Saturday, November 10, 2012

The Future That They Bring When December Comes

Yes, I realize this makes two Les Mis posts in a row, a phenomenon that has not taken place here since Les Mis week back in June.  But hey, I'm excited.  (Understatement.)

The official Les Mis international trailer was released on Thursday, to the best of my knowledge (at least, that's when I first saw it) and it bowled me over.  I can't resist giving a breakdown of this one like I did last time, so...

(note: I'm skipping the parts that were in the last trailer, for the sake of space and time)



0:02- "I found her wandering in the woods, this little child, I found her trembling in the shadows."  Cannot get over how cute Little Cosette is-- I just want to hug her and comfort her and take her away from the evil Thenardiers forever.
0:05- I replayed this bit too many times.  LOVE how they melt the actress' face into the original logo... paying tribute to it again, just like they did with the poster!
0:15- "I'm cold, will you let me stay here for tonight?"  Um... what???  That wasn't in the musical!  It looks like they're adding in some spoken lines... that's okay with me as long as they don't cut the music.  (Ha... like it's my decision.)
0:17- At first glance I almost thought this guy was Colm, but it's obviously not.  Who is he, then? And how does he know that this is Jean Valjean?
0:18- This music.  Is amazing.
0:21- We saw this bit in the original trailer, with the galley slaves, but I just wanted to mention how I like the rhythmic grunting--it's reminiscent of the original opening to the Prologue.  And it's also cool that Valjean is actually a galley slave in the movie (as he was in the book!), pulling ships around, and not just digging ditches on the roadside.  The stage does have its limitations.

0:23- OH WOW.  That SHIP.  Anne-girl is going to go nuts over this movie.
0:24- Javert standing on the dyke--we'll get to Russell Crowe's singing voice later on, but for now may I just say that he is the complete epitome of how Javert should look?  There, I've said it.  Thank you.
0:28- "He cannot escape... OH WAIT HE DID."  This is probably the part during the Prologue where the police round Valjean up with the candlesticks.  "Tell his reverence your story! Let us see if he's impressed!"
0:31- Yep, here's Javert shouting Valjean's name.  Definitely an added line.  I like his horse; it's a pity Javert can't have a horse on stage.  He looks more imposing on a horse.
0:34- Oooh, evil factory foreman.  Hmmm, he's not ten feet tall like in the 25th concert--he seems less scary somehow.
0:39- Wait, what?  Is Javert watching as Fantine gets fired? This is new!
0:42- *chokes up* Okay, that teeny little snippet was much worse than in any of the concerts.  Bodily dragging her out of the factory?  The horrible man!
0:45- "I Dreamed a Dream" sounds much more forceful this time around.  Is it a different version of the song, or just another part of it that we didn't hear in the first trailer?  At any rate, I actually like it better this time.
0:47- It looks like Valjean is stopping to help Fantine just out of the blue here, not breaking up the fight with Bamatabois.  (I'm not nit-picking.  I'm just observing.)
0:51- Let's hear it for Valjean!!! Where on earth is Javert?  I do hope they haven't cut the part with him trying to arrest Fantine.  "But Monsier Mayor..."  "I will SEE IT DONE!" *emphatic music*
0:54- D'awwwww.  Poor little thing.  :(
0:55- I really like how they're playing Fantine's song while showing Cosette... after all, Cosette is part of her dream, and the Thenardiers are basically killing her by inches.  Sounds morbid, I know, but THEN--

