Les Misérables: So, what did you think?- Page 6

[kyl3fong2]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 3:06pm

I remember reading somewhere of Tom Hooper saying that they went back and fixed only about 30% of the audio. I was trying to see where they could have had to go back and fix, and do you guys think that the auto-tuning happened with Russell Crowe's last note in "Javert's Suicide" and "Stars", and in Seyfried's high note in "A Heart Full Of Love"?

[sabrelady]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 3:08pm

His blues Album "Let Them Talk" is great. BUT he talks about iit and Blues seems to be his genre. So like I said, wheather he would have done it is in my mind a big ???

But he definitely has the ability. BOATLOADS of it.

[darquegk]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 3:14pm

David Bowie, who has major acting and singing chops, would have been a very interesting Javert, as would the aforementioned Hugh Laurie or Robert Downey Junior.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 3:22pm

I wouldn't be surprised if they tuned Crowe because some of the confrontation scenes sounded a bit unnatural and the last note on stars never ended... And the high note was kind of shady!

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 3:24pm

"Henrik, I don't think any of those people have the comparative stature of Russell Crowe (except for RDJ) but going with the basic argument against RC (his voice), can any of those people you mentioned sing the role better than him?"

Reilly is a great singer as he proved in Chicago. And is certainly renowned as an actor.

My other suggestions (all of whom sing) were more in response to the argument - one I don't nec. share - that Crowe was miscast (which I didn't nec. take as referring to vocals; I have not seen the movie yet btw). And while stature wasn't my concern, as you mentioned, Downey certainly has a stature as an actor and celebrity comparable to Crowe's. Laurie and Lewis have enormous stature as actors and are well known from tv. Grammer is a big star and a Broadway musical performer. I didn't see La Cage but I assume he can sing at least as well as Crowe; maybe I'm wrong. He certainly would be very well cast as Javert. There are of course many others who are lesser known who could have played the role in the movie and perhaps have become stars by doing so.




Updated On: 12/26/12 at 03:24 PM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 4:35pm

I definitely heard at least 30% fixed. I actually believe "Bring Him Home" was re-done, and if you watch, they opted for a lot of profile shots, which make it easier to match (I kept thinking of the Mother Abyss singing "Climb Every Mountain.") It doesn't matter, Jackman sang for two hours. But there was sweetening throughout, clearly.

[Jane2]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 4:41pm

Joaquin Phoenix would have been great because he has strong acting chops and can sing (Walk the Line).

[Fan2]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 4:45pm

The only "fixing" done according to some of the principals was some of the crowd scenes and background singing. None of the main actors were autotuned or re-did their songs after filming was complete. It was also said that the beginning of the film in the water wasn't "live" (or it was but they had to fix it, I remember reading tweets from some of the "convicts" saying they had to do ADR) because the microphones kept getting wet and it was noisy from all the water splashing, but that was it.

Sasha Baron Cohen had lost his voice and they had to shut down for a week and he was on voice rest, and he was on the Today Show this weekend and he said he had to do "Master of the House" while he was on steroids.


Updated On: 12/26/12 at 04:45 PM

[binau]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 4:58pm

I mean I believe that is just simply incorrect. They either are lying or are not aware of it, but there is some heavy autotuning going on particularly with Russel Crowe's voice. It's so sickeningly obvious, he sounds like a machine at points. That last night of STARS sounds so unnatural to me.

Updated On: 12/26/12 at 04:58 PM

[trentsketch]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 5:07pm

Actors are rarely, if ever, told they're autotuned or dubbed. I remember Liz Calloway telling a story about the red carpet premiere of Anastasia. She bumped into Meg Ryan after the screening and introduced herself as her singing double. Meg Ryan was shocked because she was told that was her singing voice in the film.

Seyfried's high soprano notes were autotuned. They lacked her typical vibrato. Crowe's last note was altered in Stars and covered up by not actually ending the song. Some of Jackman's stuff was enhanced to cover for vocal strain on set.

There are a number of actors in the film who didn't sound like funny things were done to their vocals: Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathawy, Sacha Baron Cohen, Samantha Barks, and the smaller ensemble roles (the one line soloists, the women at the factory, the monsignor, etc.). Jackman, Crowe, and Seyfried sound like their vocals were sweetened a little.

It honestly feels like Jackman's didn't have a consistent enough low range throughout filming, so they fixed it in post. Crowe didn't have a high enough range to fully sing Javert, so they fixed it in post. Seyfried was a nervous wreck on set (by her own admission on Chelsea Lately), so they strengthened her vocal in post. It's their voices, just tweaked.

[luvbrdway]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 5:27pm

Anne Hathaway, BRILLANT. I saw Alfie Boe last week with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. After hearing him sing "Bring Him Home", I was spoiled and thought the song was too much for Hugh Jackman. Didn't mind his dying version of it, though. I will buy "I Dreamed A Dream" on iTunes, but forgo the rest and stick to my OBC CD.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 6:12pm

The only "fixing" done according to some of the principals was some of the crowd scenes and background singing. None of the main actors were autotuned or re-did their songs after filming was complete.

