Les Misérables: A Comparison of Film Adaptations

In this video essay, I compare some of the major English and French film adaptations of Victor Hugo's novel "Les Miserables" (1862). While my comparison is in no way comprehensive, it hopefully provides a few film historical observations of interest, not least of all when it comes to the overarching question: Why do classics keep getting adapted?
FILM SOURCES
Les Misérables (1934, 1935, 1952, 1958, 1978, 1982, 2000, 2012, 2018)
Les Aventures de Till L’Espiègle (1956)
La Rabouilleuse (1960)
Les Sorcières de Salem (1957)
Pride & Prejudice (1995)
War & Peace (2016)
Victor Hugo et les principaux personnages des Misérables (1897): • Video
AUDIO SOURCES
Orson Welles' radio adaptation of Les Misérables (1937): archive.org/details/OrsonWell...
BBC Radio Wales interview with Andrew Davies, "From Script to Screen: Andrew Davies at 80," 29 December 2016, www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b085...
FURTHER READING
Kathryn M. Grossman and Bradley Stephens (Eds.). Les Misérables and Its Afterlives: Between Page, Stage, and Screen. London: Routledge, 2016.
Tom Stempel. "Darryl F. Zanuck: 19th Century-Fox." In: Senses of Cinema 55 (2010), sensesofcinema.com/2010/featur....
"Crime in the Great Depression." www.history.com/topics/great-....
Dagmar Schittly. Zwischen Regie und Regime: Die Filmpolitik der SED im Spiegel der DEFA-Produktionen. Berlin: Links, 2002, p. 92.
Michael Wedel et al. (Eds.). DEFA international: Grenzüberschreitende Filmbeziehungen vor und nach dem Mauerbau. Wiesbaden: Springer, 2013, p. 388.
Production Details about the 1935 Les Misérables from the American Film Institute (AFI): catalog.afi.com/Film/4429-LES....
Production Details about the 1952 Les Misérables from the American Film Institute (AFI): catalog.afi.com/Film/50576-LE....
IMAGE SOURCES
Illustrations by François Flameng and Alphonse de Neuville taken from the following edition: Œuvres complètes de Victor Hugo (vol. 22-26), Paris: Édition Hetzel-Quantin, 1880, archive.org/details/uvrescomp... // archive.org/details/uvrescomp... // archive.org/details/uvrescomp... // archive.org/details/uvrescomp... // archive.org/details/uvrescomp... (I couldn't find the Hugues edition online but I suspect that the de Neuville illustrations may have originated there, as it was released around the same time).
Illustrations by Gustave Brion taken from the following edition: Les Misérables par Victor Hugo, Paris: J. Hetzet et A. Lacroix, 1867, archive.org/details/lesmisrab... // One illustration by Gustave Brion taken from Wikimedia: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi....
Other images taken from Wikimedia:
Léon Cogniet, Scène de Juillet 1830, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi....
Jacques-Louis David, Bonaparte franchissant le Grand-Saint-Bernard, 1802, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi....
Johann Friedrich Overbeck, Christ carries his cross to Golgotha, etching by Heinrich Kipp, 1846, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... (original source: Wellcome Collection, released under CC BY 4.0, wellcomecollection.org/works/....
Bank of United States failure, 1931, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi....
Mother and children in Oklahoma, photographed by Dorothea Lange, 1936, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi....
Jean-Pierre Houël, La prise de la Bastille, 1789, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi....
Eugène Delacroix, La Liberté guidant le peuple, 1830, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi....
Félix Philippoteaux, Lamartine devant l’Hôtel de Ville de Paris le 25 février 1848 refuse le drapeau rouge, de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:L....
Depiction of the German March revolution 1848 (originally chalk lithography?), commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi....
MUSIC SOURCES
Andrew Bird: Logan's Loop
Sir Cubworth: Simple Sonata / Butterflies in Love
Huma-Huma: Pachabelly
Dan Lebowitz: Surrender / Search and Rescue
Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0): Anachronist - Oddities / Carefree / Folk Round / Amazing Plan - Silent Film Dark / Sidepath
Freedom Trail Studio: In Every Way / Kona Sun
Djano Reinhardt: Echoes of France
Rudy Vallee: Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?
Chris Zabriskie: Prelude No. 20

[@infrequentmusings2179]