1:00- One Day More.  ONE DAY MORE, FOLKS.  I may or may not have clamped both hands over my mouth to keep from screaming out loud when I saw this the first time.  The thrill that went through me made up for the disappointment in Hugh Jackman's voice.  (hey, this is an opinion post, after all...)
1:06- "Mademoiselle." I have played, replayed and re-replayed that two-second bit, and I love it more every time.  "I'm meeeeeeelting!"
1:09- He's in a carriage, I think, but going where?  Valjean and Cosette didn't actually start for Calais that night, did they?
1:11- Ah, Monsieur and Madame Oy-vey-and-spit.  He, at least, doesn't look as creepy as he did on the poster. The lack of purple lipstick probably helps.
1:12- Whoa.  Javert coming to check up on Cosette at the Thenardiers? As I remember, that did actually happen in the novel, but it's definitely not in the play.  And why are Valjean and Cosette still there? So many questions.
1:14- I love how they so smoothly transitioned from Little Cosette to Older Cosette.  I had my doubts about Amanda Seyfried but now I think she's practically perfect.  So pretty!
1:18- And her voice!  Not Judy Kuhn for sure, but not half bad either.  Is it just me or does the city view look a bit fake?  (Thank you, my dear Amy, it IS fake... it's a STUDIO...)
1:19-  It seems to me that they're going to handle "One Day More" the way "Tonight (Reprise" was done in West Side Story (the movie).  Rather than having a suspended-disbelief scene with all the characters gathering together to sing, it looks like we're going to see shots of everyone singing individually, almost as if they're just thinking.  Which is all good.  My question is, how about the "one day to a new beginning, raise the flag of freedom high"? Where does the chorus come in?

1:20- It's "some bourgeois two-a-penny thing," not "Cosette!"  Okay, now I'm nitpicking.  I will stop. Yay for Samantha Barks! How does she manage to still look fabulous in rags, dirty and starving? I actually had to pause this bit and take a screencap.  The looks on their faces are just so perfect.



1:23- At long last we have a Marius who can do the naive-and-completely-smitten act without being, you know, incredibly annoying and immature.  (Cough, cough, I name no names.)  I'm starting to even be reconciled to his hair (and that's a big step, you must understand).
1:27- And we have an Eponine who's heartbroken without being whiny, the right age, the right appearance... Lea Salonga was still the best but Samantha Barks is, like, the one-and-a-half best.
1:29- She has the best facial expressions of any Eponine that ever was, though. That I can say with no reservations.
1:33- "I rode through the rain!"  Ha, that had nothing to do with anything, but I must have me my Jane Austen quotes.  :P
1:35- Oh.  My. Stars.  Confrontation, Confrontation, this has got to be the Confrontation.  With SWORDS. And the look on Valjean's face... *rubs hands together with anticipatory glee*
1:36- All together now, three two one--THE BARRICADES!  Better than I dreamt it! Annnnnnd... Russell Crowe's voice.  Not as great as I dreamt it.  *ducks* The problem is that I'm mentally comparing him to the Mighty Quast and nobody will ever, ever measure up, so I should stop comparing.  It really is good.  No, I mean it.  Just not as good as I'd hoped.

1:37- If I'm not mistaken, there is Alistair Brammer next to Marius (you know, the guy who plays Joly in the 25th concert--is that the same actor?) in the crowd scene.  Cameos, hooray!  Now, where's Hadley Fraser??
1:39- O_O Kiev scene in Fiddler on the Roof, anyone?
1:42- Valjean's evidently in a church, but why?
1:44- I spy Killian Donnelly! Also Enjolras.  Who seems to be incapable of smiling.  Where is the charisma? The winning grin? (oh, wait, that was just Ramin Karimloo...) The RED VEST OF POWER AND AWESOMENESS?
1:46- PERCYYYYYYY! ... Ahem.  Pardon me.
1:47- That had better not be Enjolras.  Because if we see Enjolras die in the trailer... *shakes head direly*
1:48- Eponine, watching someone get shot?  But wasn't she the first to fall?  And look, she's still in her girl clothes.  I think this is just a different scene, cut into the First Attack to add Drama.
1:49- Well now, look who's here! Hey, Gavroche!
1:51- Cosette racing through a church in her wedding dress--alone? I'm intrigued.
1:52- "To the barricades!" *relieved sigh*  Now that was the Enjolras we all know and love, yes?
1:53- I really ought to be sighing over how cute they are together, but my attention was actually drawn to the neckline detail on Cosette's dress.  Heh.  Isn't it lovely?
1:54--1:59- Parades! Flags! Jean Valjean in a uniform (and looking way older than he did at the beginning)! The National Guard! He Who Cannot Smile! It's all such a sequence of continual excitement...
2:00- That sound you heard, that was my heart thudding into my shoes.
2:02- No. No stop don't fire they're just a bunch of kids!  I think my biggest question now is not "will I like this movie?" but "exactly how many boxes of tissues should I have handy when I see it?"

