Friday, December 7, 2012

This Is Better Than An Opera! {Insanely Long Les Mis Post}

Well... obviously.  Les Mis is always better than an opera.  I'm not bashing opera--I really like opera--but Les Mis is better than pretty much every other kind of musical entertainment, ever.  

But if you've been hanging around this blog for any length of time, you already know that.

Yes, I'm dumping another load of movie stills on y'all again, if only because it's practically impossible for me to look at these without wanting to SHARE THEM WITH THE WORLD.  So voila.  More pictures from the movie for you to drool over-- and would you believe it, these are only a select few.  I forced myself to just choose my favorites (and forced myself even harder not to just throw my arms wide and say ALL OF THEM ARE MY FAVORITES) so that reading this post doesn't take your entire computer time.  

Well, actually, it might, depending on how long your computer time is, but I'll do my best not to keep you too long.  First, let's gush over the poster that you may observe on your upper left.  How gorgeous is that?  I thought the one I had at the end of the last Les Mis picture-post was my favorite, but I've since changed my mind.  This one is the best of the best.  And it's a French poster to boot.  Fitting, non?

On to the movie stills (which are in no order whatsoever, and which may contain comments of mine own writing that will spoil the story for you, so be forewarned and forearmed).


"Let others rise to take our place until the earth is FREEEEEEEE!"

At this time I do not choose to reveal to the public just how many pictures of Marius-on-a-horse that I have saved on the computer.  You would probably laugh at me if you knew.  But seriously, is this not the epitome of the whole do-you-hear-the-people-sing thing? He even LOOKS like he's singing.  So does the horse, for that matter, or at least nodding along to the music, but that's beside the point.

"Don't think about it, Marius, with all the years ahead of us...
I will never go away and we will be together every day."

To be quite honest, I find this shot (presumably from "Every Day") about fifteen times cuter than the looking-through-the-bars bit in "A Heart Full of Love," and if you knew how much sighing I did over that teeny clip, that's saying a lot.  

"And none shall ever harm Cosette as long as I am living."
One of the teensy weensy complaints I have about most of the stage Fantines is that they just look too doggone healthy during "Come to Me."  I will not be making this complaint about the movie Fantine.  Part of the reason is that Anne Hathaway seriously does look like she's dying, and part of the reason is that I'll be too busy bawling my eyes out in this scene anyways.

"You would live a hundred years if I could show you how.  I won't desert you now."
While we're on the topic of sad songs... I literally squealed when I came across this picture, and it's not a squeal-y kind of scene.  But it happens to be one of my top five favorites in the entire musical (which is saying a lot, because I tend to say they're all my favorites...)  No rendition of this heartwrenching song will ever be as fantabulous as Michael Ball and Lea Salonga's, but I still have high hopes for Samantha Barks' and Eddie Redmayne's portrayal.  Won't it be nice for poor Samantha to finally have a co-singer who does this scene properly?? I mean, think about it.  She suffered through Nick Jonas' whining in the 25th concert, Gareth Gates' "WAKE UP FISHY" version on the West End... and NOW she'll finally be able to do full justice to it.  "And then, do you know, Monsieur Marius... I believe I was a little in love with you." (That one's from the book... I do wish it could have made it into the musical.  Because she never actually says "I love you" to his face in the musical, you know.)

"From the table in the corner they could see a world reborn."
I spy Fra Fee (just behind Marius, in the red jacket) and I think Alistair Brammer might be the dude on the extreme left, but I'm not completely sure.  (Anyone who has more knowledge of the West End cast than I do is encouraged to enlighten me.)  I've said it before and I'll say it again-- I LOVE how the director, the production designers, the what-have-you are making such an effort at being as faithful to the novel as possible.  This room looks just exactly as I pictured it from reading the parts about the ABC cafe.  To a T.  Oh, and take a good look at Enjo's waistcoat, peoples, because I have a sinking feeling that that's the closest we're going to get to the Legendary Red Vest of Power and Awesomeness. *wistful sigh*


