Holy shit. I got goosebumps just watching this thing. It's no secret that Les Miserables is my favorite stage musical, however unoriginal a choice that may be. So the source material is golden, you've got an all-star cast of actors who damn-well can sing, plus an Oscar-winning director who A) has complete artistic freedom and B) arguably has to prove that his Best Director Oscar win wasn't merely a bunch of older voters screwing over David Fincher. And if I may offer a note of cautious optimism, it's all-too easy to craft a winning teaser for a popular Broadway show. This follows the same template as the first Rent teaser, where you take the most iconic song of the show and set a visual montage to it for 90-150 seconds. But we know that Anne Hathaway kills her big number (like that was ever in doubt) and that everyone else at least looks authentic while Tom Hooper seems to be emphasizing the period-specific poverty and squalor in a way that's a little tough to do on stage. It's no secret that the film will feature live on-set recordings rather than lip-syncing to pre-recorded studio sessions, and it's too early to know if that intriguing gamble paid off. Although that heart-wrenching closeup and vocal break-up at 1:05 suggests it did. But yeah, this is probably the film I most want to see after The Dark Knight Rises opens. Hell, if given the choice to see one of them right now, I'm not sure which I'd pick (okay, I'd pick Dark Knight Rises simply because I don't have the script memorized by heart). One minor marketing nitpick, the onscreen text 'The Dream Lives' is borderline tasteless considering both the obvious text of the song in question and Fantine's character arc. Anyway, Tom Hopper's Les Miserables opens on December 14th. If my wife doesn't like it, she can stay home with the kids while I take whichever of her family members wins the straw game to the press screening. If Universal has truly pulled this off, then Battleship is completely forgiven. But, for the sake of cautious optimism, I'm including the dynamite first teasers to Rent and The Phantom of the Opera after the jump.
Scott Mendelson
Coming from someone who has somehow or another never seen the play, the movie or the read the book; this teaser is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteYou got chills because Anne brings it.
ReplyDeleteSome weird, rushed editing, sound mixing and typography here - to me this seems offputting, like a workprint. That being said, there are a few great shots, as well as the beautifully heartbreaking vocals.
ReplyDeleteI didn't love The King's Speech - it felt underwhelming and false - but I like the musical, so I'm cautiously optimistic.