2:04- Shivers, spine-tingles, all that jazz.  SPLENDIFEROUS rendition of "Do You Hear the People Sing?"
2:05- My immediate impression is that this is "Who Am I?", just from the look on his face.
2:07- I have got to get over this association of any and every epaulet with Prince Charming from Cinderella.  I shall conquer this.  I shall.
2:09- The locket, Fantine has the locket!  And, I might add, a much prettier dress than any of the stage costumes I've seen, though it be heresy to say it...
2:14- I'm still feeling like Helena Bonham-Carter looks too young... she's supposed to be Eponine's mother, after all, and Eponine's eighteen by the end.
2:16- Ewww.  Go away, disgusting people.
2:18- Without a doubt, this is the part where Valjean lets Javert go.  The LOOK on his face... ohhhh.
2:19- Ring out the bells! Choke up! Squeal and drum your feet up and down!
2:20- Several months ago when the first pictures were released, one of my friends pointed out how fascinating it is to see the barricade "for real"--to see how truly tiny it was, how alone-and-with-no-friends the students really were.  Which is something you just can't grasp as well on a revolving stage.
2:22- Let's just say goosebumps.
2:23- The Mighty Small One again!
2:24- Okay, I realize it's just a jump cut, but I adore how it almost looks as if Fantine is watching Cosette and Marius approvingly... sniffle...
2:25- Marius on the horse with the flag!! Sigh, squeal, you know the routine by now.
2:26- Cosette in the carriage leaving the wedding--this is reminding me of the final scene in Emma 2009.
2:27- Awwwww.  I can't wait for "Suddenly"! ...Actually, I can't wait for ANY of it.

Wow.  Just wow.  This post got a lot longer than I meant it to.  Which means I ought to get off Blogger and go write.

What did you think of the trailer?

8 comments:

Alexandra said...

Um, total squeeeee!!! Absolutely adoring the whole thing. I am so hyped it's not funny. Every time I see it again I am hyped even more.

LOVE the tribute to the show, first of all...the respect for the original all ready tells me how seriously Tom Hooper is taking this...and how different this is going to be from the POTO movie.

I don't mind the dialogue as long as they don't speak what's supposed to be sung. Extra is ok (HELLO, that bit about Fantine begging for them to help because she had a child gave me goosebumps!!!) as long as it's extra. Make sense?

I LOOOOOVE the new version of IDAD...much more how I think the song should be sung (as if I'm an expert, I know...but being she's my favorite character I have Very Strong Opinions).

Gahhhhh, him carrying her through the streets made me CRY!!!

Pooor wee Cosette...and love the blending into Amanda. I saw her in a movie recently...she'll be a lovely Cosette. :) She's not as vocally strong as I would like, but she does have a lovely voice.

Yes, I was thinking that ODM is going to be like the Tonight quintet, which I think will be really cool (I love that part in the movie)...can't wait to see it!

YESSSS...Eddie makes Marius actully likeable and HUMAN and all that. I believe I'm going to love him.

YES!!! I paused it and I'm like, CONFRONTATION!!!! That's going to be awesome. YIPES!

Ok, my PO is that maaaaaaaaaaybe it's when Cosette discovers that Valjean is gone/when she's going to find him? IDK, just a thought there. Considering that I *think* the last scene's going to be in a church that would make sense. (Fantine in the church, Cosette running through it, and it would make sense with Valjean praying at the beginning...you know, "God on High...")

Are you kidding? I'm crying just watching the trailer. I shall be sobbing watching the movie.

I still think that the Madame T shots are from young Cosette...they will probably age her for the older bits. That's just my PO.

YES, the scene is DRAMATIC. And when he fires at him. Woweee.

And I still stand by the fact that it's going to be really fascinating/sobering to see the teeny barricade and the few students and ALLLLL the soldiers.

She may be watching them approvingly. Let us see how the finale scene plays out.


SQUEEEEE!!!! CANNOT WAIT!!!

Holly said...

Oh my gosh, I'm sooooooooo excited!! I so hope I can watch it when it's released...that trailer is amazing :)

Caroline L. said...

Okay, must stop hyperventilating and dancing long enough to comment.