Cannot get over the extreme cuteness of this picture.  I believe it's a publicity shot and not actually a still from the film, but I don't care.  The look on her face of complete trust and adoration--YES.  Some of the stage Cosettes, from what I've seen, appear indifferent to Valjean or even a wee bit afraid of him, but I like this portrayal much better.  In the book she sees him as an angel that dropped from heaven (a metaphor that appears several times) and you can totally see that in this picture.  Oh, and I like his coat.  :D

"He let me eat my fill. I had the lion's share.
The silver in my hand cost twice what I had earned..."
So I saw THIS picture and went, "It's YOU!" and all but hugged the computer screen.  Not at Hugh Jackman, silly, or Mademoiselle Baptistine for that matter.  Nope, the affection was all directed at the one and only Jean Valjean Bishop Myriel.  I thoroughly enjoyed Earl Carpenter's take on the bishop in the 25th concert, but I think I can safely say that Colm Wilkinson will blow him out of the water.  I cheated and read the entire script for the movie (hey, Universal Pictures made it available to the public! I couldn't resist!) and I promise I'll give nothing away, but I will just hint that the bishop has rather a bigger part in the movie than he did in the original stage production... and I'm as thrilled as could be.  You will be, too, when you see what I mean.

By the by, I am really, really pleased with Valjean's convict look.  I wish he had kept the beard for the later scenes, because I think it makes him look more like the real Valjean Colm, but I've become reconciled to his appearance.  What I'm not so sure about is his rendition of Who Am I?  Watch some of it here and then let me know what you think, if you would be so kind. 

"And they rose with voices ringing, and I can hear them now,
the very words that they had sung..."

The first picture I saw of Aaron Tveit as Enjolras was such a crushing disappointment that I was on the brink of refusing to have anything else to do with the movie.  I still can't stand his hair. And I still wish his voice were on the level of Ramin Karimloo a little stronger.  But I no longer shudder at the idea of his playing Enjolras, and there are a multitude of reasons, but one of them is this picture.  It's the look in his eyes.  Think back a moment, if you will, and try and remember if Michael Maguire or Ramin Karimloo ever showed any signs of fear in their portrayals of Enjolras.  To the best of my recollection, they didn't.  They both acted the part of the all-fired, charismatic revolutionary who led a devoted band of followers to their deaths.  Don't get me wrong, I'm quite certain Aaron Tveit's going to do that too.  But I also think he's going to bring another dimension to the character, one of the scared little boy deep down inside Enjolras' shining-noble-I-will-defeat-everybody-and-bring-justice-to-the-world exterior.  Even heroes have their moments of terror.

"And first of all," said Enjolras, "let us hoist the flag again!" He picked up the flag which had fallen just at his feet.
They heard from without the rattling of the ramrods in the muskets; the troops were reloading.
Enjolras continued: "Who is there here who has courage? who replants the flag on the barricade?"
Nobody answered.  To mount the barricade at the moment when without doubt it was aimed at anew, was simple death.  The bravest hesitates to sentence himself, Enjolras himself felt a shudder.  He repeated:
"Nobody volunteers?"
~Volume Four- Saint Denis, Book Fourteen-The Grandeurs of Despair, Chapter One- The Flag: First Act

"I know this is no place for me.  Still, I would rather be with you."

The barricade is all I ever could have wished.  A fellow Mizzer pointed out to me a while ago that they manage to make it look towering and exciting yet still so pitifully tiny in the grand scope of Paris and the mighty National Guard.  The story of how the barricade was made is even better.  I read this interview with Eddie Redmayne: "It came to building the barricade and there were 50 peasants, there were 30 students, and Tom Hooper had 5 camera men dressed up as peasants with the cameras wrapped up to camouflage them. He put 10 minutes worth of film on the camera and he was like, 'All right, build a barricade. Action!' We were like, 'What?' And suddenly pianos were falling from above, wardrobes were flying about. It was the most anarchic, sort of terrifying, adrenaline fueled 10 minutes." Which is exactly how the barricade was built in the book (minus the cameras &c.).  Which is why Tom Hooper just went up about fifty points in my estimation.



