation and like a bridging of the 00:25:46.380 --> 00:25:48.819 original work, which again, I can, I can see 00:25:48.819 --> 00:25:51.140 both. But again, I think it's in those respects 00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:54.400 why it doesn't like on a whole speak to me just 00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:56.940 because the, the actual novel speaks to me more. 00:25:58.400 --> 00:26:01.759 Right? Like, what I get, the things that I do 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:05.900 glean from this quite a bit, it's mostly, I guess, 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:10.079 again, it mostly just revolves around Jean Valjean's 00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:12.819 arc, just because I personally am particularly 00:26:12.819 --> 00:26:16.920 moved when I can see someone, especially, like, 00:26:17.019 --> 00:26:19.420 for whatever reason I have this fixation, like, 00:26:19.420 --> 00:26:21.980 especially, like, on, like, middle -aged males, 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:24.920 but being able to see them kind of earn their... 00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:27.500 earned their end, you know, or earn their rest, 00:26:27.619 --> 00:26:30.539 so to speak. Uh, cause again, I, I like that. 00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:33.279 I don't know for me, like that's the kind of 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:35.859 journey that I, that I'm interested in seeing 00:26:35.859 --> 00:26:40.519 them redeem themselves or again, or find ways 00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:42.460 in their life again, that they come to the end 00:26:42.460 --> 00:26:44.819 of their days and they earn the rest. I find 00:26:44.819 --> 00:26:48.119 that particularly beautiful. Actually one change 00:26:48.119 --> 00:26:51.680 at the very, that one change from the end, um, 00:26:51.880 --> 00:26:54.569 from the film. that the film did from the musical, 00:26:54.630 --> 00:26:57.569 which I actually thought was great in relation 00:26:57.569 --> 00:27:02.230 to this. So in the end of the musical, he sees 00:27:02.230 --> 00:27:06.809 Fantine and then Eponine is beside her. In the 00:27:06.809 --> 00:27:11.450 film, they change it to Fantine and the bishop, 00:27:11.710 --> 00:27:15.109 which I think is more fitting for his character. 00:27:15.230 --> 00:27:17.769 And actually that ties back to the book because 00:27:17.769 --> 00:27:21.069 when Valjean is on
his deathbed, he's asked if 00:27:21.069 --> 00:27:25.240 he wants... if he wants a priest or a bishop 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:28.539 to give him final rites, and he says he has no 00:27:28.539 --> 00:27:31.559 need, and he points up towards the sky, which 00:27:31.559 --> 00:27:35.220 indicating that the bishop who has already passed 00:27:35.220 --> 00:27:38.819 is witnessing that moment already, right? So 00:27:38.819 --> 00:27:40.519 again, I think that's more fitting, and those 00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:44.680 are things that I grasp onto it. Outside of that, 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:48.519 again, it's very beautiful. It's great. Okay, 00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:50.880 and Fontaine's story in and of itself, I think, 00:27:50.900 --> 00:27:54.279 is also beautiful. But other than that, it's 00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:57.519 just again for me, it's just like it's a good 00:27:57.519 --> 00:27:59.900 time. It's a good big production. We love to 00:27:59.900 --> 00:28:02.839 see it when it all comes through. But that's 00:28:02.839 --> 00:28:05.500 kind of that's kind of like it for me. You know 00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:07.259 what I mean? I'm not I'm not listening to the 00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:10.480 soundtrack on repeat. I'm not, you know, spinning 00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:14.880 this at, you know, parties or gatherings like 00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:17.079 every few months or so. Like, hey, let's get 00:28:17.079 --> 00:28:19.900 together. Let's watch Les Mis. You know, not 00:28:19.900 --> 00:28:22.460 really. Not really my type of my type of scene. 