Les Misérables (1934 film)

Infobox Film
name = Les Misérables


director = Raymond Bernard
producer = Raymond Bernard
Bernard Natan
writer = Raymond Bernard André Lang
starring = Harry Baur Charles Vanel
music = Arthur Honegger
editing =
cinematography =
distributor = Pathé-Natan
released = 3 February 1934
runtime = 279 min
country = flagicon|France France
language = French
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 1:130227
imdb_id = 0025509

"Les Misérables" (1934) is a dramatic film based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo written and directed by Raymond Bernard and starred Harry Baur as Jean Valjean and Charles Vanel as Javert. Arthur Honegger wrote the score. The film is also considered by the few fans of the novel that have seen the filmWho|date=May 2008 -- rarely seen in its full version outside of France -- to be the greatest ever adaptation of the novel, due to its in-depth development of the themes and characters,Fact|date=May 2008 and its more faithful take on the book, unlike most (shorter) adaptations.Fact|date=May 2008

Plot Summary

Jean Valjean is an ex-convict struggling to redeem himself, but his attempts are continually ruined by the intrusion of Javert into his life. Javert is a cruel, ruthless police inspector who has dedicated his life to pursuing Valjean, whose only crime was stealing a loaf of bread, and later, breaking parole.

The film, like the novel, features numerous other characters and plots, such as Fantine, a woman forced into prostitution to help pay two cruel innkeepers, the Thénardier husband and wife, who are looking after her daughter, Cosette, the story of the revolutionaries, including Marius a young man whom falls in love later on in the film with the now-adult Cosette.

Critical reaction

The film has been referred to as "the most complete and well rounded adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel". Fact|date=February 2008

Differences from the novel

The film is, for the most part, faithful to the original novel, however, there are some differences:

*Javert is presented as considerably less sympathetic than in the book, largely portraying him as the pinnacle of the cruelty in 19th century France.

DVD Release in the US

The Criterion Collection released "Les Misérables" under the Eclipse label, along with Bernard's "Wooden Crosses" (1932) in the Raymond Bernard DVD collection on July 17, 2007.

This version runs around twenty minutes shorter than the original release, although it is entirely possible that the five hour and five minute running time may be inaccurate, or counts intermissions from the original release that are not included in the Criterion release. The liner notes for the DVD describe how the film was reissued at varying lengths over the following decades and was only restored to approximately its original length shortly before Raymond Bernard's death, minus some scenes that could not be recovered.

External links

*
*
*