Les Miserables 2000

[Adriene]

Les Misrables (English: "Wretched") is a 2000 French television miniseries based on the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. It was broadcast in four ninety-minute parts. The adaptation makes large changes to the novel throughout, adding many subplots that were not present in the original story and radically altering characterizations. Some of the changes include adding a subplot where Javert "goes undercover" as a student in Marius's law school, and reimagining Cosette's maid Toussaint as a large mute male ex-convict manservant who eventually steals from Jean Valjean.

The original French language broadcast was critically acclaimed and is considered one of the best television adaptations, especially in its home country of France.[citation needed] However, the truncated three-hour English version was derided for bad acting and is considered very poor.[citation needed] The producers opted to co-film entire scenes in English, instead of using dubbing. The largely French ensemble struggled to deliver solid performances in English. The Italian dub, while considered great for the other characters, was strongly criticized for the very low quality dub of the character Marius, who was not dubbed by a professional dubber or voice-actor but by the same actor who, ironically, portrayed the character in the original version, and was never redubbed since then (what makes it even more ironic is the fact that the supposed actor, Enrico Lo Verso, not only was Italian but failed to dub even himself). [citation needed]

Les Misrables is a 2000 French television miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The miniseries was broadcast in four parts. A three hour English version was also released.

Jean Valjean is released from prison on parole and finds life unbearable until Monseigneur Bienvenu covers his theft of silver and gives him two silver candle sticks. Valjean breaks his parole and makes a new life as a business man and ends up being elected Mayor. His life is busy and he is unaware that Fantine a young woman who worked in his factory, has been fired and her difficult life as an unwed mother has gotten even worse. When it does come to his attention it is too late for Fantine, but he vows to care for her daughter.

The Thnardiers abuse Fantine's daughter Cosette and treat her like a servant. Valjean bargains with them for Cosette and they leave after he has paid for her. Valjean takes her to Paris to live in a convent where he takes on the role of the assistant gardener. They remain safely hidden until her schooling is finished. Valjean finds a residence in Paris, but before too long, runs into Thnardier and Javert, the inspector who has hunted him for years for breaking his parole.

The events of their lives are drawn in to a student uprising. Cosette meets and falls for a young student, Marius. Valjean fears for their safety and his freedom and decides to leave Paris and head for England, but that is the night that the student take up arms. Marius and the other students face a city unwilling to help and soon realize their cause will die with them. After intercepting a message to Cosette from Marius, Valjean joins the students and rescues Marius when he is injured. Javert intercepts them, but lets them go, committing suicide shortly after.

As Marius and Cosette prepare for their wedding, Valjean tells Marius of his past and that he must leave. Marius does not stop him. Now alone, Valjean's health quickly deteriorates. But at the wedding, Thnardier shows up and tries sell Marius dirt on Valjean. Thnardier is convinced that Valjean killed a man the night the barricades fell, but the trinket he shows Marius belonged to Marius himself and he realizes that it was Valjean who rescued him. He and Cosette race to find Valjean, but by this time he is on his death bed. They arrive just in time to say their farewells. (The events of this part of the story are often omitted from theatrcial versions of the story such as the 1935, 1952, and 1998 films.)

Les Misrables is a 2000 coproduction (chiefly French) miniseries adapting Victor Hugo's landmark novel of the same name. The miniseries reunited a good chunk of the production of 1998's The Count of Monte Cristo, including director Jose Dayan, screenwriter Didier Decoin and leading actor Grard Depardieu.

The cast was quite star-studded, with the aformentioned Depardieu as Jean Valjean, John Malkovich as Javert, Virginie Ledoyen as Cosette, Charlotte Gainsbourg as Fantine, Christian Clavier as Mr. Thnardier, Asia Argento as ponine Thnardier, Enrico Lo Verso as Marius Pontmercy, Michel Duchaussoy as Gillenormand and Jeanne Moreau as Mother Innocente.

• Adaptation Dye-Job: Fantine is a blonde in the novel, while here she has brown hair.
• Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole: Gavroche starts off older than Cosette, but still looks the same age nine years later, somehow.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Valjean admits to being in love with Cosette, whom he raised. This never happened in the novel.
• Institutional Apparel: Valjean wears a historically accurate one when he's at the penal colony (yellow trousers, white shirt, red vest, and jacket and green caps for lifers or red caps for non-lifers).
• Same Language Dub: John Malkovich (Javert) was dubbed by Edgar Givry in the version shot in French language.
• Shipped in Shackles: Cosette and Valjean watch a convoy of shackled convicts pass by at one point.
• Truer to the Text: Minus the Adaptation Relationship Overhaul mentioned above, this adaptation is considered to be one of the most faithful to the novel, covering the full arc of the story over its 6+ hours runtime.
• Unrelated in the Adaptation: Gavroche is unrelated to the Thnardier couple here, while he's their son in the novel.
• Wife Husbandry: Unlike the novel and many other versions, Valjean admits to Marius that he is in love with Cosette here.