00:28:23.049 --> 00:28:25.130 But more than anything, I think I have respect 00:28:25.130 --> 00:28:27.109 for it. And then I think it's like I just have 00:28:27.109 --> 00:28:29.730 like a fondness towards it just because I lived 00:28:29.730 --> 00:28:31.630 through the initial cultural phenomenon that 00:28:31.630 --> 00:28:34.349 it was. But it's like I've kind of moved on from 00:28:34.349 --> 00:28:37.829 that in my life. So that's kind of where I like 00:28:37.829 --> 00:28:49.369 I am overall with it. Interesting. For me. Fontaine. 00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:53.299 eponine really speaks to me and it's just like 00:28:53.299 --> 00:28:59.119 on my own it's so weird this is like i'm a dude 00:28:59.119 --> 00:29:08.259 but i empathize so much with on my own and uh 00:29:08.259 --> 00:29:14.640 i'm not that girl from wicked crushes me every 00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:21.660 time and it's just like obviously it's sung by 00:29:21.660 --> 00:29:25.640 women. It's from a woman's perspective, but it 00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:28.759 connects with me on an emotional level that I 00:29:28.759 --> 00:29:35.660 can't depreciate. Actually, I got to agree with 00:29:35.660 --> 00:29:38.440 you on that. That's something I kind of, again, 00:29:38.539 --> 00:29:40.460 I didn't, I absolutely did not appreciate it 00:29:40.460 --> 00:29:43.839 as a teenager. I was like, okay, big deal. But 00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:46.670 again, like as, as an adult, and like seeing 00:29:46.670 --> 00:29:49.829 the situation that that they're in again with 00:29:49.829 --> 00:29:52.029 again with the rebellions with the wars and just 00:29:52.029 --> 00:29:56.650 the poverty it's just like it's like um there's 00:29:56.650 --> 00:29:59.630 a there's a there's a song by there's a song 00:29:59.630 --> 00:30:02.049 by the smiths um well there's a specific line 00:30:02.049 --> 00:30:06.089 by bias in a smith song um overall kind of talking 00:30:06.089 --> 00:30:08.410 about love but like the way the the phrase that 00:30:08.410 --> 00:30:10.829 the chorus ends talking about love is these are 00:30:10.829 --> 00:30:13.390 the riches of the poor and it's just like in 00:30:13.390 --> 00:30:16.380 their case it's just like look man like All she 00:30:16.380 --> 00:30:19.920 wants is love from one of the few people that, 00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:23.799 you know, saw her more than just the daughter 00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:26.559 of the Tenardiers, you know, who gets roped into 00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:28.720 their schemes and whatnot. Like, this is an actual, 00:30:28.779 --> 00:30:32.319 like, friend. And it's just like, I... Because 00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:34.180 of Eponine, I was watching something like, look, 00:30:34.279 --> 00:30:37.579 I actually have a large disdain and hate for 00:30:37.579 --> 00:30:41.539 Marius. I don't care about him getting with Cassette. 00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:45.200 You don't deserve her. Like... Like, look, man, 00:30:45.299 --> 00:30:47.619 I mean, yes, it's beautiful that Valjean saves 00:30:47.619 --> 00:30:49.420 your life at the end because he loves Cosette 00:30:49.420 --> 00:30:52.119 and you and all this. But I'm like, you don't 00:30:52.119 --> 00:30:55.220 deserve her, man. You don't deserve her. And 00:30:55.220 --> 00:30:57.660 you don't deserve Eponine's pining for you or 00:30:57.660 --> 00:31:01.180 the bullet that she takes for you. Like, God 00:31:01.180 --> 00:31:04.900 bless Eponine. I hate you, Marius. Totally disagree. 00:31:05.059 --> 00:31:09.440 I love Marius. Just because, I don't know, like, 00:31:09.539 --> 00:31:21.089 as a single dude. I love her. I can see both 00:31:21.089 --> 00:31:30.730 sides. But just the song that they sing and then 00:31:30.730 --> 00:31:35.670 bringing Eponine in with In My Life A Heart Full 00:31:35.670 --> 00:31:45.440 of Love and she brought him to And it's just 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:51.960 the regret in her eyes and in her voice. Every 00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:54.359 word that he says is a dagger in me. Like, oh 00:31:54.359 --> 00:32:02.720 my gosh. Poor girl, man. That's what I'm saying. 00:32:02.819 --> 00:32:05.099 That's what I'm saying, man. That's what I'm 00:32:05.099 --> 00:32:12.849 saying. And then empty chairs. okay that all 00:32:12.849 --> 00:32:15.490 right that's where dude eight wins me back for 00:32:15.490 --> 00:32:19.849 a second dude eight redmane sing right okay redmane 00:32:19.849 -->