I just love behind-the-scenes pictures, and this one is cute.  :D Is that Marius with Eponine?  Because it doesn't really look like him... plus, he wears a plaid waistcoat for the barricade scenes.  I do appreciate how they actually put Eponine in boy's clothes for these scenes-- the trench coat and Gus Pike hat get the meaning across on stage, yes, but they aren't terribly believable.  Especially not when she has shoulder-length hair tumbling out from under the cap.  Hello?

"...we may be easy pickings, but we've got some fight..."
I hate to admit this.  I really do.  But... I'm seriously disappointed in Gavroche.  He looks nothing like the Gavroche in my head, for starters... which isn't necessarily a bad thing because I've been known to be horrified at an actor's appearance and then become quite reconciled to it. (Cough cough, Eddie Redmayne, cough cough.)  But in the few pictures I've found of Daniel Huttlestone, I see none (or very little) of the swaggering, devil-may-care bravado that he exudes in the book and on stage.  Picky as it may sound, I don't think either Adam Searles (who's going to be a traveler at The Sergeant of Waterloo!  Woo-hoo!) or Robert Madge got the part quite right in the concerts.  I've seen about as many versions of Gavroche as there are on YouTube, and IactuallythinkNickJonaslooksthemostliketheGavrocheinmyhead.  *runs into barricade to hide*

In all seriousness, though, I still haven't yet seen a Gavroche who was just right.  I could be wrong about this one, of course... but I am never wrong.  (Don't you just love how Princess Bride quotes fit every occasion?)


"Marius.  Dude.  If you want to hit the target, the water pistol has to go UP.  It's physics."
"Okay, Enjo."

Sorry.  But that's what I think of every time I see this picture.  :P

"Please take this letter to Cosette and pray to God that she's still there..."
Actually I think in this picture Marius is reading the letter FROM Cosette, not HIS letter TO Cosette.  Yep, they've changed that bit... with mixed feelings on my part because something else has been changed as well.  It's more book-accurate now, which is good, but a small part of a certain character's sacrifice has been changed, so... I'm not sure how I feel about it.

"Cosette... now I remember.  Cosette... how can it be?"
I can't emphasize enough how high my hopes are for Samantha Barks as Eponine.  I'm almost afraid she's going to boot Lea Salonga off her pedestal as Best Eponine Ever in the History of Theater.  Several aspects of Eponine's role have been slightly altered--for one thing, "On My Own" is sung in Act One, before "One Day More"--and one other big thing has been changed (to match what happened in the book...) and I'm throwing confetti because of it. (Hint, hint... just imagine "Little Fall of Rain" becoming even more heartbreaking, 'kay?)  Oh, and do you want to see a wee clip of OMO?  Of course you do.

"Have you asked of yourselves, what's the price you might pay?
Is it simply a game for rich young boys to play?"
This is my favorite picture of Enjo so far--my Tuppence-like intuition tells me it takes place during "Drink With Me."  (I'm actually just guessing... I have no idea.)  The haunted expression on his face, the solemn looking back over what's happened... I sometimes forget just how much responsibility Enjolras bore on his shoulders.  He was the one in charge, the leader of all those schoolboys who were never told that a summer day could kill.  When you remember that Enjolras was barely twenty in the book (and seemed so much younger that people thought him only seventeen), it makes it all the more poignant that he took on himself the task of bringing so many others together to sing the music of a people who would not be slaves again.

"What a pity!" said Combeferre.  "What a hideous thing these butcheries are! ...Enjolras, you are aiming at that sergeant, you are not looking at him.  Just think that he is a charming young man; he is intrepid; you see that he is a thinker; these young artillery-men are well educated; he has a father, a mother, a family; his in love probably; he is at most twenty-five years old; he might be your brother."
"He is," said Enjolras.
"Yes," said Combeferre, "and mine also.  Well, don't let us kill him."
"Let me alone.  We must do what we must."
And a tear rolled slowly down Enjolras' marble cheek.
~Volume Five- Jean Valjean, Book One- War Between Four Walls, Chapter Eight- The Gunners Produce a Serious Impression

