Les Miserables - A Tale of Redemption

Les Miserables - A Tale of Redemption

Today, after a busy day of showing houses, I met my family to see the new movie version of Les Miserables. Having seen the stage version twice before, I was anxious to see how they were going to pull off this extraordinary musical on film. With a background in musical theater and a daughter who is a music major and still performs, I consider myself more immersed in musical performances than the average person. I suspected going in that this type of movie was not going to be for everyone.

The movie is almost entirely done in song, much like an opera. There is very little dialogue to help with the transitions. I felt I had an advantage going into the movie as I already knew the story line. The film shifts quickly from one scene to the next, putting those who may not have seen the live performance or read the book at a disadvantage. Some movie-goers may have been a little lost--not realizing what had just happened.

I remember the first time I saw Les Miserables live. It must have been at least 20-plus years ago at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago. The entire production was a wow--from the music to the incredible staging to the unbelievable acting. I didn't think there would ever be anything that would compare to that experience.

While many of the critics have panned this movie because of the director's choice to film close-ups of the actors while singing, this is the very thing that drew me in. Every word of each song was clearly understood and you could see the pain in their faces and hear the suffering in their voices. Something that is impossible to do in a live performance.

In the stage version, much of the true meaning of the play can be lost in all the hype of the big production. The story, however, is simply a tale of sin and redemption.

Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is imprisoned for 19 years for stealing bread to feed his sister's starving child. When he is finally released, his papers state that he is a danger to society. This makes it impossible for him to find legitimate work. Cold and starving, he is taken in by a priest who offers him food and a warm place to stay. However, Valjean decides to steal the silver from the church. He is quickly apprehended. When brought back to the church so the priest might accuse him of his crime, the priest tells the police that he gave the silver to Valjean and offers him two more candlesticks. One word from the priest and Valjean would have been back in prison.

As a result of the grace extended to him by the priest, Valjean decides to turn his life around and do good. Unfortunately, he violates his parole which leads Javert (Russell Crowe), a tireless police inspector, to pursue him. 

Much of the story is of Valjean extending the same grace that was extended to him to others. Javert, on the other hand, believes that every crime must be punished. Even when Valjean extends grace to Javert and spares his life, Javert comes back to hunt Valjean down.

The film is incredibly moving as you follow these characters through many years. There is much more to this story but I don't want to give it all away for those who may be unfamiliar with it.

This movie is not meant for everyone. However, we all have done wrong at some point in our life. Fortunately, we aren't imprisoned for something as minor as stealing a loaf of bread. As one who has been extended grace many times over, I found the story of redemption a reminder to me of how fortunate I am that I have been forgiven.