Just a few amendments (already, I just uploaded the thing haha): 1. The 1925 film is closer to 7 hours and the 1934 film closer to 5 hours, I should have rounded up. On a similar topic, I should have said that *among the more well-known adaptations,* the shortest French adaptation is longer than the longest English one - this was not meant as an absolute statement because the 1967 BBC adaptation (which got released on DVD two days ago, I believe) is longer than the 1982 film, for example. 2. I cropped the footage for a number of reasons that might be debatable but if you view the whole films, it’s of course important to view them in the original aspect ratio (e.g. letterboxed). 3. Jean Valjean seems to be getting more and more aggressive with each English adaptation. This could warrant deeper analysis. 4. On the other hand, the revolutionary aspect gains more and more importance in the English adaptations, even if it remains a pastiche to give the whole thing a vaguely historical texture. Since the earlier adaptations are not interested in the pathos of the rebellion at all (and even the 1934 film undercuts it arguably by distancing itself ever so slightly with ironic touches here and there, might be worth discussing in the context of the riots going on in Paris at the time), might it be fair to say that the musical introduced the pathos of the revolution into the Anglophone perception of the work? 5. The effect of the Production Code on the 1935 film is worth mentioning in relation to Fantine’s story but I’m not sure it had as big an impact as people might think. The enforcement of the censorship from the Production Code office in 1934 was one of the reasons that studios turned to period dramas and literature adaptations as “safe materials” in the first place. There’s lots more trivia and such and it might be interesting to compare single scenes and characters and how they differ. But, I don’t know, you have to start somewhere :D Please let me know if I said something rubbish or incorrect.

[@miguelangelurenasantiago8180]

Wow these videos are lit

[@irinagatti3432]

Thank you very much for you excellent comparison of the different adaptions of les mis. My personal favourite remains the Robert Hossein version from 1982 with its dark and somewhat hopeless atmosphere and an outstanding Lino Ventura as Valjean and not to forget Michel Bouquet as Javert. I think that this movie does not neglect the social and political issues for the stories of its protagonists. That is of course just my opinion.I would love to view more movie comparisons as I really enjoyed this one.

[@AllenMorris3]

Having Javer commit suicide in front of Jean Valjean could only be done if you have not read the book and have no idea of Jean Valjean's character. Jean would jump into the river even at the risk of his life - that is his character!

[@evelinmenezes9313]

There is nothing that irritates me more in some adaptations (1952 and 2000) than trying to transform the beautiful and pure family's love between Valjean and Cosette into something polluted. And there is this odd tendency in other adaptations like 1998 and 2018 in making the caring, compassionate and gentle Victor Hugo's Jean Valjean into a very aggressive and cold person. All these characters are so complex and rich in the novel, why do they try to do something so inferior and downright degrading?!

[@premirralucie5856]

I agree with you !

[@johnmurphy7674]

Liam Neeson nailed it though.

[@ericross5048]

@@johnmurphy7674 you say he nailed it, but there’s a scene where he hits Cosette.

[@johnmurphy7674]

@@ericross5048 So what? He didn’t write his scenes.

[@ericross5048]

@@johnmurphy7674 of course, I'm not blaming the actor. I'm saying they made his character a little different from the book. I'm 30 min into the 1998 version and I do like his version. Rush is also a great Jarvert.

[@Line...]

Javert's epic dive in the 1978 version kills me lol

[@corncab9525]

😂👌

[@nobody_is_here3646]

I shouldn't laugh

[@lilykenfield6954]

Honestly a good test of whether or not a film really understands the importance of characterization is how much they decide to elaborate on the Grantaire and Enjolras dynamic. They represent so much in terms of the dichotomy of man, and are arguably two of the most allegorical characters. If they brush over or ignore their tense relationship, then they're missing a huge message within the novel.

[@brooklyn113]

watching this again and it drives me bananas that Cosette always gets shafted as a main character and pushed to a more side character type role, even Fantine gets way less screen time than text and it's ridiculous considering how much time we spend in the book with her

[@syystomu]

Yes! I'm glad to see a well-researched look into Les Mis adaptations that doesn't just talk about the most recent ones :)

[@beathecat6604]

This is a great video essay!! I’m a personal fan of the musical, having that our school put it on. I would enjoy watching the 1934 version too. I, personally, only having knowledge completely of the Les Mis School Cut, that the theme would be about respect, kindness and love for a fellow man. For the priest to show compassion to Valjean for not getting him arrested. For Valjean to show kindness to the poor and to Cosette, even after the world has showed him anything but. For Cosette and Marius and Eponine to love each other romantically. For Enjolras and the students to show their love for their people and country. For Javert, being shown kindness by Valjean, who he chased for years. I feel like that’s the core of the story...at least the one I know. Do you think 1934 Les Mis shows a similar theme, or one that is different? You mentioned the length shows how the story follows more of a society than a singular protagonist, so I’m wondering if that would effect the theme of kindness. Amazing video essay, it was very nice and interesting.

