CT>  CT>             4) Les Miserables (PG)
CT> Any movie attempting to do Les Miserables justice sure can't do it in
CT> 2 hours.  There is just too much to cover.  The focus is on the adversity
      I think there was a french movie by the same name a few years ago
that did a wonderful job of taking some of the themes of the Hugo novel
an put it in an early 20th century context.  I think it was much more 
clever than the more recent movie with Liam Neeson.
CT> between the Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush characters and this is where
CT> the film does succeed.   
      I don't entirely agree.  I certainly find no problem with their
desire to focus more on these two characters, but at times it seemed
more like I was watching The Fugitive.  I think the writers and director
could have expanded more on what they feel the relationship between 
Javert and Valjean could be.  I didn't get the impression that they 
were able to show what it was that motivated Javert's overzealous behavior.
I don't think they gave you much to consider as to why he became so 
obsessed with Jean Valjean other than being the criminal that got away.
I certainly found it odd that the slave to order, Javert, would even
suggest they force their way into a convent to search for Valjean.
      Somehow, that destroyed the servant of the old, unmerciful order,
and just turned him into an obsessed cop.  For me, it seemed Valjean 
represented a newer order where people can redeem themselves and in turn
show mercy to others no matter who they may be; where Javert is one who
believes only in order and institutions.  If the law says something, if
the church says something, then it is so and not his place to deviate or
question.  Since I no longer got that impression in the movie, it made
Javert's ultimate fate seem a lot less powerful to me.
CT> If you love Victor Hugo's classic story, it is still worth the price
CT> of admission and it is superior to the Broadway musical, and cheaper.
      I've only heard the songs of the Broadway musical, which I thought
was better written than the more recent movie.  For me, the songs worked
much like the novel could where the characters could come out and tell
you what they're thinking, some of what's motivating them; while that
approach probably couldn't be done with the movie.  
      What impressed me most about the songs from the musical was where
they showed the moral dilemnas that Valjean and Javert faced at crucial
points in the story.  Probably the one thing that really disappointed me
about the movie was that this wasn't done to the extent I would was looking
for.
      I still enjoyed the movie, but there was a lot I wasn't thrilled with
in the movie.
--- MysticToss 1.20/Pro
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