"If I have to kill you here, I'll do what must be done!"
I'm not quite sure how I feel about having a sort-of sword-fight in the Confrontation scene.  I've never seen that song performed outside of the concerts, in which they don't do any physical fighting, but from what I've read this part is usually performed with a fistfight.   Which I think just seems to fit the song better.  However, though Valjean gives himself up to Javert in the book, there IS this little wee part:
There stood in the corner of the room an old iron bedstead in a dilapidated condition... Jean Valjean went to the bed, wrenched out the rickety head bar--a thing easy for muscles like his--in the twinkling of an eye, and with the bar in his clenched fist, looked at Javert.  Javert recoiled towards the door.  Jean Valjean, his iron bar in hand, walked slowly towards the bed of Fantine.  On reaching it, he turned and said to Javert in a voice that could scarcely be heard:
"I advise you not to disturb me any more."
~Volume One- Fantine, Book Eight- Counter-Stroke, Chapter Four- Authority Resumes Its Sway

"Would you weep, Cosette, should Marius fall? Would you weep, Cosette?  For me?"

"Marius was a romantic stereotype," Eddie Redmayne said in a fantastic interview for Vogue.  (go read it!) "So we went back to the book and found all these moments that showed he was more than just a guy running down the street singing about his love."  While the whole "guy running down the street singing about his love" thing is really more West Side Story than Les Mis, I am very pleased that the movie's interpretation of Marius seems to be a blend of his idealistic puppy-love and his firebrand patriotism.  Hold your ears, Puddle, for I am about to commit heresy, but I think Michael Ball didn't quite convey everything about Marius' character.  His interpretation in the 10th concert shows Marius' heart-full-of-love side, but not as much of his begone-or-I'll-blow-up-the-barricade side.  This is mostly the producers' fault, I think, for not including "The Second Attack"--that is, Marius' blow-up-the-barricade moments DO occur in the musical, just not in the concerts--but I'm glad to see that the book's Marius is going to get better treatment from the director in the movie.  And the heart full of love will most certainly not be neglected-- go here to melt into a puddle (aka watch a bit of the Cosette and Marius scene).

(The opinions expressed above do not reflect any kind of negative opinion whatsoever about Michael Ball, his acting ability, his voice, et cetera and should not be taken as such. Furthermore, Eddie Redmayne publicly stated that he considers Michael Ball the ultimate Marius.  So there, Marilla. :D)



I am still not overly thrilled with Russell Crowe's voice.  (There.  I said it.)  I agree with Petie that he's going to make an awesome Javert nonetheless (the nonetheless is mine, not hers), and with Rachel that perhaps the clipped, restrained way of singing is actually better for a man such as Javert, but I'm still kind of wishing that Norm Lewis could have been hired to dub his voice.  Because that would have been phenomenal.  Take a look at this scene and tell me what you think.  My first reaction was "How dare they change the lyrics?????" but on the whole it's quite good, even with the messed-up words.  My approval has been given.  

Also, is it just me or does Russell Crowe actually kinda look like Philip Quast?  Minus the beard, of course.  And I'm not so thrilled with his hat... I prefer the classical bicorn but you can't have everything.  The coat is fabulous.  We will leave it at that.

Eighteen days more until the public gets to see it! On a scale of Javert-at-Fantine's-arrest to Marius-at-the-barricades, how excited are you?

17 comments:

Melody said...

Eighteen days till CHRISTMAS.

:D

Just sayin'.

Elizabeth said...

I am so, so, soooo excited!!!!!!!!! I can hardly wait until I am old enough to see it! I loved all of this post!

Anne-girl said...

Me? I'm "Amy watching Marius at the barricades"

Translates as a twelve on a scale of one to ten.

Or a Anne-girl if Percy showed up in Les miz {which translates to a seventeen}

Anna said...

ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY BEYOND EXCITED!!! It is going to be an incredible movie. Combine Ramin Karimloo singing "barricades of freedom" along with Eddie singing what I anticipate being an amazing Empty Chairs at Empty Tables to Marius' excitement to marry Cosette, those combined might come somewhere close to how excited I am. : )

Eddie is amazing. Period. He will be the first Marius to have an incredible voice and good looks. He will be perfect.

Little fall of rain will be amazing too.

