This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Dec. 24, 2012 - In the opening scene of "Les Miserables," a ship is being hauled into dock. At first, from on high and from a distance, we see chain gangs of thousands of prisoners -- little more than ants, miserable ants -- tugging and tugging. Then the camera moves in, and we see the individual men, dirty, battered, some barely alive, before it settles on a bloodied, emaciated Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman).
"Look down," the prisoners sing, fearful to raise their heads and meet the eyes of their jailers, their humanity beaten out of them. Only Valjean has the temerity to look his jailer in the eye.
Subtle? Hardly. Sentimental? Of course. Sweeping? Most definitely.
This film version of "Les Miserables" captures the sprawling, larger-than-life quality of the musical and, of course, the original 19th-century novel by Victor Hugo. But it also contains moments of incredible intimacy, most especially the haunting and heart-breaking rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream," sung by Anne Hathaway, who plays the doomed Fantine.
At the center of the story, though, is Jean Valjean, in prison for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's starving family. Valjean is finally released, breaks his parole and creates a new life, name and identity for himself as a well-to-do but kindly factory owner. Through a series of circumstances, his true identity is revealed. Again, he is forced to flee, this time with Fantine's young daughter, Cosette, in tow -- and with his one-time jailer, Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), in pursuit.
While adversaries, in this version, Valjean and Javert come across as strikingly similar, almost mirror images of one another. Both are tortured men, trying to do the right thing in a world stacked against them; both are religious, seeking divine help in navigating their moral crises.
Jackman and Crowe are terrific and well matched. Jackman, of course, is a talented singer and actor, and he makes the most of the director's decision to have the actors sing on set. Crowe isn't much of a singer; he has more of rock 'n' roll voice. But he forcefully conveys Javert's internal contradictions and growing ambivalence.
Two other performances stand out: Samantha Barks as Eponine, the adult daughter of the Thenardiers, and Eddie Redmayne (from "My Week with Marilyn") as the revolutionary Marius. Barks is so strong as Eponine that I couldn't understand why Marius would prefer the sappy, vanilla Cosette (Amanda Seyfried).
As the villainous but comic Thenardiers, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter essentially reprise their roles from Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd," albeit with messier hair and while supposedly "French."
"Les Miz" is not for everyone. It's melodramatic, long (almost three hours) and sung throughout. It unabashedly pulls out all the emotional stops -- no irony to be had here -- and revels in its anthemic music. But like the students of the June 1832 rebellion in Paris, it's easy for the audience to get swept up in the fervor of the moment, by the passion of the players and by "the music of a people who will not be slaves again."