Les Misérables
Directed by Richard Boleslawski
1935/USA
20th Century Pictures
First viewing
Jean Valjean: Remember to love each other, always. There’s scarcely anything else in life but that.
Hollywood adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel starring Fredric March as Jean Valjean and Charles Laughton as Inspector Javert with Cedric Hardwicke as the Bishop, Rochelle Hudson as Cosette and Francis Drake as Eponine. The film makers managed to fit the plot into a 108-minute feature film by completely eliminating the Thenardiers, the innkeepers who mistreated little Cosette and went on to hound Jean Valjean. The film, which benefited from cinematography by Gregg Toland, was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Editing.
Two more different interpretations of Jean Valjean could not be seen than those of Fredric March and Harry Bauer, who played the role in the 1934 French film. Bauer says very little and March can scarcely stop talking. That is not to say March is bad, he is very good. Laughton is outstanding and restrained, playing Javert as a neurotic seeking to compensate for his low birth by a rigid adherence to the law. I could have done without the celestial choir when Valjean has his redemptive revelation. On the whole, I can recommend this film, though if you are going to pick just one I would say to definitely go for the 1934 version directed by Raymond Bernard.
Here is a very interesting article on film adaptations of Les Miserables. I was surprised there have been quite so many! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptations_of_Les_Mis%C3%A9rables
Clips from the film available at TCM: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/253377/Les-Miserables-Movie-Clip-Emile-Javert.html