00:32:22.970 sings beautifully he has like again that perfectly 00:32:22.970 --> 00:32:25.970 gentle and quivering quality for that but also 00:32:25.970 --> 00:32:28.829 just like the again the quote the quote -unquote 00:32:28.829 --> 00:32:31.670 emptiness right that he's also laying out that 00:32:31.670 --> 00:32:35.509 survivor's guilt you know like out of everyone 00:32:35.509 --> 00:32:40.009 like i'm alive but everyone i love is gone you 00:32:40.009 --> 00:32:44.259 know I'm not one of the oppressed. That too. 00:32:44.339 --> 00:32:51.299 It's just like, I'm an aristocrat who got saved 00:32:51.299 --> 00:32:56.799 from the ire of the other aristocrats because 00:32:56.799 --> 00:33:05.440 of my station. And it's just like, oh, man. That 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:09.259 is another one that, again, it won me back with 00:33:09.259 --> 00:33:13.109 him for a moment. Also because as a young teenager, 00:33:13.430 --> 00:33:18.670 why is he singing about empty chairs and empty 00:33:18.670 --> 00:33:21.829 tables? I'm like, yeah, your friends are gone. 00:33:21.970 --> 00:33:24.630 All right, buddy, get over it, I guess. I don't 00:33:24.630 --> 00:33:29.190 know. I was so less empathetic. Not an empathetic 00:33:29.190 --> 00:33:34.849 person at all. I wasn't, I wasn't. I think I 00:33:34.849 --> 00:33:37.109 just wasn't very invested with the guy, I guess. 00:33:37.170 --> 00:33:39.589 I don't know. But now it's just like... maybe 00:33:39.589 --> 00:33:44.329 you're maybe you're just already salty again 00:33:44.329 --> 00:33:48.029 i i probably am a little salty as is but he does 00:33:48.029 --> 00:33:50.809 win me back with that just because again the 00:33:50.809 --> 00:33:54.509 survivor the survivor's guilt um that that um 00:33:54.509 --> 00:33:57.049 that would hit for anybody you know what i mean 00:33:57.049 --> 00:33:59.730 well even just like in general like when he is 00:33:59.730 --> 00:34:01.289 singing that because he's not just talking about 00:34:01.289 --> 00:34:03.450 his friends but it's also like the plans that 00:34:03.450 --> 00:34:05.910 we had for the future their bright futures our 00:34:05.910 --> 00:34:09.119 bright future it's kind of like well All of that 00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:11.360 was just gone in an instant. We were just so 00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:15.059 full of life, right? For the cause, for each 00:34:15.059 --> 00:34:19.539 other, and now it's gone. And then he goes back 00:34:19.539 --> 00:34:22.440 to, ah, but I'm in love, who cares? Okay, maybe 00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:25.000 not so crass such as that, but he does kind of 00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:30.460 flip like, well, I am in love. Yeah, I mean, 00:34:30.539 --> 00:34:36.300 I don't know. I love it, man. Freaking... Okay, 00:34:36.360 --> 00:34:39.090 let's talk about... Really quickly, let's talk 00:34:39.090 --> 00:34:43.409 about performances. Yep. Who's your favorite? 