[@infrequentmusings2179]

Thanks! What you say about love and kindness being so central to the work is absolutely true. I think the 1934 Les Mis does show that beautifully but it feels slightly different from the musical. In the musical, you have all the pathos of the emotions and it's very stirring and passionate. In the 1934 Les Mis, everything is a bit more quiet (there's little soundtrack music even) and all the emotion rests in reading the movements of the characters - the way they look at each other, they way the cinematography positions them etc. Valjean is still the protagonist but the film is divided into 3 parts (due to the length those 3 parts were shown as separate films back then). The first part focuses most strongly on Valjean's story, the second part on the Thénardiers and Marius, and the third part on the rebellion. So the scope is quite a bit wider than in most adaptations but in this it gets close to the scope of the musical (the musical has the advantage of being able to condense a lot of story into a short time). The theme of kindness carries through it all and it becomes clear, in my opinion, that it's the answer to the injustice, even more so than the rebellion (the political side isn't ignored but it's not presented as the solution to the social problems either). Valjean and Fantine, Valjean and Cosette, all these relationships get portrayed beautifully. There are people who might find the 1934 Les Mis long, boring and slow-paced but I find it incredibly moving. That's the short of it and it might be a matter of personal preference what people get out of the film but I highly recommend giving it a watch! (The latest Pathé restoration is the best version of it, it was released for the UK market with English subtitles by Eureka/Masters of Cinema in 2014 (the DVD/Bluray is region-coded for Europe though - if that's a problem, there's still the older Criterion version for the US market).)

[@angelificstar]

This was really great! I haven’t gotten a chance to see many of the adaptations, so getting to see comparisons of them was very interesting. It is strange that Valjean grows more aggressive in English adaptations and I can’t say that I understand why. I also don’t know how any decided making Valjean fall in love with Cosette was a good idea. Anyways, I love your video essay so much. Your criticism is amazing.

[@mohammedsakayl3016]

For the love of God, who is this 1 person who disliked this video?!! It such a good video with great effort put in it, I hope there is more content from this channel,, the present videos are soooo good!

[@freddylowe4900]

Just to say - this is one of my favourite videos on the Internet! Thanks so much for making it. I’m a huge fan of this novel, and whenever I’m in a Les Mis mood, I flick this video on. I completely understand your critique - but I looooooooove the 1998 Liam Neeson version. Although they do obviously change the plot, they interweave so many Easter Eggs: the inclusion of Toussaint (even down to her stutter), Fauchelevent’s initial resentment to Valjean, M. “Madeleine’s” home being so modest (as well as him not initially wanting to be mayor), Cosette noticing her prettiness in the mirror (which is exactly what she does in the novel!!), Javert using almost the exact words from the book when he’s protesting Fantine’s release…I love it. And the music is gorgeous, I think. Though I understand your dislike of the ending. I’ve seen most of the adaptations you mention so I love comparing our views. That one from 2000 looks truly horrific… 😂😂 Anyway - thanks so much!!

[@alexm4421]

Question to the algorithm: why have I only found this now? I'm in awe of all the work you've put in to make this essay! As someone who has seen all the versions mentioned (except 2000...yet), I really appreciated your analysis. I hadn't looked into the backgrounds of these versions in any detail or considered how that context was reflected in them! You gave me a new perspective on 1935. I also had no idea that 1958 was a collaboration with East Germany, I only knew it was a French/Italian/German production. My favourite adaptations have to be 1934, as well as the Italian 1964 miniseries (it's been subtitled in English by fans, which is how I watched it). That one is about 10 hours long, and it adds things, but it does it very well imo. Both cover the themes of poverty and political struggle very sincerely, and do justice to the characters. I also like the original French version of the musical, though it has its own inconsistencies. Also: the comedic cuts were great. I loved the montage of Les Mis adaptation weirdness.

[@infrequentmusings2179]

Thanks! :D I wish I had been able to get my hands on the Italian 1964 miniseries, I saw that it has a good reputation among fans but wasn't really able to find it. From your description, it definitely sounds worth watching.

[@commiegobbledygook3138]

The world needed this video to exist.

[@vicomtexdaae3630]

Very interesting!!! though gagged when the Valjean loves Cosette romantically in one adaptation clip was shown!! wtf whoever thought of that

[@loveoffthedamned]

The 1998 adaptation is so funny. The whole barricade storyline ends with police arriving and arresting everyone like it`s Monty Python and the Holy Grail

[@simosa5842]

The fact that Javert kills himself like two feet away from Valjean and he just walks away in the 1998 film bothers me everytime, along with the barricade storyline

[@joannewilson9253]

I actually really love the 2012 Les Miserables musical film adaptation. Apart from Russell Crowe, I feel the cast perform amazingly. The acting and singing is brilliant and provokes thoughts and emotions.

[@simosa5842]

I agree.

[@kriitikko]

From the films I've seen the 1934 and 1982 versions would probably be the ones I'd recommend to someone who had read the book but not seen any adaptations.

[@zaroffhound]

The 1935 version sits in the same frame of cinema as I Am A Fugitive from a Chaingang, and Grapes of Wrath. The economy of the '35 story telling, such as it is, is economical sometimes to it's detriment, but to carry a story forward in primarily american concise tempo. Almost a clipped phrasing of a film, rather than the gendered and nuanced philosophical french idiom that is structured differently. I guess i see it as a social/socialist shorthand or almost slang, whereas the shape of the french films reflect the reverence for the original full, ripe, tempered sentences and lets them breathe.

