Opinion on Anne Hatheway's performance in Les Miserable. Is it Iconic?

[TazTarney]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:40pm

Did she change the way people see fantine? Is her performance on the level of Rita Moreno in West Side Story and CZJ in Chicago? Is it one of the best musical performances on film? let alone film in general? What say u?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:41pm

It was ironic, iconic, and bubonic. It was a shot from a sonic, it was a Harry Connick.

[TazTarney]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:42pm

So u think its iconic?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:43pm

And pathognomonic.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:44pm

I personally thought it was overwrought.

[TazTarney]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:45pm

Overwrought with what?

[Showface]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:45pm

"What say u?"

Ummm...well, I have yet to see Les Mis, but it seems that she gives a pretty good, if not solid performance, I personally prefer her verison of I Dreamed a Dream better than other Fantines.

[HighFlyingAdored97]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:47pm

I thought she was pretty awful.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:47pm

As well-accliamed as it was, I don't think it will erase the more popular belty version from the world's eye.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:48pm

I thought it was hegemonic.

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:54pm

I thought it was a pretty incredible performance, the first time I've been moved by that song. Thank god they didn't go with the belty version from the show, for me it was the first time I'd felt Fantine really had hit rock bottom. With the close ups there was no where to hide, every emotion from that song showed on her face and in her voice. Probably the best example of how live singing can add to a performance

[SweeneyLovett]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:00pm

She was the best part of the film. I agree with Princeton Returns. It was the first time I'd been truly moved by the song. Placing it after "Lovely Ladies" was a very wise move.

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:06pm

She was fantastic in the movie!! Not sure if anyone would cast that performance for the stage though because she doesn't have that voice.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:07pm

It's my favorite show and I thought the film was a huge misfire. That being said, Anne Hatheway is really the only reason to see this mess. She was fantastic in every way and completely deserved her Oscar award. I do think her performance is up there with Rita Moreno.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:10pm

"She was fantastic in the movie!! Not sure if anyone would cast that performance for the stage though because she doesn't have that voice"

Ah but that's the beauty of film. You couldn't do Hatheway's performance 8 times a week.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:13pm

The movie was awful, and all of them were cast due to their star power. It's what sells and there's nothing wrong with that, but not one person (with the exception of Aaron Tveit), would have ever been cast in a stage production of Les Mis.

[Showface]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:16pm

Again, I have not seen the film, so I can't really criticize the film, but. Why would they need to be cast in a stage production? Film is an entirely different medium.

But, from what I've seen, I do have a slight problem with the film's close ups...I do not need to see Hugh Jackman's throat jiggle. . .

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:16pm

I actually thought Aaron Tveit was pretty bad also. He had no command of the film. It was a pretty weak performance if you ask me. The only person who I thought did well (besides Anne) was Eddie Redmayne.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:18pm

"The movie was awful, and all of them were cast due to their star power. It's what sells and there's nothing wrong with that, but not one person (with the exception of Aaron Tveit), would have ever been cast in a stage production of Les Mis."

You are so simple-minded! If the cast were doing it onstage, it'd be very different! And director Tom Hooper had openly expressed this in an interview about the close-ups: "The close-ups were an option. We shot each scene in more than one way. We were never tied to using close-ups over and over. But each time we used them, it felt more emotional. It allowed the character to be in the center of each scene and not flinch from them as they went on a journey of discovery with the audience. We made a cut with fewer close-ups and then switched it up. (The sequence with the song) I Dreamed a Dream had more of a medium shot tracking slowly to a close-up. That song went to a whole new level. People assume you don't think these things through. I spend my life thinking through every eventuality." Updated On: 10/5/14 at 02:18 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:19pm

No, I hated Aaron Tveit in it (should have gone to Ramin Karimloo) but he is great as a theater actor and can sing very well. Les Mis didn't showcase his talent at all.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:22pm

So true, Sutton. I blame Top Hooper. I admired his ambition for the project, but most everything just fell flat.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:24pm

Yes, it was just very uncomfortable and ****ty the whole time. I actually got angry when Crowe attempted "Stars". Jesus Tapdancing Christ.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:28pm

Yeah poor Crowe. His singing didn't bother me all that much, but his acting just wasn't right. But what still gets me is what they did to the orchestra. You have a 70 piece orchestra and you can barely hear them!

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:30pm

Aaron twait was awful in it, can't act, zero screen presence and just looked lost. Even Russell Crowe was better than him

The movie version of I dreamed a dream could never work on stage as you have to play it to the balcony, but for film it was the right way to go

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 2:46pm

^ They made him look super unattractive too. A feat I never thought possible. Yes, the orchestra was muted.