00:34:45.969 --> 00:34:51.329 On a scale, favorite to least. Okay, favorite 00:34:51.329 --> 00:34:54.550 to least. Like, favorite to least, I'm... Okay, 00:34:54.690 --> 00:34:57.090 it's going to seem obvious, but for me, it is 00:34:57.090 --> 00:35:00.550 Hugh Jackman's very, very sympathetic, very, 00:35:00.650 --> 00:35:04.420 very troubled, just very, like... continuously 00:35:04.420 --> 00:35:06.840 reckoning with himself valjean i'll put him at 00:35:06.840 --> 00:35:09.599 the top like he is top billing like he's he's 00:35:09.599 --> 00:35:13.059 valjean for a reason in this um again i that 00:35:13.059 --> 00:35:14.599 i mean that's the character i connect with the 00:35:14.599 --> 00:35:17.719 most anyway but uh again beautiful uh beautifully 00:35:17.719 --> 00:35:20.800 done um he just he also is just really good at 00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:25.960 playing uh the bitter dad whose heart is um whose 00:35:25.960 --> 00:35:29.079 heart is softened by the adopted daughter we 00:35:29.079 --> 00:35:31.900 love it i love to see that kind of uh story play 00:35:31.900 --> 00:35:35.820 out So it's, yeah, he's at the top for me. Um, 00:35:36.019 --> 00:35:39.960 and then from there it would be, um, and Hathaway's 00:35:39.960 --> 00:35:44.400 Fontaine. Um, and then from there it's, it's, 00:35:44.400 --> 00:35:48.219 it bounces back and forth between again, either, 00:35:48.360 --> 00:35:51.679 um, Amanda Seyfried's cassette. Uh, cause I think, 00:35:51.679 --> 00:35:53.760 I think she actually does a wonderful job. She's 00:35:53.760 --> 00:35:58.139 a, she's a fantastic singer, but, um, again, 00:35:58.239 --> 00:36:02.280 even just being like that, I don't know. that 00:36:02.280 --> 00:36:04.639 young girl with, with dreams amidst all this, 00:36:04.719 --> 00:36:06.659 you know, all, all these things that she doesn't 00:36:06.659 --> 00:36:08.840 understand. Um, again, I think she did just, 00:36:08.860 --> 00:36:12.019 just did a great job with that. Um, but then, 00:36:12.079 --> 00:36:17.559 and then of course, um, uh, goodness, I forget 00:36:17.559 --> 00:36:19.780 her name right now, even though I, oh, Samantha 00:36:19.780 --> 00:36:22.340 Banks is eponine again, just a lot of great emotion. 00:36:22.840 --> 00:36:24.599 Um, just love what she did with the character. 00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:29.960 Um, and then from there probably goes to, I don't 00:36:29.960 --> 00:36:34.519 know. Probably Redmayne at this point. Because 00:36:34.519 --> 00:36:36.679 even though I didn't care for his character, 00:36:36.840 --> 00:36:38.940 I like him a lot as Marius. I think he's like 00:36:38.940 --> 00:36:41.739 the perfect person for that. Again, just like 00:36:41.739 --> 00:36:46.619 that embodiment of like youth and hope. But also 00:36:46.619 --> 00:36:48.420 being just like the lovestruck young man. I think 00:36:48.420 --> 00:36:52.059 he does a great job with that. And I'm not necessarily 00:36:52.059 --> 00:36:53.659 putting them towards the bottom here, but just 00:36:53.659 --> 00:36:55.059 because you're
making me rank them right now. 00:36:55.420 --> 00:36:58.119 But, you know, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha 00:36:58.119 --> 00:37:01.070 Baron Cohen as the Tenardias. Excellent performances 00:37:01.070 --> 00:37:04.949 as both the comedic relief, but just like these 00:37:04.949 --> 00:37:10.849 wonderful, just sleazy crooks. Which Helena Bonham 00:37:10.849 --> 00:37:12.530 Carter, coming from Sweeney Todd beforehand, 00:37:12.949 --> 00:37:15.650 it's kind of like another embodiment of that 00:37:15.650 --> 00:37:17.530 similar character that she does in that. Which, 00:37:17.590 --> 00:37:20.570 fun fact, in the musical, it was the same actress 00:37:20.570 --> 00:37:24.230 on the stage that also did Madame Tenardier and 00:37:24.230 --> 00:37:29.170 Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Really? Yeah. But 00:37:29.170 --> 00:37:31.190 between both her and Cohen, they play so well 00:37:31.190 --> 00:37:33.590 off of each other. They're so funny. You can't 00:37:33.590 --> 00:37:36.349 help but love them. Although in the book, they 00:37:36.349 --> 00:37:39.269 are a lot more despicable. And Tenardier actually 00:37:39.269 --> 00:37:40.809 is like the only one that gets away with like 00:37:40.809 --> 00:37:43.369 a happy ending. He ends up becoming, because 00:37:43.369 --> 00:37:46.869 he actually ends up like getting money out of 00:37:46.869 --> 00:37:48.590 Marius and then goes off to be like this rich 00:37:48.590 --> 00:37:52.070 slave trader. But anyways, I digress. But they 00:37:52.070 --> 00:37:55.829 play that to a T super well. And then again, 00:37:55.989 --> 00:37:59.500 like Russell Crowe's Javert. Again, I think it's 00:37:59.500 --> 00:38:03.199 perfect with how stiff he is. I think it's just 00:38:03.199 --> 00:38:05.599 kind of how it all ends up stacking out to people, 00:38:05.739 --> 00:38:09.719 but he still plays a good foil to Valjean kind 00:38:09.719 --> 00:38:12.239 of a thing. So if I had to stack the principal 00:38:12.239 --> 00:38:17.079 cast, that's how I'd do it. Freaking Gavroche. 