I am going to bawl my eyes out in Drink with Me. Like I won't even be able to see anything through my tears. Not only because its just a sad song and because I can't face Enjo dying, especially when he's that cute. I still haven't heard him sing though. Ramin was out of this world so we'll have to see. It took me a while but I've reconciled to his looks and now think he's very handsome.

Valjean and Cosette are the cutest things EVER together. Valjean seems so loving and kind. You can't help but smile when you see the picture.

I haven't heard a good recording and song of Aaron Tveit's singing so I'll have to see. I'm not sure anyone can stand up to Ramin's "barricades of freedom." Not that I would know after listening to that one line ten bajillion times...

The barricade is perfect.

Haven't seen Gavroche act or sing but I think he has the looks down.

On my own will be AMAZING.

Again I say I will completely break down in Drink with me, personally its the saddest song in Les Mis because I know almost everyone one of them is going to die, its not just one person, but lots. If they do the Combeferre and Enjolras scene with Enjolras crying, I seriously think I will not recover for a year. I will positively die. I'm not sure I could actually watch it all the way through. It would be just too sad.

Marius is the cutest thing ever when he completely stutters over his words in a heart full of love. : )

It has taken me awhile to adjust to Russel Crowe but after hearing him sing and contemplating it, I like him. He's very different then any other Javert but will still do a great job.

Feel free to write more Les mis posts! I will read everyone over and over again. : )

Alexandra said...

EIGHTEEN DAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYS!!!!!!!!!

Eeeeeps. :)

I am sooooooooooooo excited! On a scale of one to ten I'm like, fifty. :D CANNA wait.

Oh, and as one-who-is-an-expert now (yeahhh right :-P), there IS fighting in the Confrontation...at one point Valjean overtakes Javert and has him in a kinda strangle hold thing with the handcuffs and then knocks him over. And then does the whole "this I swear to you" while Javert's staggering on the floor (which makes sense as I was always wondering WHY he would just stand there and let him say all that) and then Valjean punches him and knocks him out. So yeah. :)

OH. MY. WORD. I just had an epiphany when Anne mentioned Percy. Email headed your way. :-P

Anne is going to knock Fantine out of the park. SO excited about it. She will definitely be my favorite Fantine, I can tell.

Little Fall of Rain! Pleaaaaase, Samantha, act like you're dying and I will revoke anything ever said about you not being great. Please. :)

After seeing clips of Aaron in Wicked (and without the hair ;)), I am quite reconciled to his Enjo. I think he'll be great (and I think he's cute sans Enjo hair. Yup.)

The little Cosette/Valjean interaction is PRECIOUS in the musical...it's going to be simply heartmelting. The teeeeny snippets in the trailer have convinced me that however he may lack vocally (not saying he will...just saying), Hugh is going to be one FANTASTIC Valjean. As for Who am I...I like it. It's a movie, it's not projecting for hundreds of people on a stage, where you have to overemphasise everything. They have to make the singing all the way through realistic, so I understand sacrificing some of the singing for acting purposes. :)

COLM!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all I need to know.

Again, after seeing the musical I think that seeing the scale of how small they were compared to the huge crowd of soldiers is going to be tragically amazing.

Um....that's not Marius. Gah, I know who it is...just can't remmeber. (in the pic with Samantha).

Awwww, give the widdle guy a chance. Our Gavroche was adorable, BTW. :)

Are you talking the whole Eponine at the barricade part as far as certain people's sacrifice? Because I *know* What they were trying to say...but when I read the script I couldn't figure out how it happened.

Eddie might just become my favorite Marius. We shall seeeeeeee. :)

As for Russell...he's going to have a hard time beating Andrew Valera...he was soooo amazing. But we'll live. :D Just please don't butcher Stars. :D Jon and Mom and I were saying this morning that the biggest thing is that they're all INCREDIBLE actors. If you had gorgeous singers who couldn't act, this movie would fall flat. With so much drama in the story, you NEED extremely good actors. And when it all boils down to it, that's what they are. They just are able to sing, too. :)

Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emily Ann Putzke said...

I CAN'T WAIT!!!! It's going to be awesome. And I loved this post.=)

Caroline L. said...

