Les Miserables

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Gregg Z Laughton, March and Hardwicke. Does not get much better. Laughton's continued frustrated pout is magical. March's sympathetic character, and Hardwicke as the priest. Great timeless movie. My favorite of the group of releases over time. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/28/24 Full Review Joel H After watching the 1935 film adaptation of Les Misérables, I've come to the conclusion that it must be pretty difficult to mess up Victor Hugo's classic novel. This version, like the others I've seen, still manages to engage & inspire the viewer. I wasn't sold on Fredric March as Jean Valjean at first, but he soon sold me with his sincerity. And Charles Laughton makes a fantastic Inspector Javert, possibly the best one I've seen. This movie does skim over some plot points and it changes a few others, but if you're a fan of the story, you should definitely check out this version of Les Misérables. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/24 Full Review Audience Member This version that stars Fredric March and Charles Laughton is a good encapsulation of the mammoth story about a paroled prisoner trying to escape his past and the relentless police official who's made it a life's obsession to track him down. This is the third and final film that March and Laughton co-starred in and they did all three of their films for different studios, Sign of the Cross for Paramount, The Barretts of Wimpole Street for MGM and Les Miserables for the newly formed 20th Century Fox. I'd be hard pressed to pick one that is the best because all three have something different to offer. I think what Victor Hugo does is make a great case for situational ethics in this story. March as Jean Valjean the prisoner is jailed for 10 years on a minor charge and thereafter subject to a strict parole system. He misses a check in and he's a fugitive. But March is shown kindness by a warm and understanding bishop played by Cedric Hardwicke and changes his life around. But he has to move several times because of the relentless Inspector Javert. Charles Laughton in his career played many a deformed soul and none more than Inspector Javert. He's a convict's son himself and to repudiate his humble origins becomes a policeman, but one with a rigid code that shows no understanding of times and conditions for a crime and makes no attempt at all to temper his rigid code with a drop or two of mercy. Had Javert chosen the ministry, he'd have made a great hellfire and damnation preacher, getting all the words right but missing the music of love, redemption and forgiveness. And Valjean who is of equally humble origins is a redeemed soul, a conception Javert can't understand. But he also knows that Valjean even through out the trials Javert puts him through is one at peace with himself and there's no small amount of jealousy in Laughton's portrayal. In a great acting duo, I give the decision by a few points to March, mainly because of his dual portrayal. At one point March hears from Laughton that Jean Valjean has been arrested and is on trial. After a lot of soul searching he goes to the neighboring town and gets a half wit off who is also played by Fredric March. Because of that Les Miserables has become one of my favorite Fredric March pictures. March never got another shot at a thespian duel so to speak with another screen icon until Inherit the Wind with Spencer Tracy. His three films with Charles Laughton are deserved classics all. This is as good a version as you'll ever get of Les Miserables for a single motion picture. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review william d Excellent version of the oft-told tale, highly recommended. Tip o' the hat to Fredric March. I'm normally not very fond of his performances, but he is excellent here. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review steve d Decent enough adaptation helped by strong performances. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review andy f A solid first attempt at filming Les Miserables. We are so spoilt since of course. Fredric March gives an excellent portrayal of Jean Valejean and I always love Charles Laughton, even if Javert is a little Lancastrian at times! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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