[@nayicisne]

Please keep doing this kind of video. I really love your channel and I wish there were more videos.

[@deliranteotaku]

Thank you for this, I am doing a podcast on the comparison of the book, anime, musical and movie...but I didn't knew there were so many films...I'll mentioned you channel...again excellent work

[@infrequentmusings2179]

I couldn't really fit the anime in here but that's an interesting adaptation as well!

[@arthurpouzet6098]

I just discover your channel ! Great work, it's nice to have for once a well-thought analysis on a topic that is dear to me !

[@bethanyblueberry]

This is a really great overview, and is definitely making me want to watch some of these adaptations, the 1934 one especially.

[@DarkStormProduction5]

This video is underrated. Great job! Very professionally done. I'm also in complete agreement with you.

[@eduardodifarnecio2336]

Just finished reading that doorstopper and am now reading a history and analysis of it so I really enjoyed your survey of these cinematic adaptations. Naturally you couldn’t do the theater adaptations but they started as soon as a year after the novel was published. My only criticism of your exceptional video is the background music. You don’t need it and it’s distracting from your otherwise charming, witty and erudite observations on this extraordinary work of literature, or at least its cinematic reincarnations.

[@infrequentmusings2179]

Thanks so much for your comment! Background music in video essays is definitely a divisive issue and since this was my first attempt, I'm not sure I struck the right balance, so I totally understand your criticism. General wisdom says that one should use music in video essays but I'm not so convinced myself and might forego using music in the future or using only a very very subdued ambience track. Glad you liked it despite this issue and I agree that the theater adaptations played a huge role in the adaptation history of the book and have to be taken into consideration; not as easy to do in a video essay due to the lack of picture material, but I would recommend checking out the collected volume "Les Misérables and Its Afterlives: Between Page, Stage, and Screen" which goes into these things a bit more (although it's still predominantly focused on the film adaptations iirc).

[@kathrinshawcross5066]

This video is fantastic, I would love to see more from this chanel

[@infrequentmusings2179]

I read this comment just as I was uploading a new video lol Ask and ye shall receive! (Honestly though making these videos just takes very very long though I hope to speed up the process a bit in the future...)

[@kathrinshawcross5066]

@@infrequentmusings2179 That's fantastic, I clearly arrived just in time! It's clear that you put an incredible amount of effort into your work so I look forward to seeing what you do in the future, however frequent it is 😊

[@MrFunExplosionthe3rd]

Les Misérables is my favorite story of all time. I, too, went on a crusade to watch as many movie adaptations as possible. The 1935 version, in my eyes, is the worst version ever put on film because it's nothing but wooden acting and plot butchering. It also gave birth to the suicide ending, which other films continued to borrow from. My favorite so far is the 2019 BBC 6-episode miniseries because it has a legitimate ending, an amazing Javert (and suicide scene), incredibly slimy Thenardiers, a likable Cosette, and it explains Fantine's romance with Felix. The musical direction is also very similar to that of The Last of Us, which I absolutely love. I'd be ecstatic if you were to make a sequel exploring the 2019 version, and possibly explain what points of the book you admire most and what deserves to make it into a film adaptation.

[@assyrianme]

Making Jean Valjean Woody Allen :( . sickos. Excellent video. I feel the love you have for my favorite book.

[@Maria_Efe]

What a great video! It made me want to watch all of the older adaptations, weird as they may be! I'd love to see more videos like this about Les Mis! And I completely agree with what you said about adaptations being true to their title. I had many issues with BBC's adaptation, but the main one was that it didn't give me that feeling of the downtrodden of the society, even though it was long enough to not have to focus solely on Valjean.

[@infrequentmusings2179]

Thanks! I wish making a video like this wasn't so time-consuming because I have a list of Les Mis stuff that I'd want to cover more in-depth... but I also have a list of completely different topics I'd love to make video essays about 😩 I hope I'll find some more time in the future. And I agree about the BBC adaptation although Andrew Davies sort of tried to rectify it at the last minute with that last shot, one of the few interesting writing choices he made.

[@pikachugamer2158]

the one scene i like to use to determine how much i like each adaptation is Javert's Suicide, and how it's done. At least in the 1978 version, before he falls, he has this moment where you can see him thinking deeply about everything, which somewhat makes up for his epic tumble. The 2012 one would've been one of my favs... if it wasn't for the sound effect that plays when he (doesn't) stick the landing. I know it's realistic, but it takes away from the scene. And don't get me started on 1998.

[@brooklyn113]

Love the musical just wish Eponine's character was more true to the book.

