2012 - Dir.: Tom Hooper - 2 hr 40 minsShown at The FeckenOdeon on 28th September, 2013
Oh, how musicals divide us! Some of us
love them, some of us hate them... and some of us don’t quite know what to make
of them - especially when they’re as quirkily made as this one. This is a film
based on a stage show based on a play based on a book. All the previous
incarnations were incredibly successful. The novel, written by Victor Hugo in
1862, was a best seller in many lands and in many languages. Hugo’s text is regarded as a great humanitarian work that
encourages compassion and hope in the face of adversity and injustice. The
musical version originally appeared in 1985 as a collaboration between the
Royal Shakespeare Company and impresario Cameron Mackintosh - it continues in
the West End, on tour and on stage throughout the world. When the movie was proposed
it was widely expected that it would be a glossily made and star studded
extravaganza - a faithful, OTT, big screen version of the stage show.... but
then Tom Hooper got involved. Mr Hooper, an experienced TV director, came fresh
from his first big screen success in the form of “The King’s Speech” and Mr
Hooper had his own ideas. To start with he didn’t cast singers in the leads.
Instead he chose singing actors (as well as some who hadn’t done singing at
all). His second decision was to make his actors sing throughout - making it
more of an opera than a musical. The success or otherwise of this approach has
been the subject of much debate - you will doubtless make up your own minds as
you watch tonight’s show. What can be said without pre-judging is that there
has been nothing like this attempted ever before and that Mr Hooper is a brave
man to tackle a “national treasure” in this very bold and imaginative way.