00:38:18.280 --> 00:38:23.599 Oh, Gavroche shoutouts, man. Yeah. I just watched 00:38:23.599 --> 00:38:26.820 the... Sorry, I love that kid. His death scene. 00:38:27.260 --> 00:38:30.199 before this, and it's just like, oh my gosh, 00:38:30.340 --> 00:38:34.920 like, why? Like, I get, like, you're soldiers, 00:38:34.940 --> 00:38:39.039 you're police, you're trying to put down a rebellion, 00:38:39.539 --> 00:38:47.219 but why would you kill a kid? It's just, you 00:38:47.219 --> 00:38:53.920 kill your cause, man. Because nobody gets off 00:38:53.920 --> 00:38:58.539 free in this one, man. And Javert. pinning the 00:38:58.539 --> 00:39:07.059 metal on him. After the rest of the rebels are 00:39:07.059 --> 00:39:11.480 dead, and they're all lined up, and he just pins 00:39:11.480 --> 00:39:20.480 the metal on them. So let me make this even harder 00:39:20.480 --> 00:39:25.500 for you. So they give a nod to this in the musical. 00:39:26.090
--> 00:39:28.090 But when they're doing the master of the house 00:39:28.090 --> 00:39:29.530 scene, there's, like, the scene where, like, 00:39:29.610 --> 00:39:32.849 the Tenardiers, like, they swap, like, a baby 00:39:32.849 --> 00:39:34.889 in a basket for, I forget what it is that they 00:39:34.889 --> 00:39:37.849 swap it out with. But there's, when they're kind 00:39:37.849 --> 00:39:39.849 of, like, doing their, like, swaps with things 00:39:39.849 --> 00:39:41.469 as they're, like, stealing from people and all 00:39:41.469 --> 00:39:44.530 that stuff. So that's Gavroche. Gavroche is their 00:39:44.530 --> 00:39:50.269 child, which you have, it's a lot more clear. 00:39:50.329 --> 00:39:51.869 It's actually stated in the book, but that was 00:39:51.869 --> 00:39:54.739 a nod to it during that scene. So, that's their 00:39:54.739 --> 00:39:57.539 abandoned child. Sealing from, like, aristocrats? 00:39:58.920 --> 00:40:02.000 Uh -huh. Like, they swap their baby for, like, 00:40:02.000 --> 00:40:03.500 something else or whatever the heck. So, that's 00:40:03.500 --> 00:40:13.659 Gavroche. So, sorry, brother. Yeah. I know. But 00:40:13.659 --> 00:40:17.059 then, so there's also the metal itself, which, 00:40:17.139 --> 00:40:18.679 I mean, that one's kind of nice, but, like, the 00:40:18.679 --> 00:40:22.099 metal is... Okay, yeah. So, the metal... This 00:40:22.099 --> 00:40:24.159 is trivia. I'm just reading this to you. The 00:40:24.159 --> 00:40:25.860 medal that Javert affixes to the dead Gavroche 00:40:25.860 --> 00:40:28.099 is the Legion of Honor, the highest decoration 00:40:28.099 --> 00:40:30.260 in France. Tom Hooper claimed that the moment 00:40:30.260 --> 00:40:33.360 was Russell Crowe's idea, who wanted more foreshadowing 00:40:33.360 --> 00:40:39.320 to Javert's suicide. So, there you go. Little 00:40:39.320 --> 00:40:45.659 people, man. Yeah. When the pup grows and then 00:40:45.659 --> 00:40:50.920 shot before he can say it. Oh my gosh. That's 00:40:50.920 --> 00:40:56.340 tough. It's tough. Last thing that we'll bring 00:40:56.340 --> 00:41:00.559 up that I really enjoy and comparing it to Phantom. 00:41:02.019 --> 00:41:05.900 In Phantom, there are these little connecting 00:41:05.900 --> 00:41:13.059 sing -song dialogue that happens in Phantom and 00:41:13.059 --> 00:41:16.619 they do it again here. And I appreciate that 00:41:16.619 --> 00:41:23.389 they actually do it in Les Mis. It just becomes 00:41:23.389 --> 00:41:29.190 a lot more fun for me when, like, it's not a 00:41:29.190 --> 00:41:35.789 big number, but it's these character motifs being 00:41:35.789 --> 00:41:42.949 played in the middle of dialogue. And that to 00:41:42.949 --> 00:41:47.909 me is why movie musicals could exist. It's not 00:41:47.909 --> 00:41:51.480 about the numbers. It's about... How the music 00:41:51.480 --> 00:41:54.480 actually develops the story and develops the 00:41:54.480 --> 00:42:03.059 character. So that's personally why I feel.