[@julistreit7993]

I’ve only seen the 2012 version and loved it so much. I wasn’t aware of all the other adaptations at all haha I’m just at the beginning of the video but I’m really interested to learn more about Les Mis and to understand why people didn’t like the 2012 version 😆

[@infrequentmusings2179]

I'm afraid I don't talk much about the 2012 version at all in the video since it's the most well-known haha. But maybe seeing the other adaptations can still help with understanding the dislike for the 2012 version (though in my own case, I can say that my problem with the 2012 version was mostly related to the filming techniques used - Hooper's random Dutch angles and weird framing of shots that he does in other stuff as well - and since I'm a musical film fan as well as a fan of Les Mis as a musical, there's some other stuff that I thought wasn't well-done in terms of translating it to the screen but anyway I don't hate the movie, the production design was nice imo).

[@julistreit7993]

InfrequentMusings thanks for your answer! I really enjoyed the video and I will definitely watch some of the other adaptations to get a wider understanding.

[@Ryan98063]

The 1935 film was by far the best. It's extreme simplicity does itself favours. It's almost to the level of radio drama the voice acting is so spot on

[@salt1918]

Crazy to think that the rare centenarian alive when the 1930s version came out was born in the era depicted.

[@LauraSeabrook]

Excellent analysis.

[@ijustneedsomespace3351]

I really liked your thoughts on this. Despite the weirdness of some of the adaptations, I'm feeling inspired to give a few more a chance now and try to see them through a different lense than simply being angry when the June rebellion is deemed not to be important enough to be included (like, come on, surely there's a reason that Hugo let the narrative culminate there?). I'm really intrigued by the French 1934 adaptation now.

[@infrequentmusings2179]

Thanks! I mean there's some stuff in the adaptations that's just plain weird no matter how you slice it lol But that seems to be regardless of when an adaptation was made. Some other things in the older adaptations that actually have reasonable explanations behind them just seem weird to us because we lack the context and expectations have changed. There's a different perception of the work in the Anglophone world now than in, say, 1952, due to the musical no doubt. Anyway I highly recommend the 1934 film! The latest Pathé restoration is the best version of it, it was released for the UK market with English subtitles by Eureka/Masters of Cinema in 2014 (the DVD/Bluray is region-coded for Europe though - if that's a problem, there's still the older Criterion version for the US market).

[@jenniferschillig3768]

You've put me in mind of a webpage that seems to be on hiatus. Arlene C. Harris, who has written a self-published sequel trilogy (but one that's far better written than the professionally published sequels, both named "Cosette", one French, one English), used to run a site called the Les Miserables Media Comparison Checklist, that gave detailed run-downs on various Les Mis adaptations. (It's amazing to note that nearly every English-speaking film adaptation up until the stage show ended with Javert's suicide and left Valjean alive--and even AFTER the stage show, the 1998 Liam Neeson version did that as well.) Unfortunately, though her blog (pontauchange.blogspot.com) is still up and running as of late 2019, the Media Comparison page seems to have all broken links. I understand that Arlene has wrestled with both financial and health problems, and may not have been able to afford to keep the domain running, but I hope it'll return one day, with updates of the 2012 movie and the 2019 miniseries. Anyway, she made some interesting observations on the 1935 Fredric March version. No, it wasn't quite the "Red Scare" version that some call it, but Arlene points out that the rather unusual depiction of the revolution (removed from any historical context) was a reflection of the times. At this point in the Depression, there was, indeed, a fear of mob rule, and many people even looked on unions as a form of that. So the protest starts out as a call for justice for the poor and reform of the law that penalizes hungry people for stealing (reflecting social concerns among the 1935 audience), but when Enjolras gets into the act, he's portrayed as a firebrand and hothead rather than Hugo's levelheaded and honor-bound revolutionary, and he stirs up the crowd. The revolution is portrayed as no other version portrays it (certainly not Hugo's!)...as an out-of-control riot complete with burning, looting, and vandalism, not as an armed insurrection against an unfair government. In short, though Marius is portrayed as being in the right, Enjolras and his means of effecting revolution are portrayed as wrong. As Arlene put it, the movie seemed to be saying to a Depression-era audience, "yes, things are tough, but try to effect change in the right way, and don't riot or anything." The other observation ties in to what you said about some adaptations portraying Valjean as actually being in love with Cosette. In March's version, when Cosette tells Valjean about her love for Marius, he sadly asks, "And have you nothing left for me?" Cosette answers, "But you're my father...I know you're not my real father, but..." And you can see the realization on Valjean's face: she is the only person he has to love, so she is everything to him (though not romantically), but he isn't, can't be, everything to her, because he's her father and she's a growing young woman in love. So it's not portrayed as a romantic interest at all, but something closer to the point Hugo made...that Cosette, being the only person Valjean has loved since his youth, has taken the place of everyone else Valjean might have had in a different kind of life...but Cosette is no longer the child who had never loved anyone but Valjean, and he can never be anything but a father to her.

[@cursedcancersurvivor]

I read Cosette. It's gross and complete bastardization of the characters.