Ah HA! I was wondering when your next Les Mis post was coming! I knew after the song clips surfaced on youtube that you wouldn't be far behind.

I am just so beside myself over the gloriousness of the pictures and songs.

Hehe, Gareth's "fishy, fishy" performance.

*weeps for absence of Red Vest of Power*

I'm so delighted that this film seems to play up Cosette and Valjean's relationship. For something so central to the story, their deep love for each other seems rather lacking in the musical. Did you watch the Les Mis clip about "Suddenly"? I cannot wait to hear this new song!

Yes, when I saw the bishop's picture, I literally squealed "COLM!" He looks just perfect and pleasant for Bishop Myriel. I'm reading the book now, and I can't help picturing him.

*GASP* You. Read. The. Script???? I forced myself to refrain from reading it. I asked myself, "To spoil or not to spoil?" I chose not.

What do I think about Hugh's "Who Am I?" Well, I think that it could be marvelous or disappointing, depending on how he ends the song. I'm really hoping for a big, belt-y finish with 24061. However, in the bitty clip we have (and how I cherish my itty-bitty clips), Hugh's acting is superb.

We'll see about Aaron Tveit as beloved Enjoras, we'll see. Ain't heard a peep out of him for this film yet. Hmmmm....

And Gavroche. He certainly has the cute part down. Gavroche, no matter how swagger-y and confident he is, must be cute. Too many child stars for films just aren't that adorable. And, *whispers cautiously* I agree with you about you-know-who being a pretty good Gavroche.

Oh, I'm afraid Samantha has already dethroned Lea in my mind. She is Eponine to perfection.

I like the idea of a sword in the Confrontation. Gives me evil little thrills of delight. Mwahahahaaaaa.

Since you ask, I do like Crowe's voice. No, he's not Quast or Lewis, but I never expected him to be. I thought he was marvelous in the clip. His outfit is great, isn't it? I do like his hat very muchly.

Now I'm all keyed up and nothing will do except to watch all the trailers and clips on the Les Mis Film channel. Au revior, and only 18 Days MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE.

Arielle Melody Bailey said...

ANOTHER LES MIS POST!!!! *Pulls up comment box, settles down to read.* *Also pulls up an email blank for the things I wouldn't say on Blogger.* :)

(Mental note to self, finish Les Mis premieres post as soon as you're done reading this.)

LOVE that poster! It is TERRIFIC!

I am THRILLED about the shot of Marius on a horse!! It just captures the whole spirit of the barricades in that one shot.

Marius and Cosette are TOO ADORABLE together!!

VALJEAN AND FANTINE!!!! This scene is going to be GREAT!

WOWOWOWOW!!!!! MARIUS AND EPONINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, the pic of Marius on a horse was my favorite until I saw this one. I love Samantha as Eponine!!

YAYAYAYAYAYAYYAY!!!!!!!!!!!! THE ABC CAFE!!!!!!!!!!! This is my favorite part of the book and the musical!!!!! I am SOOOO looking forward to this. This pic now ties with the one right above it for my top favorite. Fra Fee! And yes, I do believe that is Alistair Brammer to the left. Also, I think Killian Donnelly is the one in the background at the other table- the one in the middle whose profile is turned toward the camera.

AWWWWW!! Valjean and Cosette!! CUTE!!

COLM!!!!!!! I KNEW IT!!! I KNEW he would be perfect for this role!!!

Yeah, I'm not so sure about Jackman's Who Am I. Again, though, it may be better in the movie than it has appeared so far in the trailers.

ENJOLRAS!!!!!!!!!!! One of my top favorite three characters! Aaron had better do a good job of him or I am going to one unhappy person.

MARIUS AND EPONINE BEHIND THE BARRICADE!!!!! Can I just say right now that I think their scenes are going to tear my heart apart?!

The barricade set was the first time they had used that particular stage, if I remember correctly. I'll have to see if I can find that info....

BEHIND THE SCENES!!! I ADORE behind the scenes pictures, footage and interviews. It is my second favorite part of a movie. I think that is one of the West End cast with Samantha. My guess is either Fra Fee or Killian Donnelly. I think it is Fra, because I think Killian is taller than that.