Movie 00:42:03.059 --> 00:42:12.199 musicals deserve their place. I guess. To add 00:42:12.199 --> 00:42:15.719 to that, like for me. So first of all, actually. 00:42:16.710 --> 00:42:19.269 like my favorite movie musical and i think one 00:42:19.269 --> 00:42:22.150 of my favorite musicals in general um is actually 00:42:22.150 --> 00:42:24.309 fiddler on the roof i think it's phenomenal i 00:42:24.309 --> 00:42:27.230 think it's wonderful um again another case where 00:42:27.230 --> 00:42:30.570 topol who plays tevye was recruited from the 00:42:30.570 --> 00:42:33.170 stage production to the film um also just there's 00:42:33.170 --> 00:42:35.489 a lot of like excellent um there's a lot of themes 00:42:35.489 --> 00:42:38.369 and just just growth in that that i really enjoy 00:42:38.369 --> 00:42:42.329 um but i digress what i love um again other than 00:42:42.329 --> 00:42:45.349 the fact that like at least with um with like 00:42:45.349 --> 00:42:49.329 a movie musical, you know, it doesn't have like 00:42:49.329 --> 00:42:51.869 a lot of the limitations of the stage, although 00:42:51.869 --> 00:42:53.409 with the stage, they get creative with them, 00:42:53.469 --> 00:42:55.210 which is what makes it wonderful with those creative 00:42:55.210 --> 00:42:57.849 limitations. But if they're able to take that 00:42:57.849 --> 00:43:00.150 stage production and then, again, just really 00:43:00.150 --> 00:43:03.210 like open up the world even more, I think they've 00:43:03.210 --> 00:43:06.230 done a fantastic job with it. Along with that, 00:43:06.289 --> 00:43:08.929 though, why I think that movie musicals should 00:43:08.929 --> 00:43:12.469 exist comes from, I guess, a different perspective. 00:43:12.750 --> 00:43:16.769 And that's that... for, you know, it's, it's 00:43:16.769 --> 00:43:20.010 a way that allows the common people to actually 00:43:20.010 --> 00:43:23.389 experience these classic musicals because the 00:43:23.389 --> 00:43:25.829 admission price of a movie theater ticket or 00:43:25.829 --> 00:43:29.949 to rent it or stream it or, you know, or own 00:43:29.949 --> 00:43:32.570 it, it's, it's, you know, it's a lot, it's a 00:43:32.570 --> 00:43:34.650 lot more accessible to people than it is to, 00:43:34.690 --> 00:43:37.289 you know, purchase a ticket on, on, on Broadway. 00:43:37.610 --> 00:43:41.349 Right. Which is, again, that's, that's a whole 00:43:41.349 --> 00:43:43.489 nother can of worms and another conversation, 00:43:43.690 --> 00:43:46.909 but. Again, this is a way that allows other people 00:43:46.909 --> 00:43:50.010 to be able to experience these. Or experience 00:43:50.010 --> 00:43:54.610 maybe lesser known musicals that someone decided 00:43:54.610 --> 00:43:57.570 to take the chance to just adapt. There's a Rodgers 00:43:57.570 --> 00:43:59.869 and Hammerstein one that I never knew was actually 00:43:59.869 --> 00:44:03.250 a stage musical called Flower Drum Song. And 00:44:03.250 --> 00:44:05.309 I found out about it because I happened to watch 00:44:05.309 --> 00:44:08.590 the movie on TCM just at home on an evening with 00:44:08.590 --> 00:44:10.590 my mother. And I found that I really enjoyed 00:44:10.590 --> 00:44:12.730 it. I was like, wow, this is a great one. I really 00:44:12.730 --> 00:44:15.539 enjoyed it. I'll go look into the original, you 00:44:15.539 --> 00:44:17.019 know, do some research, blah, blah, blah. And, 00:44:17.039 --> 00:44:19.420 you know, go down those rabbit holes. But I don't 00:44:19.420 --> 00:44:21.420 know, it just it just opens us up, opens these 00:44:21.420 --> 00:44:24.920 these stories up to some more people. And, you 00:44:24.920 --> 00:44:27.699 know, I will always be for that and, you know, 00:44:27.699 --> 00:44:31.099 promote the heck out of it. So, yeah. And again, 00:44:31.159 --> 00:44:37.880 when they hit, they hit. Yes. Like. Say Wicked. 