Opinion on Anne Hatheway's performance in Les Miserable. Is it Iconic?- Page 4

[binau]

Posted: 10/6/14 at 12:48am

Also, more specifically and on topic - I loved Anne Hathaway's performance of "I Dreamed a Dream", so, so much. The idea of Fantine belting out a song in that moment as done normally reminds me of the hilarious parody of this exact kind of thing in Kiss of the Spider Woman (Russian Movie/Good Times). I'm a massive fan of self-indulgent, vulnerable acting while singing (I realise this sounds like a backhanded compliment, but I don't mean it to be).

[mamaleh]

Posted: 10/6/14 at 10:31am

The studio pushed for Hathaway in the Oscar derby, figuring rightly that she was likeliest to come out on top in her category. That Daniel Day-Lewis would win for the dreary but Historically Important LINCOLN was pretty much a given, so Hugh Jackman never really had a chance. (I think he should have won and would have in another year, but so it goes.) So the bucks spent promoting Hathaway were well spent. Me, I tend to fast forward through her overly showy "I Dreamed a Dream" when I watch the film. She wasn't bad, just too much.

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 10/6/14 at 1:19pm

I, for one, absolutely LOVED the movie. I actually think that the close-up and gritty atmosphere worked for this story; as an audience member, I felt a lot more connected to the characters and what they were feeling when the actors were closer to me onscreen. It felt more...intimate? Either way, I think it worked, and I'm in the minority who actually liked the movie more than the stage show.

As for Anne Hathaway, I think she did an amazing job, and I liked her quieter approach to I Dreamed a Dream. (I also cried like a baby during Fantine's Death, which I think is the most underrated part of her performance whenever people discuss Hathaway in the movie.) As other posters have said, it's too soon to decide whether her performance is iconic, but I believe that, after time has passed, Anne Hathaway's take on Fantine will become "iconic" in its own right. How can it not, what with all the hype that surrounded her performance in the first place?

Updated On: 10/6/14 at 01:19 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 10/6/14 at 5:40pm

So true about the sound on the movie. I wanted those opening chords to be thunderous in the the theater, whereas in reality they were so low and pushed back in the mix.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/6/14 at 6:16pm

For me, Hathaway, Jackman and Seyfried were the jewels in what could have been an iconic film adaptation of a stage musical. The film was okay, but there was nothing iconic in it at all. Well, maybe Samantha Barks' cartoonish look, which was the fault of the designers. Or Russell Crowe's infamous performance.

[TazTarney]

Posted: 10/6/14 at 8:04pm

How was seyfriend a jewel? Her voice was awful. Opera trained my ass.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/6/14 at 8:12pm

Yeah, she was awful.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/6/14 at 8:21pm

Her voice really doesn't bother me and I think her acting more than makes up for it. Been a huge fan of hers since her work on Big Love. That's why for me, she was a jewel. I'm aware some people don't like her voice, but that has nothing to do with my opinion of her performance at all.

[TazTarney]

Posted: 10/6/14 at 8:23pm

dats cool. I liked her acting but her voice was nails on freakin tone deaf chalkboard.

[BwayFan23768]

Posted: 10/6/14 at 10:30pm

i think shes the great in the film i love her she is the great fontine but i love samantha barks in eopine

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 10/6/14 at 10:52pm

"Her voice really doesn't bother me and I think her acting more than makes up for it."

This. I'll take a Cosette who brings life to the character over a potentially-good singer who plays the role with as much emotion as a wet noodle any day.

[mattac]

Posted: 10/11/14 at 5:34am

Quote:
[Princeton Returns:
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]


Intentionally spelling an actor's name wrong in a post so vigorously dedicated to trash him seems quite low even by this board's standard. And speaking of Tveit's performance in Les Miserables, a huge peak on all internet traffic (Google search volumes, twitter mentions, IMDB search rankings) of his name suggested with strong indications that his performance was very well liked by the general audience.

Updated On: 10/11/14 at 05:34 AM

[The Other One]

Posted: 10/11/14 at 6:57am

Tveit was odd casting as Enjolras. He lacked the gravitas that stage actors usually bring to the role and seemed more like a second Marius. I realize it was Tom Hooper's intention to present Enjolras and Marius as peers, but the more traditional stage approach is far more effective in my opinion.

He is hardly untalented, though, and it was a relief to hear a good (if lighter than expected) male voice finally show up an hour into the film.

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 10/11/14 at 11:41am

I say it was rather hypnotic...:)

[Theater'sBestFriend]

Posted: 10/11/14 at 1:04pm

I'm not sure if it was iconic, but it was definitely endoscopic. All those ultra tight camera close-ups! All that mucus!

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 10/11/14 at 2:17pm

I thought she was pretty good but her performance was really over hyped. In comparison to the horrible Russell Crowe and the miscast Hugh Jackman, she was fantastic.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 10/11/14 at 2:50pm

I thought that Amanda Seyfried was actually the worst thing about the movie, not Russell Crowe. Not that Crowe was good, of course.

[The Other One]

Posted: 10/11/14 at 3:08pm

She was so contagious she was bubonic.

[Ranger Tom]

Posted: 10/12/14 at 7:10am

Her performance was good but hardly "iconic." Ms. Lansbury was iconic in Sweeney Todd. Ms. Lupone was iconic in Evita. A Chorus Line is iconic. There is a lot more to being Iconic than is meant when the word is tossed around today.

[Showface]

Posted: 10/12/14 at 1:38pm

I FINALLY saw Les Mis.

I have to say I really enjoyed it. I thought the cast was wonderful. I don't think anyone was terrible in it. Yes, maybe some of the notes were to high for Seyfreid, but nothing that bad to bother me.

I didn't think Russel Crowe was that bad. He just has a different sound. I thought his voice was perfect for the character. I think the main issue with his songs were how "extra" they were filmed. They were filmed to over-dramatic, I cracked up when they did the "circle camera" shot on him, and as they tracked his feet as they tiptoed on the edge of the roof.

I was pleasantly surprised with Hugh Jackman.

Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen were REALLY good. They were hilarious! Anyone else get Mrs. Lovett vibes from Helena's performance in this film?

Samanthat Barks, Aaron Tveit, The Guy Who Played Marius, and Daniel Huttlestone were all very good.


And last, but not least, Anne Hathaway.


She was AMAZING, WONDERFUL, and, MESMERIZING. In just a small amount of screentime she stole every scene she was in. BRAVO!

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 10/12/14 at 2:20pm

"The Guy Who Played Marius"

That, my friend, would be Eddie Redmayne. :)

[Showface]

Posted: 10/12/14 at 2:25pm

Sorry! His name slipped my mind!