Post A Reply - Les Mis Movie - Photos and Articles

[willep]

Posted: 5/31/12 at 1:55am

Haha did anyone else see this?
Special Cameos

[HBP]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 4:01pm

You can see a glimpse of Eponine on the barricade in the new trailer.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 8:49am

Chicago was a successful musical-movie, and I would argue that Renee and Richard were not that strong vocally, but they were great at being their characters.

Phantom had a Tony-nominated Broadway star as one of its leads, complete with a gorgeous, polished Broadway voice, but the movie was not great overall.

Les Mis could fall into either group, or be a mixture of the two.

On another note, obviously some lyrics will be spoken lines in the movie. I hope they leave the barricade warnings as lyrics to be sung.

[Dave19]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 6:56am

"Les Mis is best known for its beloved televised concerts and its cast recordings. It's a musical that walks the fine line between a musical and an opera, both in its structure (heavy on introspective ballad moments in which the plot stops to examine a character's emotional state), and in its style, which increasingly often in modern productions calls for bravura, operatic singing.

These two central aspects are the two aspects of musicals which work WORST in film musicals- stagnant moments and operatic vocals that are anathema to most modern moviegoers. Something had to give to make the film, and I think they made the right choice, casting actors who sing instead of singers who act. Others can, and will, argue this point- it's often considered the thing that killed the Sweeney Todd movie."

This is why "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Sweeney Todd" movies and many others were "killed".

Because they cast actors that can't really sing and they still have to deal with the musical material. It looks and sounds silly and stupid and every single person in the audience can tell that.

And that is also exactly the reason that "The sound of music" with Julie Andrews WAS a success.

So I agree with you, those aspects only work in film if done completely right and with very strong singers.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 11:06pm

"I have seen a picture of Barks in her "Barricade" costume and it is very different from the stage show. What I like about it is that it takes aspects of the famous look but reinvented it. She has pants and looks more like a boy, which is important."

The original costume had her wearing a pair of trousers under the trench coat, so the pants in the film is nothing new.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:54pm

Dave, once again, you're taking your own personal reaction to skillfully executed, technically perfect singing of high notes and making it universal when it's unique to you.

I sometimes go on long orchestration rants that read like over-confident assertions or fact, so I am not so much pointing the finger because of that. I'm sure we all tend to speak that way when we feel strongly about something. What makes your analysis different from many similar examples to be had on these forums, is the vagueness of it.

In short, I have no idea what you're talking about every time you say this nonsense about emotions resulting from accurately placed notes. That is simply bull. There have been many, many artists who have given thoroughly satisfying performances and who were actors ahead of singers. It sounds like you get a rush from 'amazing' singing and you have an appreciation for technically sound performance. That's great, but theatre is not just about WoW singing and the emotions you get from accurately placed notes is something unrelated to the type of emotion actors put into a singing performance that we all, in turn, also feel. Everything you've identified as an absolute necessity is basically an absolute necessity for your personal requirement of perfect singing.

It's very telling and interesting that raw emotion actually keeps you from enjoying a performance. God forbid an actor feels a song. All that inflection and emotional seepage only misplaces notes...and the so-called emotional punch they supposedly carry that the rest of us get from something called ACTING.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:30pm

Live can be very effective.
Madonna sang this live.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 10:23pm

Did they forget that Rex Harrison did all of his songs live in the film version of "My Fair Lady?"

[willep]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 9:37pm

Honestly, Eddie Redmayne is the cast member I am most excited for. Can't wait to see how he does as Marius.

I have never been a fan of Hugh Jackman's singing, hopefully this will be the performance that wins me over.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 9:32pm

Since Amanda may not be able to sing that high, and since Eddie sounds like Eddie, could they switch the vocal parts at the end of HFoL and give Amanda the Marius line, but up an octave?

[Fan2]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 8:43pm

I can't wait to hear him sing "Empty Chairs..."

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 8:34pm

Eddie Redmayne is a great singer, so I have much confidence in him.

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 7:03pm

Seems like Seyfried is pulling the whole fake-modesty thing. That's not to say she'll be great in the film, but I'd bet money that she thinks she did an amazing job.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 6:08pm

I'm very worried about Amanda Seyfried, too. She makes it sound like vocally she struggles with the role. Cosette's role isn't easy, but the notes themselves should be easy for a trained soprano.