00:44:39.599 --> 00:44:42.179 I would have never had that. I would have never 00:44:42.179 --> 00:44:46.440 experienced that story and had that expansive 00:44:46.440 --> 00:44:50.360 world without that movie. Say what you will about 00:44:50.360 --> 00:44:54.780 it, but it's just like, I love it for that. Yeah. 00:44:56.099 --> 00:45:01.099 Say what you will about the original broadcast 00:45:01.099 --> 00:45:05.820 or the original Broadway cast of Phantom or Les 00:45:05.820 --> 00:45:12.630 Mis. comparing Bring Him Home. I don't care about 00:45:12.630 --> 00:45:16.010 the original guy. I connect with Hugh Jackman. 00:45:18.409 --> 00:45:24.510 It's just like, yes, the original Broadway cast 00:45:24.510 --> 00:45:30.030 of Phantom is far superior, but there's also 00:45:30.030 --> 00:45:36.150 some really fantastic visual representation in 00:45:36.150 --> 00:45:45.730 Phantom. It doesn't hit the same. Well, look 00:45:45.730 --> 00:45:49.989 at it this way, too. Say that you had the opportunity 00:45:49.989 --> 00:45:53.409 to actually catch the musical on Broadway with 00:45:53.409 --> 00:45:56.929 the original cast, whoever. Perhaps that might 00:45:56.929 --> 00:45:59.510 have connected with you more or hit more. But 00:45:59.510 --> 00:46:01.409 you don't have that opportunity. It's like, well, 00:46:01.530 --> 00:46:04.369 but we got Hugh Jackman. And it's not necessarily 00:46:04.369 --> 00:46:06.769 the case. oh, well, we have Les Mis at home, 00:46:06.849 --> 00:46:12.590 right? It's like, no. It's like, well, we do 00:46:12.590 --> 00:46:15.869 have it at home. And thankfully, again, it's 00:46:15.869 --> 00:46:18.349 still a very good adaptation of it, which in 00:46:18.349 --> 00:46:20.369 this case, you were able to connect with it. 00:46:20.429 --> 00:46:22.070 I connected with a lot of aspects of it. It's 00:46:22.070 --> 00:46:25.010 like, hey, man, at least we got it. And what 00:46:25.010 --> 00:46:29.449 we got, thankfully, is more than competent. Again, 00:46:30.030 --> 00:46:31.730 a lot of hard work was put into the production.
00:46:33.420 --> 00:46:35.019 For the, you know, for the most part, the cast 00:46:35.019 --> 00:46:38.719 absolutely did their thing. And again, now we 00:46:38.719 --> 00:46:40.460 get to, again, have those connections, establish 00:46:40.460 --> 00:46:45.139 those, those relationships. Because not all of 00:46:45.139 --> 00:46:47.440 us can afford that beautiful ticket on Broadway. 00:46:47.519 --> 00:46:48.880 And for those that do, I've heard it's a great 00:46:48.880 --> 00:46:50.840 experience. And for those that have been able 00:46:50.840 --> 00:46:52.360 to see it, I've heard it's also a phenomenal 00:46:52.360 --> 00:46:55.199 experience. So, you know, thankfully, again, 00:46:55.280 --> 00:46:57.280 thankfully what we were given was not like mediocre 00:46:57.280 --> 00:47:01.530 or anything. Yeah. Yeah, like it has its issues, 00:47:01.650 --> 00:47:05.829 but those issues are not insurmountable. Oh, 00:47:05.969 --> 00:47:10.110 and again, like I was going to say, and again, 00:47:10.150 --> 00:47:11.969 for me, it's just like, for me, it's still a 00:47:11.969 --> 00:47:14.829 fun little time capsule, right? Because again, 00:47:14.889 --> 00:47:16.670 we can kind of see that, you know, there's a 00:47:16.670 --> 00:47:18.969 lot that has kind of improved over time and we 00:47:18.969 --> 00:47:22.889 can only hope for that, right? Yeah. With that 00:47:22.889 --> 00:47:27.309 being said, final thoughts and numerical ranking 00:47:27.309 --> 00:47:33.750 out of 10. Okay, got you. Final thoughts. Again, 00:47:33.989 --> 00:47:37.150 going back, this was a really fun time capsule 00:47:37.150 --> 00:47:39.710 for me. I said it several times earlier, but 00:47:39.710 --> 00:47:42.630 again, I saw this at a very specific, you know, 00:47:42.630 --> 00:47:45.429 point in time in my life. I was a junior in high 00:47:45.429 --> 00:47:48.550 school. It was a big phenomenon. And it's just, 00:47:48.730 --> 00:47:51.530 I don't know, as fun of a time for me to reminisce 00:47:51.530 --> 00:47:54.940 as, you know. watching through like all the, 00:47:54.940 --> 00:47:58.340 all the Harry Potters or experiencing, or actually 00:47:58.340 --> 00:48:00.519 2012 was a fun year in general, you know, counting 00:48:00.519 --> 00:48:02.719 down to doomsday and all that, all that stuff. 