[@alg11297]

Real in depth. Having read the book many years ago I didn't remember it that well other than the very long detailed account of the battle of Waterloo which had nothing to do with the plot (almost) You could have shown the differences in how certain things were handled and how they differed from the book. Then again did the musical add or detract to the countless remakes?

[@nairrac]

Wonderful analysis

[@deeproff1294]

Excellent work

[@jenniferschillig3768]

It kind of bothers me that Andrew Davies has to put down the musical every chance he gets. I loved his adaptation, but I love the musical as well. (I really liked the way the 2019 version makes a stronger, savvier character out of Cosette.)

[@a.t.m873]

I loved your good work and talking about ever detail. Just out of curiosity I wonder what you think of the La Jolla Playhouse/Papermill Playhouse Disney stage musical of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and its accuracy compared to The 1996 Animated version and the 1999 Berlin Stage version. I value your opinion very much on it. Thank you

[@infrequentmusings2179]

Thank you for the interesting question! I haven't seen the full La Jolla/Papermill stage version, though I've listened to some of it, so I can't say too much about it. I can say that I really love the 1999 Berlin stage version and I'm not sure why they made some changes to that (like - as far as I know - introducing that narrative element of the chorus in the 2014 version). I also have to say that I generally prefer the lyrics of the German version, both the 1996 film and the 1999 stage version. They're quite a bit darker and poignant than the English version, to me anyway. I find this most obvious in the song "Someday" which I'm glad they included in the stage versions when it was only in the credits of the film iirc. It's a beautiful song. But what's great about it in the Berlin version is how it turns into this huge ensemble piece, it's more of a "cry of the people" that rises out of Esmeralda's desperation and I think it's an absolutely gorgeous arrangement. In comparison, I'm not a fan of how they turned it into an intimate duet with Esmeralda/Phoebus in the 2014 version although I might change my mind about that if I saw it in context. I will say that from what I saw of the set design and costuming of the 2014 version, that was really lovely and while I liked the staging of the 1999 version with the different moving heights, I think that could've done with an update. But yeah I don't get some of the other changes (the ones that I know about anyway). And compared to the film, I like that the stage version(s) re-introduce some of the elements from the book, like a more grim ending and a more explicit depiction of the gargoyles as being figments of Quasimodo's lonely imagination. (Although I sometimes feel like the only person who doesn't mind the gargoyles in the movie either.) So yeah, those are just some general quick thoughts. The 1996 Disney movie borrowed very heavily from the 1939 film adaptation starring Charles Laughton (which is a great film) and I don't think either are particularly close to the book but in the case of the 1939 film, this is very much down to how they adaptated literature in Hollywood at the time, where they weren't trying to be accurate to the books but rather topical (hence having a very strong social justice theme which then carried over into the Disney version). And the films of the Disney renaissance really very blatantly draw inspiration from these Old Hollywood movies (same with Aladdin and the 1940 Thief of Bagdad, for example). So that's kind of the adaptation history behind it and it helps understanding why they change the material as much as they do. I'm a huge fan of the 1996 Hunchback as a story in its own right. And I hope I'll get around to watching the 2014 version in full some day, especially since there's a pro-shot out there and all I've seen of the 1999 stage version is a bootleg. I'm slightly sceptical about the live action adaptation they're planning, they'd be wise to look at the stage versions and how they brought the material closer to the book again and learn some lessons from that. But by and large, the live action Disney remakes have been very uninspiring in recent years.

[@huberthepner3754]

I mean, in book it was stated that for Jean, Cosette was like a daughter, wife, mother, sister etc.

[@laurapeter3857]

Exactly, and Hugo also explicitly states that Valjean does not love Cosette in any way other than as a daughter, mother, sister, etc.

[@kickingroses8925]

Ha. I only saw the English cut of the 2000 version and thankfully they cut the 'I love Cosette' line. The subtext remains but still. Ew.

[@infrequentmusings2179]

I haven't seen the English cut but I heard that they toned it down. Goes to show that not every edit has to be bad!

[@fairfeatherfiend]

Implying it is just as bad. Hugo is turning in his grave.

[@anderclettaweekle2672]

​@@fairfeatherfiend I mean...even though Hugo did sorta imply it himself, it was only in a "wow this guy's so pathetic and lonely that he loves Cosette like a wife and a mother too because she's all he's ever had" kinda way. Writing Valjean as explicitly IN love with her really lessens the emotional impact of their arc, not to mention all the obvious ways it's disgusting and terrible in.

[@IsraelNowIsraelForever]

Why are the 1925 and 1982 adaptations not available on video in the United States?

