Les Miserables Film Script Released (?)

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 9:05pm

Someone posted this on IMDB (Spoiler Warning, obviously): http://www.universalpicturesawards.com/assets/lesmis/pdf/lesmiserables_screenplay.pdf

Is this legitimate/common for scripts to be released before the film? What I'm reading so far is very promising.



Updated On: 10/17/12 at 09:05 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 9:12pm

It's not legitimate (unless, I suppose, the author and studio allowed it, but I can't think of that happening except either after a picture gets made, or if one never gets made), but it is somewhat common to have them leak...

[mitchsc2]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 9:16pm

It's Legitimate, Check the source page.

Its Universals Site.


Appears its for Award type situations.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 9:21pm

Yeah, it's legit.

Looks promising from what I've skimmed through so far. Updated On: 10/17/12 at 09:21 PM

[mitchsc2]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 9:23pm

It's kinda shocking at how in line it is with the show, and some of the book even.


BTW, the revision dates are interesting to me.. Shows final revision was in May, In the middle of shooting.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 9:26pm

When Sweeney Todd was released, they posted the screenplay as well.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 9:27pm

The screenplay for NINE was released in TWC website, as well for award voters. I'm not surprised about the revision date. Looking forward to reading this.

[Proper Villain]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 10:26pm

Thanks for the link!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 10:33pm

I kind of skimmed it, but it seems to follow the stage version pretty closely, with a few songs shuffled around. I mostly listen to the OLC and the OBC so I'm not sure how much of the stuff that wasn't on those recordings was cut, but it still - at least in this screenplay - seems like a very faithful adaptation.

I CANNOT wait to see this.

[mitchsc2]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 10:54pm

Suddenly is in the script with full lyrics i Just noticed.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 11:12pm

So "I Dreamed a Dream" is after "Lovely Ladies," "On My Own" is before "One Day More" and "Do You Hear the People Sing" immediately follows "One Day More?"

Awkward...

[E.Davis]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 11:26pm

"Whore 3 bites her fingertip and applies her blood to rouge ** Fantine’s cheeks."

Woah.

[Johnnycantdecide]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 11:29pm

Updated On: 10/18/12 at 11:29 PM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 11:31pm

Awkward seems like a weird word to use to describe those changes.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 11:33pm

^What would you have preferred, Phyllis?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 11:40pm

I just thought it sounded odd, because I don't understand what you think is awkward about the moving of the songs, particularly I Dreamed a Dream and Lovely Ladies, whose switch seems pretty organic in the screenplay.

ETA - I probably should have just asked why you thought it was awkward instead of just saying it was a weird word choice.





Updated On: 10/18/12 at 11:40 PM

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 11:40pm

I'm not surprised the script wasn't finalized until halfway through shooting.

It's common practice, especially on smaller, character driven pieces.

The film major inside of me is SQUEALING! I can't wait!!!

[michellek45]

Posted: 10/17/12 at 11:52pm

I am irrationally excited for the Fauchelevent convent scene and Cosette and Eponine interacting. Not feeling the lyrics to "Suddenly," but to be fair, I wouldn't be feeling most of the lyrics to Les Miz if I was looking at just the lyrics. What's always made it brilliant for me isn't the lyrics or the music, but the perfect way in which they're combined.

[E.Davis]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 12:08am

So the Bishop Digne appears to Valjean at the end with the girl....Interesting.

[willep]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 12:09am

Reading it now, interesting that they omit scenes...presumably just for this version of the script and not for the actual movie. As if they don't want the whole script to be out there.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 12:12am

I think it means they were omitted from a previous draft, so that even though say, scene 44 was cut, the next scene will still be 45, instead of having to renumber the scenes with each draft.

Updated On: 10/18/12 at 12:12 AM

[willep]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 12:37am

Ah, that makes sense.

Just getting to Lovely Ladies, some...interesting...changes so far. We will see how they play out onscreen.

ETA: I have never been a huge fan of Lovely Ladies, but wow, here it is twisted and crazy and potentially awesome. And the move of I Dreamed a Dream to after it is brilliant.

Updated On: 10/18/12 at 12:37 AM

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 1:30am

Phyllis, you are correct. In the original shooting drafts, the scenes are numbered. In the revisions, scenes are OMITTED and/or lines changed, and each new page has its own color. So, the second revision is blue. Usually scripts go through a slew of colors.

I don't really understand why scripts are released, even for award season, since it's not just screenwriters who vote for Best Screenplay.

I'm on page 82 and so far, it's okay. A lot of descriptions and some odd phrasing. I'm curious to know how many times Nicholson used the word "Whore".

I can't wait to read this while watching it.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 1:44am

The three changes I've read so far have been moving The Cart Crash to after At the End of the Day, Lovely Ladies to after I Dreamed A Dream, and On My Own/One Day More/Do You Hear the People Sing.

I'm in huge favor of the first two changes and of One Day More leading into Do You Hear the People Sing, which I think will be a nice coming down from One Day More. It's still epic in its own right, so we're not changing tones musically, but it's still less grand than One Day More so it allows the story to continue on a more basic level. The On My Own change I'm a bit skeptical about, but I'm willing to watch it play out on film and see how it works.

I'm surprised at how much is in here. Very little has been cut. There are some trims to a few songs and a few lyric changes every now and then (some are really minimal), but just about every song is represented here and, if I'm not mistaken, some verses from songs that were cut in London previews have made their way back into the script.

Looks promising. Can't wait to see how they film that finale!

[willep]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 1:59am

And I am really digging the details that they went back to the book for (the convent, some of the students deaths, Marius' Grandfather, etc.)

Updated On: 10/18/12 at 01:59 AM