00:48:02.860 --> 00:48:05.980 It was just part of a really, um, just fun and 00:48:05.980 --> 00:48:08.940 vibrant point in my life. So, um, again, because 00:48:08.940 --> 00:48:11.820 I hadn't seen it in such a long time, uh, I did 00:48:11.820 --> 00:48:14.159 go into it with, with a great fondness, right. 00:48:14.239 --> 00:48:15.639 And I still came out with it, with a, with a, 00:48:15.639 --> 00:48:17.820 with a fondness, but more of an appreciation 00:48:17.820 --> 00:48:20.980 for the original work by Hugh, by Victor Hugo, 00:48:21.099 --> 00:48:24.760 which Um, you know, if you, if, if, if y 'all 00:48:24.760 --> 00:48:26.400 out there get a chance to read it, please do. 00:48:26.860 --> 00:48:29.239 It's again, it's, it's, it's a classic novel 00:48:29.239 --> 00:48:31.940 for a reason. There's a lot to glean from it. 00:48:32.539 --> 00:48:35.440 Um, so this, this was, this was fun for me. I 00:48:35.440 --> 00:48:38.500 really enjoyed it. And, uh, you know, uh, per, 00:48:38.639 --> 00:48:43.139 per the French, for the French motto, which is 00:48:43.139 --> 00:48:46.659 liberty, equality and brotherhood or fraternity. 00:48:46.699 --> 00:48:49.920 So, you know, shout outs to the French. Um, I 00:48:49.920 --> 00:48:52.500 give this one, you know, it's, it's a solid seven 00:48:52.500 --> 00:48:56.199 out of 10 for me, you know? Um, so again, still, 00:48:56.300 --> 00:49:00.219 still a great epic. Um, and again, just kind 00:49:00.219 --> 00:49:02.440 of a font, kind of a, yeah, one that I, I hold 00:49:02.440 --> 00:49:05.340 fondly, but you know, I'll keep it in my memories 00:49:05.340 --> 00:49:09.280 for the time being. Yeah. Uh, I have to agree 00:49:09.280 --> 00:49:15.139 with you. Uh, I appreciate the story told, uh, 00:49:15.300 --> 00:49:20.039 doesn't hit as hard for me as Phantom. But that's 00:49:20.039 --> 00:49:33.039 in two episodes. Check that out. Go watch it. 00:49:33.079 --> 00:49:40.099 Experience it. If you don't have access to the 00:49:40.099 --> 00:49:43.599 original Broadway or to the Broadway show, go 00:49:43.599 --> 00:49:46.599 watch the movie. It's serviceable. It's great. 00:49:47.559 --> 00:49:58.380 With that said, I give it... I want to say 7 00:49:58.380 --> 00:50:06.659 .5, but it feels harsh. Come on. Let it out, 00:50:06.739 --> 00:50:09.280 baby. Let it out. This is your show. Yeah, 7 00:50:09.280 --> 00:50:18.760 .5. All right. There is... Not a 6 or a 7? there's 00:50:18.760 --> 00:50:23.079 enough for me, uh, that there's enough that works 00:50:23.079 --> 00:50:29.340 for me, um, to keep it as a passing grade. Um, 00:50:29.619 --> 00:50:33.280 but with that being said, that is our show brought 00:50:33.280 --> 00:50:35.980 to you by Popcorn Fumes and a Prayer. Our executive 00:50:35.980 --> 00:50:38.780 producer is Penny Pincher. Our director of photography 00:50:38.780 --> 00:50:41.860 is Cam Speed. Her first AD was Lay Clapper. Audio 00:50:41.860 --> 00:50:45.780 was by Check12. Legal was by Sumi Hyderia. Makeup 00:50:45.780 --> 00:50:48.780 was by Make You Pretty. Marketing Wizard was 00:50:48.780 --> 00:50:52.039 Trailer, Cents were by Fong Hard, Script Notes 00:50:52.039 --> 00:50:54.400 were from Paige Turner, our editor was Seymour 00:50:54.400 --> 00:50:57.780 Tex, Transport was via Miles A. Way, and Union 00:50:57.780 --> 00:51:01.079 Matters were handled, as always, by Salary. Thank 00:51:01.079 --> 00:51:02.860 you so much for watching and or listening, and 00:51:02.860 --> 00:51:04.559 remember, if it looks good, it was probably done 00:51:04.559 --> 00:51:05.039 in post.
Edit transcript