[@akis8402]

The 2000 version is really the only bad adaptation in my eyes. There are good things in it (like the soundtrack and the actress who played Cosette did a really good job) but I found it impossible to feel sympathy for Gerard Depardieu's Jean Valjean. I found him really wooden and also their decision to have him be in love with Cosette really bothered me. I could really buy that Harry Baur's, Liam Neeson's and Dominic West's Valjean was the strongest man in prison but Depardieu looks like he just ate all his stew while in Toulon. Also John Malcovich looked like he couldn't care less about giving a good performance as Javert. He has one facial expression throughout the 6 hour runtime. I think for me personally my ranking goes like this: 2000

[@opendebate7414]

Did you watch it in french and do you speak french. As a french person I loved Depardieu performance in french but the english version as tons of missing scenes and also is depardieu in english which I honestly think it was very bad. Also the french voice actor of malkovich sounds just like him but the character is really not that evil in the movie

[@Natalia-gp9os]

Do you know where can I watch the full 1934 Les Mis adaptation? I have been searching for it but I just found the first 2 hours of the movie, I would really like to watch the rest because it is magnificent and very faithful to the book. Thanks for the video, I really liked it!

[@infrequentmusings2179]

Thanks and sorry for the late reply! If you're in the US, you can watch the 1934 Les Mis on the Criterion Channel or by buying their Raymond Bernard set (www.criterion.com/films/879-les-mis-rables). The best release is the Eureka bluray although it seems like they're not producing it anymore? They released it in 2014 but I can't find it on their site, very odd.

[@Natalia-gp9os]

@@infrequentmusings2179 thank you so much!

[@hcm9999]

The book will live forever.... But nobody will remember any of the film adaptations, or the theater versions.

[@kalel.m2t]

say for yourself, the 1934 version will live for ages

[@codyclaeys2008]

When it's true the book will live forever There are people who love the musical and Broadway show who don't even know it's a book

[@SolracCAP]

Adapting the book will never stop either

[@codyclaeys2008]

Im collecting everything I can on les Miserables it's my favorite musical

[@hannahxin3800]

love 1958 version the best, this is the version entered in China, i have gotten the english version here yutube! great resource

[@ohjehan]

so where can i watch the 1934 version? because i'd love to, but i don't speak a lick of french :((

[@infrequentmusings2179]

There are Bluray versions out there by Criterion (region A, e.g. if you're in the US) and Eureka (region B, e.g. if you're in Europe) that come with English subtitles. With Criterion, the Bluray is part of a Raymond Bernard box set but I believe the movie is also streaming on their Criterion channel. Hope this helps!

[@vancecunningham5032]

Any opinions on which is the better restoration?

[@infrequentmusings2179]

@@vancecunningham5032 The Eureka / Pathé restoration is much better than the Criterion one for sure. It's more complete and has a better image quality.

[@1650million]

For someone who knows so much about the subject, I kinda missed your personal rating... ;) I found this buried in the comments: "I think for me personally my ranking goes like this: 2000

[@infrequentmusings2179]

Hhm let's see, I'd probably rate the adaptations something like 1934 > 1982 > 1935 > 1998 > 2012 > 1958 > 2018 > 1952 > 1978 > 2000, so pretty close to that other ranking. I didn't say much about the 1982 version because it wasn't super fresh on my mind so I didn't want to say anything inaccurate. But from my memory, I also liked it quite a bit. Or differently put: I need to rewatch it to really compare it but I don't remember disliking anything in particular. That adaptation had a clear artistic vision and that impressed me. Some versions are difficult to rank because the 1935 film is not a good adaptation but I do like it as a film in its own right. Conversely, the 1958 version is a pretty good adaptation but it's not a good film imo and kind of exemplary for the type of musty studio production that the Nouvelle Vague then rebelled against (well at least I'd think so). It's almost more like a picture book or an illustrated reading which isn't my cup of tea / not what I look for in a film. 1998 is a competent film though with storytelling choices that I find really galling, 2012 is a disappointing adaptation of the musical but it does have its moments. 2018 mini series is competently made in a way but it had something very predictable about it (full of this-is-a-BBC-mini-series clichés) that annoyed me (plus I just really do not like that take on Valjean) and then 1952, 1978 and 2000 are all just bad imo. I'd marginally put 1952 ahead of 1978 because it's funny, while 1978 is funny but also really cheap-looking. 2000 is definitely the worst. Well, that's all going by memory and I'm not very good at ranking stuff instead of looking at it on its own, but maybe this helps rounding out some of my thoughts.

[@1650million]

@@infrequentmusings2179 Thanks a lot for your extensive and thoughtful reply. If it was up to me, I´d say: - If you just want a regular movie and know nothing about Les Mis, watch the 1998 version. - If you want a much more extensive, yet very easy to watch adaptation, watch the 2018 version. - If you don´t mind watching an artsy movie made almost a century ago (with all that it implies), watch the 1934 version. - If you want a more "balanced" movie, watch the 1982 version. - If you want the musical touch (which I personally prefer to the actual musicals, by a long shot), watch the 2012 version. Anyway, just my mildly (un)educated opinion. Best! P.S. I forgot to mention the "definitive version" of Les Mis is not yet made, and it will probably only happen when the French decide to make a 10+ hours miniseries, in French, with the necessary budget. If that ever happens...