Les Misrables est une mini-srie en coproduction franaise-italienne-allemande-amricaine-espagnole-japonaise-canadienne en 4 pisodes de 90 minutes, ralise par Jose Dayan et crite par Didier Decoin d'aprs l'œuvre de Victor Hugo et diffuse en premire diffusion partir du 4 septembre 2000 sur TF1.

La ralisatrice Jose Dayan aurait battu un record personnel de vitesse d'excution avec 80 jours de tournage pour produire plus de 6 heures de film et 3 heures supplmentaires pour la version amricaine[3].

Outre l'usine de textile au lieu de la verroterie, cette adaptation de l'œuvre de Victor Hugo contient quelques autres diffrences notables par rapport au roman. Dans le roman, Fantine est blonde (Victor Hugo le mentionne en dcrivant les admirables cheveux blonds de Fantine qu'elle s'apprtait vendre afin de payer la pension de sa fille chez les Thnardier), tandis qu'elle est brune dans le tlfilm. En outre, cette adaptation comporte une stupfiante incohrence : Gavroche a le mme ge apparent (tant interprt par le mme acteur) quand Cosette a six ans et quand elle en a dix-huit (la premire rencontre lors de l'arrive Paris de Jean Valjean et Cosette est absente du roman, o Gavroche n'apparat que dans le troisime tome, Cosette tant dj adolescente). Enfin, la fin fait de l'amour que porte Jean Valjean Cosette une attirance explicitement rotique d'un homme mr pour la femme qu'elle est devenue (imputant son dclin physique son dpit de ne pouvoir consommer ce dsir), avec une connotation incestueuse dans la mesure o il en a t le pre adoptif de facto, ce qui n'est jamais si peu que ce soit sous-entendu dans le roman[5],[6],[7]. Le scnariste Didier Decoin a justifi ce choix en dclarant : Dire que Jean Valjean est amoureux de Cosette n'est pas un coup de thtre, c'est l'me du livre. [6],[7]

Directed in 2000 by Jose Dayan, who had previously made the brilliant French mini series of The Count Of Monte Cristo, also starring Gerard Depardieu, this take on Victor Hugo's classic novel has an unusual history. Two versions were made - a six hour series for French TV (in French, of course) and a three hour version in English. Only the latter is on this DVD release, which is a terrible missed opportunity - why not include the French version, with subtitles, to give the viewer a fascinating chance to compare them?

As it is, however, the version we get features an almost entirely French cast, speaking in heavily-accented English. Now, it's no reflection on their talent or language skills to say that this is somewhat distracting. You can't help but wonder why they don't just revert to their natural tongue (the answer is that the English version was made for an American TV channel, where they don't hold with them pesky subtitles, even for a prestige production like this).

That issue aside, this is a quality mini-series, with splendid performances, a very authentic looking portrayal of the period and a mostly faithful adaptation of the book. It's abruptly abbreviated in parts - Marius's part of the story gets particular short shrift - with the longer version presumably explaining more. But the basic tragedy is clear, if rushed.

Gerard Depardieu is as reliable as ever as Jean Valjean, the ex-convict who reforms but finds that his past haunts him everywhere he goes, chiefly in the person of unforgiving policeman Javert. A habitual thief, the kindness of a bishop he meets on release from prison turns Valjean into a new man who rises to become a businessman and mayor. Yet, when another is wrongly arrested in his name, it is his new responsibility that makes him own up, abandoning all he has built.

And that, too, makes him go on the run with orphan Cosette, daughter of an unfortunate poor woman he has vowed to protect. They find sanctuary for a time, but never security. Virginie Ledoyen is a beautiful, if slightly simpering, Cosette and the French Revolution scenes, though they seem to come out of nowhere, are dramatically staged.

Unfortunately, one major part of the series doesn't quite work. John Malkovich's delivery is as flat as if it weren't HIS native language, playing Javert as a dead-eyed, passionless cipher. While it's preferable to the eye-rolling villain some versions of the tale have made him, he falls some way short of menacing into simply inscrutable. You never get a sense of why he pursues Jean Valjean so thoroughly.

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