Looking To Oscar 2013: Live Singing Doesn’t Work in Les Miserables

BY: ORANGECHAIR

Of all the films that have been nominated for Oscars this year, the one getting the most mixed reviews is Les Miserables. This is not the first time someone has tried to put Les Miserables on the big screen but this film version took a large risk. Rather than recording the songs before shooting and then lip syncing, the actors in this production of Les Miserables sang during every take that they shot. I understand why Les Miserables has gotten such mixed reviews because overall, I did not like it but there were many parts of it that I found to be outstanding.

The story of Les Miserables is a well known one, whether you know it from the book, the stage production or the film. Starting with the release of reformed prisoner and main character Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), the film follows Valjean through three time periods in his life. Constantly hunted by Javert (Russell Crowe), Valjean tries to live his life under a number of different aliases. The first is a factory owner, where he employs the young woman Fantine (Anne Hathaway). Working to support her child, Fantine is eventually fired. Thinking Valjean will protect her, he is distracted when Javert appears and discovers Valjean’s true identity.

Desperate to provide for her child, Fantine begins to do anything possible to make money which includes selling her hair, teeth and her body. Eventually running into Valjean again, Fantine makes him promise to care for her child before passing away. Valjean finds the child, Cosette (Isabelle Allen), being treated as a slave by con artists Madame Thenardier (Helena Bonham Carter) and Thenardier (Sacha Baron Cohen). Valjean takes Cosette away and disappears into another identity. The story then moves forward a number of years, showing Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) and Valjean living a comfortable life. When Cosette falls in love with Marius (Eddie Redmayne), a member of the French Resistance, Valjean is willing to give his life to protect the Marius and give Cosette, a woman who has become his daughter, the man that she loves.

Visually, this film was absolutely stunning as it travels through an almost mythical depiction of the streets of France. The camera never stopped moving, shooting scenes from different places and playing with angles and position. As far as the actual filming of Les Miserables, I thought the director did a great job. Every word in the film was sung and while the big, show-stopping numbers were filmed beautifully, I had some fundamental issues with a fair amount of the singing.

Having none of the film lip synced sounded like a good idea on paper but in reality it was not the best choice. First off, Russell Crowe is not a very good singer. Why they hired someone to star as one of the leads in a musical, where every word is sung, that was not a good singer and needed three months of vocal lessons is beyond me. Russell Crowe certainly did his best but they should have cast somebody for the part that could sing the part. As I said earlier, the show stopping ensemble numbers were outstanding but I did not like many of the solos. The lack of lip syncing restricted the actors movements, making many of the more dramatic scenes seem restrained and boxed in. Many of the shots turned into close-ups of flared nostrils and much of the dialogue lost its emphasis and purpose. The person that stood out, in my opinion, was Anne Hathaway. Her acting was superb and her solo was absolutely stunning.

Les Miserables is an example of a film that should have been nominated for Oscars but not necessarily for Best Picture. Anne Hathway earned herself a nomination for Best Supporting actress and Hugh Jackman was nominated for Best Actor. Both of those nominations were well deserved and based on the films I have seen so far, Anne Hathaway should win Best Supporting Actress. The film also deserved its nominations in Achievement in Sound Mixing, Achievement in Production Design, Achievement in Costume Design and Achievement in Makeup and Hair Styling. The film was also nominated for Best Original Song. Why they made an original song for a film based on a musical is beyond me. Les Miserables was nominated for Best Picture but I do not think it should win, in fact I’m not even sure if I think it should have been nominated. It is the weakest of the best pictures nominees I have seen so far. The film, a 6 out of 10 film for me, had some great performances but had fundamental flaws that should have kept it out of the Best Picture category.

Dark Shadows: Burton Makes the Campy Show His Own

BY: ORANGECHAIR

I am a huge Johnny Depp fan. I love the crazy characters he plays. I find him to be engaging and entertaining every time he is on screen and his portrayal of Barnabas Collins is no different. Though Dark Shadows is one of the weaker Tim Burton/ Johnny Depp collaborations, it is a definitely still worth seeing.

A reboot of an old television show, the film follows the story of the illustrious Collins family. Beginning when they came across the seas from England in the 1700’s, the Collins settled down to create a fishing monopoly. As their business grew, the Collins used their wealth to build a mansion and eventually the town of Collinsport. The youngest Collins, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) falls in love with a young woman, Josette DuPress (Bella Heathcote), and has a young woman fall in love with him, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). Scorned when he is not willing to return her affections, Angelique (who is actually a witch) decides to ruin Barnabas’ life. As if killing his parents and Josette, turning him into a vampire and locking him in a box for 200 years (well actually 196), Angelique lives forever and dedicates her life to destroying the Collins family. When Barnabas is finally freed, Angelique, now Angie, has nearly run the Collins family out of business by taking over the fishing and canning industry in Collinsport. The rest of the film follows Barnabas as he tries to rebuild the reputation of his family and rid himself of Angie’s curse for good.

While the film features a cast of ghastly characters, including a Josette look alike who can see ghosts, the Collins son David (Gulliver McGrath) who can also see ghosts, the drunken doctor Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter) and the Collins daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Grace Moretz) who has a secret of her own, it is also hilariously funny. Much of the film’s humor comes from the time period in which it is set: the 1970’s. Barnabas is hilariously forced to acclimate to a world full of lava lamps (which he calls blood chalices), headlights (which he calls the Devil’s eyes) and Chevys (while he is used to horses). Barnabas’ British driven speeches deliver a number of eloquent one liners that necessitate a moment’s thought before the humor actually sinks in. Every member of the Collins family plays their parts perfectly, from the would be hippie Carolyn to Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) who uses her no nonsense attitude to easily accept Barnabas’ vampirism and help him raise the family back to power. Even Willie Loomis, the mansion’s groundskeeper, adds his own brand of dry, drunken humor to the film.

Burton’s own unique direction style is obviously apparent throughout the film. Though the film is set in the 1970’s, Burton still manages to make a number of his locals otherworldly and supernatural. A lot of the film takes place in the giant and beautiful Collins’ mansion but even the town surrounding it seems to come straight from a ghost story. Covering his characters in a pale makeup, with Burton behind the camera it is difficult to decide what drove the film more, the scenery or the characters. My only real complaint about the film was the story itself. Though the movie was just over two hours, I feel as if the story could have used more time or (though I rarely suggest this) maybe even a sequel. The story tried to fit so many supernatural elements into one film that some of the background for the characters got lost in the shuffle. Characters reveal supernatural aspects of themselves at random times, with no clues as to why they are supernatural, which just didn’t sit well with me. This choice is story telling could be because the film is based on an old television show of the same name, a campy show whose style the film may have tried to imitate but I found myself craving a more detailed story. I give the film a 7 out of 10. If you are a Tim Burton fan, especially a Burton Depp collaboration fan, then I would highly recommend it.