This is the second trailer ever to make me cry. Ever. (The other one was the first Les Miz trailer they released back in the spring) Let me just say that even if the movie turns out to be no good (not expecting that, just sayin'), the trailers are EPIC (and that's not a word I use lightly!).

YOU FOUND KILLIAN!!! Wow...I searched the trailer thoroughly and couldn't find him. Your eyes do you credit. I was very sad to read that even you couldn't produce Hadley. *sad sigh*

Ug...I was going to keep my comment short and sweet but find that I cannot. Forgive me. Must fangirl wildly here and talk about almost everything.

Little Cosette is darling! La lalalala la la la. Poor thing. And I absolutely went nuts when they morphed that shot of little Cosette into the poster picture! So perfect.

And I think her pairing with Amanda is spot-on. I am always very pleased when 2 actors cast to play the same person actually look like each other.

I was hoping for a glance of Colm too...ah well. Still so exstatic he is the bishop!!!

Can. Not. Wait. for the ship part! I've always liked the prologue bit in the musical, and I'm so excited to see how they do it in the movie. On a random note, I really like how they put Valjean's flinching away from the water right after Javert's glare, almost as if Valjean is flinching from Javert's eyes....

O my. Anne Hathaway. The throwing-out-of-the-factory part is where I started weeping. Her crying out for help coupled with her pathic look and new version of "I Dreamed" is so powerful. AND THEN JEAN VALJEAN CARRYING HER. *tears* The kindness in his voice and the utter unbelieve in her face - O my.

One day more! *squeals* While I have yet to hear Hugh Jackman really sing, not sing-talk (maybe they are saving that for the film?), I was still wildly excited.

Gaaah, I love Valjean's "mademoiselle" So sweet! And the little/big Cosette morph. *shivers with delight*

Samantha! Yesyesyes! The desolation and heartbreak in her face is just so heartbreaking! Wow. The tear on her cheek at 1:28 is so despairing. Isn't she marvelous? Don't get me starting on her "there!" Lea, I'm afraid you must move over.

CONFRONTATION! Woo hoooo! And a sword. Yea!

I know what you mean about him-who-does-not-smile. Why did they not cast Ramin? What were they thinking?!? This Enjoras is Mr. Glowers in a maroon tailcoat instead of Mr. Awesome in a Red Vest of Power. He better have one great voice to make up! Well, we do get one yell from Enjras...one small show of passion. Hmmmm.

Darling little person! When I first saw this, I yelled "Gavroche!" So cute!

Yes. Eddie Whatshismayne is shaping up to be a great Marius. When I saw him in the first trailer, I'll admit, I was disgusted. But since then he has grown on me greatly, and I am now very delighted with him. Enough delighted to forgive him his hair. ;]

The Silent Part. *gasp* I was so hoping Hadley was that soldier on the horse, but he wasn't.

That look on Javert's face when Valjean is firing the gun. I wasn't too keen on Crowe for Jarvert when he was first cast,but that look alone makes everything OK.

Barricades, Gavroche, lovers, flags, Fantine, Javert, Valjean and little Cosette. This trailer has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun - ug, how can I wait a whole month and a half for this to come out?!?!

Elizabeth said...

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
I am just too totally excited about this! I got so choked up at the barricade scenes, and found myself thinking: No, they just can't get killed! *sigh, sniffle.* Anyway, this was absolutely marvelous. :)

Anonymous said...

Read your post, watched the video, then watched the video while reading your comments. Yes, with Les Miz, I'm that in-depth. : )

0:10 - VIOLINS!!!! WOOT!!! Sorry. : )

0:11 - A leeeettle weirded-out by Valjean's accent. I liked Hugh's voice when he was demonstrating in that one video about the meter of the music and I can't say I'm in love with his accent. : P Anywhoz.

0:15 - I think that's the guy he asks first. I think. Who knows how he knows him.... And on the spoken lines.... : ( I don't know if I'll like it, but it DOES make it more movie-like versus an oprical, sooo....

0:23 - THE SHIP IS SO AMAZING!!!!

0:24 - CG Javert! lolz...

0:34 - Evil man.... He looks creepy even though he's not ten feet tall... Poor Fantine!!