[@IsraelNowIsraelForever]

Why were the 1958 and 2000 adaptations edited for home video in the United States?

[@infrequentmusings2179]

Good question. This happens a lot and I don't understand the reasons either. If it's for TV scheduling, it can be about commercial breaks or things like that but with home media, it has to be about what the distributor thinks will work better for a particular market. That's the only explanation I've got.

[@IsraelNowIsraelForever]

@@infrequentmusings2179 thank you. The crazy thing is, the dubbed English version of Les Misērables (1958) is three hours and fourty minutes long, whereas the Blu-Ray with the original French audio is three hours and eight minutes long.

[@y88yt56rff]

Excuse me, where can I find 1934 film? 👉👈

[@infrequentmusings2179]

I would recommend the version restored by Pathé in 2014 which is, for example, the one released by Eureka on DVD/Bluray. (If you're in the US, you'll need to keep in mind that you'll need a region-free player to play it; otherwise you could go for the Criterion release but it doesn't have the latest restoration.)

[@peterkorman77]

For what it’s worth, though, the Criterion DVD is still pretty good (in my humble opinion).

[@morgzwow6857]

please respond i loved this video

[@begaydocrime5719]

Watching this fucking creep Deupardieu say those words made me want to throw up a little bit like WHAT. Understand: I hate this actor, I've never seen this version (it came out the year I was born) and I loved this book as a kid. I read it in french when I was like 10 (and a lot since) and I've heard so many times him calling her his daughter and his angel, it was such a sweet thing! This was... an interesting opening hgfjkd.

[@sandradermark8463]

So Freddie-Mercury-looking Enj is far older than 2018...

[@ahsokatano9070]

Everyone seems to forget the 1972 two episode adaptation:(

[@infrequentmusings2179]

I have to admit that I haven't seen that one (but there are really so many adaptations out there...). Sounds like it's good?

[@ahsokatano9070]

@@infrequentmusings2179 it mostly focuses on marius and the june rebellion but its really good!! Sadly it is extremely difficult to find. I managed to watch it because someone on tumblr shared a google doc. with the episodes in it (no subtitles tho)

[@infrequentmusings2179]

@@ahsokatano9070 Thanks for the reply! That sounds really interesting, I wish there was a subtitled version out there. Glad to know it's good!

[@rociomiranda5684]

Isn't Fredric March just wonderful?

[@equusquaggaquagga536]

The 98 version had cosette hold javert up at gunpoint😂

[@nicolasgautier2836]

attention on a la Marseillaise et Victor Hugo SALUT!!!!!!!

[@theuofc]

Oh, please. We don't need explanations. The script and the actors will do that if they know their jobs.

[@mberg1215]

Excellent video. As a French : I've just watched the first episode of the newest BBC series,and I immediately knew that this is the best non-French version. And it's waaaaay better than the 2000 series. Unrelated: I hate the musical. I like musicals, bit please leave that kind of cheesy Disney horrors far away from the ultimate social drama that is Les Miserables.

[@theunintelligentlydesigned4931]

The 1998 version is still my favorite. Although I haven't read the book or seen a single French version, you failed to give me any reason to hate the 1998 version. Yea, Jean Valjean is more aggressive and violent but this version isn't as much about his "redemption" as other versions might be. It makes sense that Valjean would be more aggressive and violent after all he's been through. And when he smiles after the death of Javert, it isn't nearly so much about personal relief as it is about the knowledge that Cosette and Marius are now free too. After all, Valjean already showed his willingness to sacrifice his own life and to spare Javert's life but what could Valjean do after Javert had locked himself up with chains? Maybe the 1998 version copied a lot but it copied the best parts of previous versions. Even its handling of other characters was better than what we typically see. The 1998 portrayal of Gavroche was the best Gavroche I have ever seen. The 1998 version also did well at portraying Javert and Fantine. Maybe Eponine was missing from the 1998 version but did any English version do a good job of portraying Eponine? What is her story?

[@sandradermark8463]

Plus for the 2012 Orestes Sober & Pylades Drunk scenes !! 😘🥂🏳️‍🌈 Ditto those in the '58 version (thanks for showing me that!).

[@fairfeatherfiend]

Damn I am going to read the book so that I don't have to watch all these horrible adaptations.

[@jesseowenvillamor6348]

Nah. Not all of them are horrible.

[@danthefan28]

The Cosette of the 1935 Les Misérables looks a lot like Joey King and it's distracting.

[@TroyBarnett]

I gave you five minutes and you said nothing. This video is fluff -- the intro is terrible -- it gilds the lily

[@pabloramosperez952]

2012 version is the best version

[@PCHUANG-yk9pw]

The original work presents love as divine and noble, inspired by GOD. But man simply cannot stop his corruption in the world, and gradually, love becomes no more a carnal intercourse of sexes and the emotional entanglement and attachment goes with it. The adaptation of the great work therefore inevitably descends into the world of the sordid and perverted.