So everyone or at the very least a lot of people love this movie. Maybe that’s why I initially was annoyed to see it. I felt like this was a movie that a lot of girls would swoon about. Especially girls who loved to sing, dance, and who dabbled ballet- because let’s face it, it is musical theatre. Or that they would be drawn to it because of the romantic notion of Fantine- who has a bit of a cinderella aspect to her. I mean I knew that the story was never really just about that, it showcased the misfortunes of people who were living in pre-French revolution standards yet 30 years post French revolution. I should also add that I have never been a super fan of musicals. I mean I have liked them.. but never totally been in love with them. So I was a little prejudiced.
But I ended up liking the movie. I take that back- I ended up loving the movie!! I loved it because they showed they were afraid to show the gritty strife of some of the characters. They showed Hugh Jackson struggling as a convict and they also showed the gut-wrenching suffering Fantine had to endure. And as I mentioned in the preview, this was a truly ensemble cast. They truly transformed themselves physically for the role, most of them sang greatly ( or at least one of them..Russell Crowe gave a good effort), and they also hit the emotional notes well with their acting and singing combined.
Th Cinematography was superb, the way it was done made it seem like this was more of an action movie. It seemed like the camerawork zoomed in on Jackman’s face and it just seemed so dynamic and as if we were rowing along with him. I believe the camerawork added this thrilling quality to the film. The costumes were great and so was the art direction. Fantine’s beautiful pink dress was lovely and I love how art direction made everyone else in the factory wear gray but hers was this sweet, innocent, angelic pink. Which exemplifies Fantine and makes her standout from the crowd. Great work! In sum, this movie was a great and was so much more than what I originally thought- which was a film whose was poetic gestures would capture the mind and hearts of romantics. But it is something which captures all of life’s important moments- love, sorrow, sometimes torture, loss, triumph, a good fight, and of course redemption.
