If Victor Hugo were alive today he would be a multi-millionaire considering how many times his most famous novel has been filmed by Hollywood over the years. It took him 17 years to write the novel and it's still in print so he would also have a steady income. Overall I think he would have liked all the film versions of "Les Miserables" going all the way back to the earliest known silent version released by the Fox Film Co in 1919. There have been many film versions since, both English and French productions. I've always liked this 1998 version starring Liam Neeson(Jean Valjean) and Geoffrey Rush(Inspector Javert) ever since I saw it during it's original release in the theatre. I was hoping that it would someday be released on blu ray and got my wish earliar this week. I can only assume it's because of the new musical version that's hitting the theatres with Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe in the leads. I have both the 1935 and 1952 B&W versions that 20th Century-Fox released a number of years ago and have seen the current Broadway musical twice so I'm very familar with the story. I won't go over it but it's the ultimate story of redemption, faith and love which is something that everyone needs in these troubled times. Those themes are certainly brought out in this beautifully restored blu ray film directed by Bille August. Jorgen Persson's cinematography looks stunning on blu ray(aspect ratio: 2.40.1) and the Paris and Czech Republic locations have never looked better. The audio is superb too. The folks at Sony deserve a lot of credit for making this blu ray pop off the screen. The principle actors(Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman and Claire Danes) give some of the best performances of their careers. The scenes between Neeson and Thurman's characters are both touching and heartwrenching. I've always thought that this was Uma Thurman's best performance and seeing it again after all these years only confirms that. Neeson's scenes with the young Clare Danes are equally touching and he more than holds his own whenever he and Rush on screen together. Geoffrey Rush's unsympathetic portrait of Javert will send chills down your spine. This version is 134 mins long and contains the following subtitles: English, English SDH, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese and Swedish. Audio is: English, French(PAR), Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Portuguese Dolby Surround. There are no special features except the original trailer. This Sony blu ray release gets my highest recommendation.
But "Les Miserables" (which translates to "The Wretched" or "The Poor Ones") goes back even further. More than 100 years into the past, when it was first written by Victor Hugo as a French historical fiction novel in 1862. Considered as one of the greatest novels of the 19th century, the film has been entertaining generation after generation from its first film ("Victor Hugo et les principaux personnages des misérables") back in 1897 courtesy of the Lumiere Brothers and countless adaptations since.
But its first big budget film adaptation was in 1998 courtesy of a film directed by Billie August ("House of the Spirits", "Pelle the Conqueror") and a screenplay by Rafael Yglesias ("Fearless", "From Hell") which was loosely based on Hugo's popular novel. As the film adaptation was similar to Hugo's novel, some characters who had a more prominent role in the book were removed entirely or their presence lessened in the film version as the primary focus is on the character of Jean Valjean.
In December 2012, a new British film for "Les Miserables" was released in theaters, but where this version of the film was a musical, the 1998 film was not. And now, the 1998 version of the film will be released on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
VIDEO:
"Les Miserables" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1). Part of me was wondering if this film would look soft and how the clarity would look compared to the original DVD release. And I was quite pleased with how the film looked overall. During the outdoor sequences, especially during the parade, the scene looked vibrant and colorful. Indoor scenes were well-lit, even though the film was trying to capture certain scenes with less lighting, I didn't see any noise during those scenes. Closeups on the faces of the characters were well-detailed and clarity was much more apparent in the closeups of the scenes vs. its older DVD counterpart. Cinematography by Jorgen Persson ("My Life as a Dog", "The House of Spirits") was beautifully done!
Overall, picture quality was very good and I noticed no artifacts, banding or aliasing.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
"Les Miserables" is presented in English, French and Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD MA and Portuguese Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The film is not a musical, so dialogue the film is primarily dialogue driven. Until the film gets to the scenes of the parade and revolt, the surround channels are then utilized for crowd ambiance but also gunfire. A musical score by Basil Poledouris ("Starship Troopers", "The Hunt for Red October", "Conan the Barbarian", "Robocop") is also featured throughout the film. But for the most part, the majority of the film is dialogue driven through the front and center-channels.
Subtitles are in English SDH, English, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese and Swedish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Les Miserables" comes with the following special feature:
A First Look at Les Miserables (3:39) A short special feature featuring interviews with the cast of "Les Miserables".
EXTRAS:
"Les Miserables" comes with an UltraViolet code which allows you to download the movie to your computer and select Apple and Android devices and stream to computers, tables or smartphones.