Aww, Gavroche! Robert Madge was my favorite stage Gavroche. I don't mind the way Daniel looks, but I really hope he'll be able to act the part properly.

THE BARRICADE!!!!! Even though I know this a promo shot, I love it! And I think there is Alistair again, right below Marius.

Awww!! Marius and the letter! Too cute.

SAMANTHA AS EPONINE!!!! You know, I'm not sure I've told you this yet, but I actually liked Samantha's portrayal in the 25th a tiny bit better than Lea's in the 10th. And I am BEYOND THRILLED that she is playing the part in the movie.

ENJO AGAIN!! I really think he is going to be good in this role. Not RK or MM but good.

Hmm, not so sure about the confrontation in the hospital scene.

I'm pretty sure Eddie is going to be my favorite Marius. Michael Ball was good, but I totally agree he didn't show Marius' patriotic, sterner side. And I don't think he portrayed Marius' vulnerability either. I think Eddie is going to be just about PERFECT.

Yeah, I'm not super happy about Crowe's voice either, but I think his acting will be fantastic.

Well, considering that probably one third of this comment is made up of ALL CAPS and exclamation points!!!! I can say without a doubt I am OVER THE TOP jumping all over the place with excitement. :)

I just walked up into the living room and my family is now rolling their eyes over my extreme excitement. The poor dears! Having to put up with my gushing over not just Les Mis but also The Hobbit. :)

Rachel Heffington said...

This post made me SMILE! <3 I was personally pleased with Javert's acting/singing in that scene. See, what we're all forgetting is that they are making it more natural than on stage. So that it won't seem odd that Javert bursts into song. So his muttering threats at Valjean that happen to have a humm-ish sort of tune to them is actually going to make you forget they're singing. So I give my approval on that.

I'm hoping the same can be said for "Who Am I?" I am with you...it was a little disconcerting that he didn't belt anything out in that little clip...I really hope he does.

And YES! Russell Crowe DOES look like Quast! I told Sarah that weeks ago!

I already love Samantha! <3 <3<3

Anonymous said...

THIS WILL BE THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!!!

It actually sounds like I might be going to see it in theaters!! SCREEAAAAAM. We'll have to see though! Praying and keeping my fingers crossed!! :D

Anonymous said...

GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

I cna't wait. Really and truly. If I thought my dad wouldn't murder me, I'd go see it on Christmas Day. (Hey, wait... Midnight on Christmas Eve.....) Talking to some friends last night about how excited we were and it made me all the more excited!

Love the pictures, Amy!!!

Eowyn

Scullery Maid said...

OHHHHHHHBOYYYYY!!!!!!!!
Thanks to Pinterest I've already seen most of this, But I, for one,will NOT complain of a chance to Ooohhh and Aahhh over it again! I THINK RUSSELL CROWE WILL BE GREAT! My mom said she does'nt think he'll be a villainous villain, because he usually plays the good guy(I know,I KNOW, Javert isn't exactly the villain, but what else do you call him?)But I think he will do just fine.
Is anyone else going in costume?
Depend upon it, my brother WILL dress as Enjolras, whatever may be his objection, or my own.(Not that I have any objection, but some quotes MUST be finished, however inaccurate they be)
One thing I must know: Am I likely to finish the brick by Dec. 23? I'm at Vol. 4 Book 10, chapter 1. Have I gotten past all the long, rather unnecessary(IMO)descriptions?

Marcia Brady said...

Words cannot describe how excited I am for this movie!! I'm probably going to end up seeing it alone, and being that freak that sings all the songs obnoxiously loud haha :)

The Brunette in the Kitchen said...

Wow. This looks amazing!

Miss Dashwood said...

Mellow D.,
No, it's thirteen days until Christmas. :D

Molly,
ME TOOOOOOOO!

