Les Misérables: Be a Good Neighbor

Les Misérables
by Project DayDream

Because I love history and musicals, I was very interested in learning more about Les Misérables when I heard about the 12/25/12 release of the film version of the musical. I had never seen the stage version before attending the Les Misérables School Edition production by Project DayDream in early December 2012 at Birmingham Seaholm High School.

Alex and his friend Lindsey

We finally saw the musical film version on 1/2/13. Our son Alex and his friend Lindsey accompanied us to the movie. You can see in the photo to the right that they both dressed up like characters from the movie (I don't know exactly who they're supposed to be).

At the bottom of this page there are links to commentaries that discuss various aspects of the movie. I encourage you to check them out.

There's not much I can add to the perspectives offered in the commentaries at the links below, but here a few quick observations:

1. I liked the fact that the movie included introductions to some of the scenes to give the viewer a timeline to connect with the actual historical events that were included in Victor Hugo's original novel.
2. I would assume that many viewers of the stage version of Les Mis don't realize that the events in Hugo's novel occur years after the French Revolution. As I mentioned in #1, the movie does a good job filling in the missing historical timeline. For more on the actual historical events in Les Mis, click here.
3. To me, Les Mis stresses the importance of our human relationships and the works of being a "good neighbor" over the pursuit of radical political action.

I really liked the comments by David French in his post Les Misérables, Hugh Jackman, and the Blessing of Adoption. Here's one excerpt...

When Jean Valjean (played by Hugh Jackman) finally removes the young Cosette from her abusive home, he sings to her as he very gently, very awkwardly caresses her sleeping head. That moment took my breath away. The combination of the words of the song, the adoring yet fearful and uncertain look in Valjean’s eyes, and the tenderness of his gestures showed on the screen the very emotions I’ve struggled to explain since becoming an adoptive parent. What is it like to meet a new child and love her instantly and so completely? Watch the movie, and you’ll get a glimpse of the indescribable joy — combined with awkwardness and uncertainty — of the moment when an adoptive parent first meets his adopted child.

According to French, Hugh Jackman is an adoptive parent himself and a very public advocate for adoption!

Here are those Les Misérables links...

White Horse Inn: Law, Gospel & Les Miserables

How Much Is Paris Worth?

Les Misérables

The Missing Half of Les Mis

Law and Grace in 'Les Mis'

The Cleric Behind 'Les Mis'

Law and Les Miserables, Revisited

The Mundane Morality of Les Misérables