23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful movie about hope, August 4, 2004
"After 34 films, I am dedicated to filming hope." -Claude Lelouch
This is neither a movie based on the book or the broadway musical; it is not merely a retelling of Hugo's novel in modern times- it is a beautiful masterpiece that follows a period of time filled with fear, ignorance, oppression, suffering, miserable ones, war, greed, and betrayal. We follow the story of Henri Fortin (Jean Paul Belmondo), whose father died while trying to escape from a prison that unjustly sentenced him based on appearances. Henri Sr. was the driver of a man who commited suicide, and the police assumed that Henri Sr. killed the man. His wife, much like Fantine in the book, does everything she can to raise money for a lawyer, making her son Leopold, who she now calls Henri, work to raise money. She is forced into prostitution. Henri Sr. dies on an attempt to escape, so the wife kills herself. Henri Jr. starts a boxing career, and World War I ends. However, peaceful times never come because soon comes World War II. The Jews are being betrayed by all their friends. Henri is called a Jean Valjean because many people feel that his life parallels that of Jean Valjean. He helps a family of Jews travel towards Switzerland and gets their daughter into the Academy of the Sacred Heart for safety. As they drive they read him Les Miserables since he cannot read or write. He is amazed at the story and feels that Les Miserables can be applied to any situation in life. He starts seeing parallels to Cosette and Valjean.
It is a beautiful story that will surely make you cry! It is in French and has subtitles. I don't speak French but I had no problem with it. I read quickly and I had to rewind a couple of times because the subtitles go by so quickly, but that was no problem for me! I highly recommend this video if you want to see how Les Miserables is so true in today's world and is still a masterpiece. It is a wonderful movie! There is lots of violence in it, so it's not necessarily for younger viewers. it is beautifully done. I only hope they come out with a DVD version in the future with commentary and extras! BRAVO!
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Captures the Essence of Hugo, April 25, 2001
Carried on the winds of fate, injustice often settles upon the poor and downtrodden, whose only link to salvation may lie in the truth they carry in their hearts and the manifested courage of their convictions. And sometimes that quest for justice and truth must be mounted against all odds, as in this 1995 version of "Les Miserables," written for the screen and directed by Claude Lelouch. An imaginative retelling of the Hugo classic, Lelouch updates the story to the Twentieth Century, beginning with the stroke of midnight that ushers in the New Era. It's an inauspicious beginning of a new year for Henri Fortin (Jean-Paul Belmondo), however, as he becomes a victim of circumstance and is convicted of a crime he did not commit. As he goes off to prison, he leaves behind a wife and a young son (also named Henri), who must fend for themselves as best they can. It leads to a miserable existence for all concerned, but steels the young Henri for what is yet to come, and he quickly learns that when things seemingly cannot get any worse, they not only can, but do.
Ultimately, this becomes the story of the young Henri, whom we next encounter at the end of World War I. Now a boxer, he is soon to become a contender. By 1931, however (when we next meet him), that part of his life is behind him as well, and he has become a furniture mover; and with his own truck, he is able to at least make a passable living. But at this point, we are introduced to Andre Ziman (Michel Boujenah) who has just met the soon-to-be Mme Ziman (Alessandra Martines), who by the beginning of the Second World War are destined, along with their young daughter, Salome (Salome), to become an integral part of Henri's (also played by Jean-Paul Belmondo) life.
Henri, like his father, is illiterate; and when circumstances bring him together with the Ziman's, he is inadvertently introduced to Hugo's novel, and soon begins to realize how his own life parallels that of, initially, Cosette, and later-- and most significantly-- Jean Valjean. When they end up taking a journey together, Henri implores Ziman to read the story to him as they travel. And it's as if in the words of Hugo and the life of Jean Valjean, Henri discovers within himself all that is good and worthwhile.
Lelouch has crafted and delivered a poignant version of the familiar tale of injustice and perseverance that borders on the profound. By interspersing scenes of the Hugo story as they are being read to Henri (in which Belmondo is Jean Valjean), we see the parallels being drawn even as they become clear to Henri. The film is fraught with irony and succinctly captures the essence of Hugo's novel; it's as if Lelouch had been possessed of Hugo's spirit when he wrote the screenplay, as well as later when he brought his vision to fruition, the finished product of which has to rank among the best interpretations of the story ever.
The supporting cast includes Annie Girardot (Farmer's Wife), Philippe Leotard (Farmer), Clementine Celarie (Mme Fortin), Philippe Khorsand (Javert), Nicole Croisille (Thenardiere), Rufus (Thenardier), William Leymergie (Toureiffel) and Micheline Presle (Mother Superior). An emotionally engaging, riveting drama that will sweep you up and carry you away, "Les Miserables" is a tale of dignity and courage, and of what it takes to overcome betrayal and injustice. But even more than that, it's a study of morality; of right against wrong and of good that in the end must triumph over evil. A superior cinematic rendering of the classic story, this film-- especially for those to who love the novel-- is not to be missed.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A triumph, January 3, 2000
Claude Lelouche has truly given us a masterpiece in this version of Les Miserables. Jean-Paul Belmondo and an outstanding ensemble cast give the audience characters we believe in and truly care about.
The film runs the gamut of human emotion - from the horrors of war to the joys of young love and hope for the future. For all of the miserable things that exist in the world - this film shows us the rays of hope that truly make life worth living.
This is truly a cinematic work of art. The cinematography is beautiful and the soundtrack is profound and emotionally-charged.
Don't miss this one - it is film-making at its absolute best.
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