Mmm hmm...of course they are going to stick to the "party line". There was a lot of post production tweaking done on the vocals. It was clearly evident, especially with Crowe, Jackman and Seyfried.

[Broadway Baby8]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 6:14pm

Having seen Les Miserables on stage 5 times (once on Broadway, twice in London and twice in Philadelphia) and having seen Hugh Jackman live twice (Boy from Oz and his one man show last year), I had very high expectations of the movie. Overall, I was not disappointed. I thought Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Eddie Redmayne were wonderful in their roles! And I loved Colm Wilkinson (original Jean Valjean) as the Bishop. I agree with some that Master of the House was weak, as well as Russell Crowe's voice. But I thought overall, it came pretty close to perfection.

Updated On: 12/26/12 at 06:14 PM

[metropolis10111]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 6:24pm

When Hugh stepped into Cosette's room to tell her they must leave did anyone else wonder where the Michael Landon wardrobe came from? Even Hugh's hair was like his ... it totally had the giggles every other moment i saw him with that hair..


Landon's hair

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 6:44pm

I thought the deathbed scene make-up was sub-par. The brown smudges under the eyes and elaborate yet dull and fake looking hair and beard stuff (far too Wolverine, The Later Year, oddly enough) drew attention to itself. Less is more, and simply keeping Jackman pale would've sufficed (he's not 30 year old anymore, after all.) He looked honestly older in the opening shots, when he was so thin (why not shoot them when he was at that weight?). We don't need all of that stuff piled on. The camera atop his face, he looked powdered up and senior class play-ish.

Updated On: 12/26/12 at 06:44 PM

[sabrelady]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 6:49pm

Interesting interview w Hugh Jackman- esp the Javert reference!
Who Am I

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 7:04pm

While I don't think it was perfect, I did love the experience.

Performances I loved: Hathaway, Redmayne, Tveit, Barks, Gavroche & young Cosette (sorry that I am unfamiliar with their names)

Performances I got nothing from: Cohen, Carter, Seyfried, Crowe

On the fence, but mostly liked: Jackman

There was almost NO time that I liked Crowe's performance, I just felt he was out of his league at all times. I also felt there were really odd directorial choices for his filming -- ie. Both for Stars and for his suicide, he is high up...and we see his same exact (and calm!) footsteps on the precipice. (I didn't take the SE of his suicide as being his spine cracking, just of his impact.)

I really did love Hathaway's performance. I found her riveting. I also loved the Biship returning to welcome Valjean to heaven -- made so much more sense than Eponine being there -- and of course it was made sweeter being played by Wilkinson.

***Possible Spoiler (if you've never seen LM)**** When the first shot was taken at Gavroche, the woman next to me had such a loud and gutteral reaction...I sat there thinking: really? You didn't know the kid bought the farm? But then I realized, my 16 year old (on the other side of me) hadn't realize it either, although she's listened to the cd for a few years. (I had the same reaction when I produced West Side Story a number of years ago, and people were SHOCKED when Bernardo and Riff were killed, too. I forget that for some, THAT moment is their first.)

I don't mind saying, I cried. A lot. I found it very satisfying and emotionally fulfilling.

[Ghostfan2]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 7:09pm

Stop nitpicking!

[StageManager2]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 7:29pm

When Hugh stepped into Cosette's room to tell her they must leave did anyone else wonder where the Michael Landon wardrobe came from? Even Hugh's hair was like his ... it totally had the giggles every other moment i saw him with that hair..

Also, his shirt was unbuttoned at the top and chest hair was peeking out like a Harlequin Romance cover model, and the way he entered with his hair mussed looked like he was gonna seduce her. haha

Updated On: 12/26/12 at 07:29 PM

[trentsketch]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 7:46pm

Regarding that Cosette/Val Jean scene in the bedroom, Seyfried and Jackman thought the same thing. Amanda Seyfried had a really funny interview with Chelsea Handler where she said she and Hugh joked about the sexual undertones of the screenplay and the staging. The rest of the cast was disgusted, but they thought it was a riot. Even the actors in that scene thought it was a little ridiculous. I didn't mind it--they acted it well and it wasn't a huge distraction--but it just had an awkward edge that was hard to shake.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 7:51pm

Well, it's kind of in the novel too. Hugo says that Valjean never had a wife or daughter or anyone that he loved, so Cosette kind of fills all of those roles for him.

Edit: I should add that my Les Mis viewing plans were foiled due to my fiance's awful work schedule. I am HOPEFULLY going to see it either late tonight or tomorrow.

Updated On: 12/26/12 at 07:51 PM

[Addison D.]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 7:52pm

Thanks, PJ, for the Mad-Lib!

Enjoyed
Delightful
Disappointed
Marius
F**k Me!!!
Beautiful
Surprisingly intimate
Toaster (??? Not sure this spot really calls for a noun…)
Denzel
Javert
Empty Chairs and Empty Tables
Nailed
Lori
Crucify
Enjoyable
Very few
Three
Anaximander
Enjoy
Pleasures
Hugh Jackman
Russel Crowe

Updated On: 12/26/12 at 07:52 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 8:04pm

OH FOR CRAP'S SAKE!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 8:09pm

^Meaning?

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 12/26/12 at 8:15pm