Btw, people keep saying she's classically trained, but all I've been able to find is that she studied with a voice teacher as a teenager. Just like Emmy Rossum sang at the Met, I suppose.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 4:34pm

I can assure you 100 percent from first hand experience that Moulin Rouge used playback

[wskrs4]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 4:25pm

"These two central aspects are the two aspects of musicals which work WORST in film musicals- stagnant moments and operatic vocals that are anathema to most modern moviegoers. Something had to give to make the film, and I think they made the right choice, casting actors who sing instead of singers who act. Others can, and will, argue this point- it's often considered the thing that killed the Sweeney Todd movie."

I would absolutely argue the opposite. I think there is a good mix of "actors who sing and singers who act" in this movie. There's a good mix of screen actors and stage/musical actors in this movie, and then there's Hugh Jackman, who really is both.

The main leads in Sweeney Todd were actors who sing, not the other way around. A few lesser parts were singers, but I would argue that the parts of that movie that fell flat (and I actually enjoyed it, though think the musical is far superior) had to do with direction, song inclusion, and Mrs. Lovett.


Read more: https://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessagemodern.php?thread=1046055&m=4283124&boardid=1#ixzz1wI7WTH6M

[darquegk]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 2:37pm

I've made this point in a few other threads, but it keeps coming up, so I keep making it.

Les Mis is best known for its beloved televised concerts and its cast recordings. It's a musical that walks the fine line between a musical and an opera, both in its structure (heavy on introspective ballad moments in which the plot stops to examine a character's emotional state), and in its style, which increasingly often in modern productions calls for bravura, operatic singing.

These two central aspects are the two aspects of musicals which work WORST in film musicals- stagnant moments and operatic vocals that are anathema to most modern moviegoers. Something had to give to make the film, and I think they made the right choice, casting actors who sing instead of singers who act. Others can, and will, argue this point- it's often considered the thing that killed the Sweeney Todd movie.

[peachesr82]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 2:15pm

We know they can all sing, they wouldn't be there is they couldn't, and perhaps some better than other. We all have voices we like and voices we don't irrespective of how great they are.
I'm probably alone in this, but sometimes a voice can be so perfect that it's distracting. Not that it's particularly auto tuned or dubbed just that you don't believe that say, some fragile woman would sing with that. Anne Hathaways version of IDAD was great and real. I hope the rest of it sounds that good. I'm wondering what we'll see in the teaser, whether it'll just be what we've already seen. Most likely.

[Dave19]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 1:48pm

"Cosette's last note in A Heart Full of Love, as was said, is gorgeous but is high.

I would not be surprised if the song is lowered slightly, or if that note particularly is lowered. Look at what all was transposed down for Emmy Rossum"

That would be a shame really. I'd rather see them re-recording some parts (like that note) in the studio afterwards, or even use a bit of autotune for that note. It's the harmony that evokes the emotion..... so if the singer is not able to create such a harmony, let's help her a little bit. But please keep the song in the original key.

[Dave19]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 1:43pm

"Ms. Seyfried has every right to be nervous, taking these things into consideration. She has nervously accepted the challenge and hopes that she meets our expectations, and there is nothing wrong with stating that when asked."

You do have a point here.

It must be nerve wracking for her as well as for the producers.
But it's the casting choice they made....

[jpbran]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 1:26pm

I've never heard anyone else say "Moulin Rouge" was mostly sung live on set... Considering the (often) ridiculous edits/pacing and the noticeable "vocal tweaking," I'd be shocked if it was even partially "live..."

[michellek45]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 1:19pm

^This costume for the movie and the one they used in the Spanish 25th Anniversary production are the only ones I've seen that make Eponine look like a boy. I think it's the trench coat that they normally use- it's got a feminine cut. But honestly, I'm surprised by how difficult it seems for someone to make a convincing costume.

[E.Davis]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 1:02pm

I have seen a picture of Barks in her "Barricade" costume and it is very different from the stage show. What I like about it is that it takes aspects of the famous look but reinvented it. She has pants and looks more like a boy, which is important.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 11:16am

This is slightly off-topic, but it's funny to me and very descriptive of a section of Les Mis fans.

[Little-Lotte]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 11:13am

Once again Eponine is too damned gorgeous. Even Anne Hathaway looks a little rough (which living as a prostitute and getting a fatal disease) is what she should look like. So should someone who's starving and exhaustively running around.

Anyways the pictures look amazing and I can't wait for the trailer. Though back to all this talk about the live singing. If I'm not mistaken, nearly all of the songs in Moulin Rouge were sung live on set. I think the only difference was they sang to prerecorded instrumentals, though I could be wrong. Anyways that movie is like 10 years old, so how is this so revolutionary? Unless they're singing live to a live orchestra, which could be the only difference that I can pinpoint.

Updated On: 5/29/12 at 11:13 AM