JUDGMENT CALL:
I was very fortunate to be introduced to "Les Miserables" back during my high school years. As a person who took part in theater and one who enjoyed singing, I fell in love with the "Les Miserables" soundtrack and of course, the musical itself.
But when I heard that "Les Miserables" was being adapted into a film, I didn't know how they could do it. As TV series before (and after) the 1998 film had to be shown as a mini-series because of its number of characters and how big the story is, there was just not much you can do with a 2 hr. film, unless a lot of storyline is cut out of the film.
But upon watching the film for the first time, many years ago, the focus on the character of Jean Valjean would make sense. Eliminating the musical segments, Cosette not playing a major role, until she is older was a major change, not showcasing Eponine or Azelma changes the story a lot and most importantly, by not focusing too much on the love between Marius and Cosette especially the involvement of the Thernardiers towards the end. The story has changed a lot for the film adaptation.
While I know purists who loved the musical or the novel may have cried foul that the story was changed, I felt that to make "Les Miserables" to a film without any sequels or to make it last over 3 hours long, to keep things within budget, important decisions of what trim had to be made. And in order to create a modified storyline of the novel without these characters, major changes had to be made. And for that, screenwriter Rafael Yglesias was able to successfully write a film that tries to keep the heart and soul of "Les Miserable" but also to keep the image of Jean Valjean as not only as a hero but a compassionate man who was able to change his life from an ex-convict to a mayor and as an industrialist who gave people a chance., because even he himself was given a second chance to change his life.
Liam Neeson did a wonderful job of playing the former convict, turned good guy and later on, father. This was a complex character which Neeson played with efficacy. But with Neeson highlighting his skills, you need an antagonist to match up with him and Geoffrey Rush played the role of Javert amazingly well. A conceited man, a stubborn man and a driven man, obsessed with catching Valjean, Rush did an amazing job portraying this role.
While hardcore "Les Miserables" fans may also be ticked that the storyline of Cosette and Marius was changed drastically, writer Rafael Ygleasias was able to show that the two characters love one another, but also to show the relationship between Cosette and her papa Valjean. But the changes made for this film adaptation was to inspire hope but also to bring things full circle with a new storyline that shapes the final half of the film. But Claire Danes was able to take Cosette's character and showcase a teen who has found love, while Hans Matheson was able to portray the role of a young man, so much in love, but also a man dedicated to the revolution.
Sure, it's sad that the revolution, Eponine, the Thernardiers play a smaller or non-existent role in this film adaptation. But once again, considering the changes that had to be made in order to keep the film to a little over two hours long, major cuts and restructuring of the plot to fit this duration had to be made.
As for the Blu-ray release, compared to its previous DVD outlet the film looks better on Blu-ray but the noticeable aspect of the film in HD is its lossless soundtrack and bringing the ambiance of crowds and gunfire to this film, made things much more enjoyable this time around. I do believe that if you enjoyed this film and own it on DVD, it is worth upgrading to Blu-ray! Special features only feature the one "A First Look at Les Miserables" featurette and that is it.
Overall, the 1998 film "Les Miserables" may not be the same storyline that people watched in a musical, nor is it exactly what the original Victor Hugo novel had featured with its many characters and longer storyline. But to create a film adaptation of "Les Miserable" for a two hour film, it' s not an easy task. Yet, filmmaker Billie August and writer Rafael Yglesias were both able to create a film that may be different from the original novel but yet manages to be exciting and compelling.
"Les Miserables", the 1998 film adaptation is recommended!This is the best of all of the Les Miserables movies that have ever been done. Liam Neeson is more believable and compassionate as the main character. The entire cast of actors is awesome. The storyline stayed very close to the book which I feel is very important in making a good movie.
Read Best Reviews of Les Miserables (1998) Here
I have seen the play on Broadway, and several versions of the movie (most notably, the Liam Neason one), and have enjoyed them tremendously. This version, however, is not in that category. The singing was terrible and off-key. The dialog was all sung(?), if you want to call that singing. The acting was even worse than the singing. If I could have rated this in a negative, it would have been a -10.Want Les Miserables (1998) Discount?
Only the background sounds are on this copy.. I am disappointed. I have been very busy lately and havn't had the chance to send back.. probably missed the time limit.. Make sure you check the sound on your DVD's the day you get them in and return ASAP. Amazon has always been good about exchanging for a good one. I just missed the opportunity this time.Save 50% Off
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