0:39 - Javert was there in the musical... I think. Wait, maybe not. I can't remember. : P

0:45 - I LOVE THIS VERSION OF IDAD!!! She's not taking the easy way out with either the song or the acting. Me loves it. And "From what it seemed" is so much more forceful than the first version, where she was almost scared of the long note and made it quieter. LOVE it!!

OOH!!! SOUNDTRACK!!! I hope they'll release one.... That would be one of the best Christmas gifts ever!!

0:47 - GO VALJEAN!! YOU ARE AMAZING!!!

0:54 - So sad.... Little Cosette is so cute!!

1:01 - "Cosette?" + her look = I need a tissue. "Madmoiselle" + his look + her look = Seriously. Where are the tissues?!

1:07 - LOVING this version of One Day More!! So cool.... And, yeah, I think they started off that night, but really, it was just packing the bags, cuz he went off to the barricades soon afterwards.... But they didn't actually GO. But I'm excited. That way, his turning around is even MORE cool!!

1:12 - Whoa indeed. Whaaaa...? And I think that shot might have actually been from "The Bargain/The Thenardier Waltz of Treachery." I mean, it works a little better then, right? Just a thought....

1:18 - I LOOOOOVE HER VOICE!! It's so sweet and young and innocent. : )

1:19 - Loving the fact that they're singing on their own (only pretending they're beside each other), as opposed to standing together and holding hands. It makes it seem sweeter! And methinks Marius is singing "With you, my world has started" as he's walking away!!

1:20 - Cosette's so pretty! And her dimples! : )

1:20 - Awww.... Samantha Barks' face when she says Cosette (instead of the "two-a-penny" thing) is so heartbreaking.... She knows he's sold on her, even if it's just one look.... Sniff....

1:23 - He pulls it off! YEAH!! And his hair is amazing.

1:35 - Confrontation!! *fistpump* MUCHLY looking forward to it!! And Valjean doesn't have a sword.... HIS FACE!! And later, his little plank.... He probably knocks the sword out of Javert's hand and then it becomes a fistfight.... That's what I'm hoping. : )

1:36 - I like his voice, but I can't put a finger on why. I just like it. : )

1:44 - ENJO!!! He's so awesome!! No, he's not Ramin, but he's still cool. (And, to be fair, I'm glad he doesn't have Enjo's vest of power and awesomeness. It doesn't look right on anyone besides Ramin.) HADLEY, WHERE ART THOU?!

1:48 - Methinks she's watching Mr. Thenardier go to Cosette's house. Just a thought. Cuz that'd be weird if she saw somebody get shot!!

1:49 - GAVROCHE!!! I really hope he's good. Obviously not as good as Robert Whatshisface, but I'm looking forward to hearing him!!

And I have to go.... I'll reply to your post/critique the rest of the trailer later. : )

Eowyn

Unknown said...

I've got a question... does anyone know of this is going to be just a musical, as in no regular talking only singing? I've only watched two Les Miserables, and one was from like, the 20's or something. lol The other one wasn't a musical, so I really don't know anything about it! My sister and j have just been wondering about that. Thanks!

Amy

Rachel Heffington said...

I saw this and my heart turned somersaults and flip-flopped and I, like you, started to think about saving my money for an inordinate amount of tissues. At first I was disappointed in Russel Crowe's voice not be spectacular, but then I calculated for the realism they're going for. His is peculiarly attentive to rhythm and timing as if he must sing the song perfectly in sync without a bit of wayward emotion...which encapsulates Javert's character. So actually, I really like his voice. He transferred his character into one tiny clip of song which is not easy to do. Javert should not be a wildly passionate character. He is reserved, cold, striving for perfection, lost without knowing it. In that way, I think I love him from what I've seen. :) Besides the fact that you were totally right in saying he looks the part to perfection.

That scene in the woods with Jean V. and Cosette? Made me tear up. :') And Eponine? Boo-yeah! She's perfect. :)

AH! I. Cannot. Wait. For. This.

I know at least two or three guys {*GUYS*} who were converted into rabid Les Miz-anticipators by seeing this trailer. It's that powerful.

Marie said...

Oooh, this looks like a fun post. I want to read it, but I didn't for fear of spoilers :).