Anne-girl,
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Please, dear. Amy watching Marius at the barricades is, like, a twenty-four. Really, now.
:P

Anna,
Yay, a lovely long comment! :D
I have to disagree with the statement that Eddie is the first Marius to combine an incredible voice and good looks... have you seen Michael Ball in the 10th Anniversary Concert? ;)
Drink With Me IS an incredibly sad song... I think you might be right about its being the saddest (or very close to it, anyway). Wait, does Enjolras cry in the book??? I don't even remember that part! Of course, I've only read an abridged version so maybe that was cut-- I'm working through the Real Thing right now and enjoying every minute. Even the Waterloo descriptions. :D
LOVE Marius' stutter! It's adorable!
Oh, I'll definitely be writing more Les Mis posts. Thanks for your delightful comment! :D

Ally,
THANK YOU for that bit about the play! I'd always wondered why Javert doesn't just throttle Valjean while he's singing to Fantine. Makes total sense now. Eeeeep, that scene's going to be SO GOOD.
The epiphany. It was awesome. :D
I'm POSITIVE Samantha's going to do a phenomenal job with Little Fall. I feel it in my bones.
Yeah, Aaron's very good-looking sans the Enjo hair (I've seen pics of him as Fiyero) but the problem is that he HAS the stupid hair in the movie. Argh. :P
About the certain character's sacrifice... I'm trying to be guarded here... eh, I'll just email you. :P
Eddie might just become my favorite Marius too... although MB is still my Ultimate Favorite of All Time. No, those two statements do NOT contradict one another.
YES, RUSSELL CROWE, DON'T BUTCHER STARS. But you're right about the acting. I just firmly believe that good singing and good acting can go together.

Emily,
So glad you liked it! I can't wait either!

Miss Dashwood said...

Caroline L.,
Heehee, 'twould seem you know me well. ;)
Yep, I saw the "Suddenly" clip--it's going to be SO GOOD. YAY!
And yes, I read the script... my reasoning was that I'd already seen most of the play, I'd already read the book-- I knew what was going to happen and I couldn't resist finding out HOW it was to happen. Of course I still don't know how it's all going to look and sound. :D
The acting is superb, yes, but I fear he won't do justice to "24601!" But then again, that line belongs to Colm and no one else can ever do it properly, the end, so maybe I shouldn't have such high expectations.
Haha, I have evil little thrills of delight at the sword too. ;)

Miss Melody Muffin,
I love it when you pull up the comment box while you read. :D My reply to your email is coming soon, I promise!
YES! Marius on a horse is just amazing. It's a pity they never could do that on stage.
Yep, I think you're right about Killian Donnelly! He shows up in the trailer too--NOT my favorite Enjolras but it's exciting to spot a familiar face nonetheless.
Oh yes, the barricade scenes are going to tear my heart out, rip it into tiny pieces and stomp on it. I'm not sure if that picture is Killian OR Fra Fee-- Fra has really curly hair (see the ABC cafe picture) and Killian's blond.
I think MB did an awesomeness-sauce job of portraying Marius' vulnerability, thankyouverymuch, :P but I agree, Eddie's going to be really good at showing both sides. PERFECT, YES.
Yep, I'm over the top too-- only I'm trying to restrain myself when my family's around. Wouldn't want them to ship me off to Hong Kong. :P

Rachel,
But... but I don't WANT to forget that they're singing! I see your point, of course, and a very good point it is too (thank you, Jeeves :D) but I'm still sticking to my guns: Javert is supposed to blast out the back seats in the theater. Period.
So is Valjean. So yeah, we'll have to wait and see with "Who Am I?"
Oooh, so glad you agree with me about the similarity! It's just The Javert Look, I think. :D

Puddle,
YES INDEED! Oh, I do hope you get to see it!

Eowyn,
I CAN'T WAIT EITHER!

Scullery Maid,
Well, but Javert really isn't supposed to be a villainous villain-- remember, in his own mind, he IS the good guy. Though I suppose that could be said for any villain. So I think Crowe is going to be perfect in that respect.
Oh my goodness, you're going to the premiere in costume??? How splendiferous!! Who are you going to be?
I think you've gotten past most of the Long Descriptions, save the Legendary Sewer One. :P I'm still in Volume Two... I better get a move on!

Marcia Brady,
Heehee, well, here on this blog you're in the company of many similar freaks. :D

Gracie,
I have no doubt it will be!

Scullery Maid said...

I'm going as Eponine C: