The Legion of the Damned (1982)
The Legion of the Damned (Orig. Les Misérables ) is a French-Italian literary film adaptation by Robert Hossein from the year 1982. It is based on the novel The Misery by Victor Hugo .
action
In 1815, after 19 years in prison, Jean Valjean was released from prison for a stolen bread and multiple attempts to escape. The only one who gives him shelter in Digne is the bishop. Valjean steals valuable silver cutlery from him that night and is caught. The bishop, however, lets him go because he gave him the cutlery. In addition, he gives him two valuable candlesticks, which he also promised him. The meeting with the bishop refines Valjean, even if shortly afterwards he steals a poor boy his weekly wages. Although he immediately registers, he can no longer return the money.
Five years later, Valjean moved to Montreuil as Monsieur Madeleine . In the small town he is considered an important man, as he has made the town famous by developing a new glass dyeing process. He is respected as a charitable person and patron and has since risen to the rank of mayor. His past catches up with him when Inspector Javert, who released him from prison at the time, is transferred to Montreuil and looks for Valjean as a recidivist for stealing money. Shortly thereafter, Valjean saves the life of the coachman Fauchelevent by lifting a fallen carriage on his own. Javert only knows one person who had such powers: Valjean. He mediates the now handicapped fauching event as a gardener in the Parisian convent Picpus. Javert, in turn, asks Valjean to be dismissed: he reported him to his superiors as a convict Valjean, but learned that the real Valjean has already been caught and is to be sentenced in Arras the next day. Valjean wants to prevent injustice, appears at the trial and identifies himself as Valjean. He returns to Montreuil, where he awaits his arrest.
In Montreuil, Valjean is indebted to Fantine, who once worked in his factory but was fired for having an illegitimate child in Cosette. Fantine went down social in order to be able to raise her daughter's housing costs with the greedy Thénardiers, and ended up prostituting herself. She is dying when Valjean promises to take care of Cosette. He flees from arrest and buys Cosette from the Thénardiers. A year later they both live in Paris , where Javert was also transferred. When their landlady betrays both to Javert, they flee to Picpus, where they are welcomed by the grateful Fauchelevent. Valjean is now called Fauchelevent and is considered the gardener's brother. Cosette grows up in a monastery. Eight years later, Valjean and Cosette move on.
The first unrest broke out in Paris in 1830. The student body wants to proclaim the republic with an uprising. Among the young men is Marius, who was rejected for his views by his wealthy grandfather. He falls in love with Cosette, whom he sees walking with Valjean in the Jardin du Luxembourg . Marius lives in a run-down hostel side by side with the Thénardier family, who now live in extreme poverty. The father in particular is bitter, as he once fought in Waterloo and received no thanks for rescuing a high-ranking man. Thénardier's daughter Eponine Valjean and his daughter are begging in front of the church. Both appear shortly afterwards at the Thénardiers and bring clothes and food over. Thénardier recognizes him. Because Valjean wants to come back that evening to bring some money, he lays a trap with a gang of criminals to rob Valjean. Marius hears about the plan and reports Thénardier to Javert. Thénardier and the gang are arrested, while Valjean manages to escape from Javert again. Two years later, Thénardier and the gang members escape prison. Eponine sees Valjean and Cosette again, who have since moved into a villa in Paris. She passes on her place of residence to Marius, even if she loves him unhappily herself. Marius and Cosette meet and shortly afterwards are a couple, about which Valjean knows nothing. Marius goes to his grandfather to get his permission to marry Cosette, but he refuses a connection.
The unrest in Paris intensified and the barricade fighting began soon. Among the insurgents is Javert, who is finally exposed as a spy and arrested. Eponine dies in the barricade fighting, while Marius has a boy deliver a letter to Cosette assuring her that he loves her. The letter is intercepted by Valjean, who goes to the barricades. Here he sees Javert as a prisoner and frees him. He also protects Marius, who is seriously injured when he storms the barricades. Valjean goes into the sewers of Paris with Marius over his shoulders, but is caught by Javert. He can bring Marius to his grandfather and say goodbye to Cosette. When he wanted to return from Cosette to the carriage, it disappeared - Javert gave up the hunt for Valjean and shortly afterwards took his own life. Some time later, Marius and Cosette get married. Valjean appears at the wedding, where he tells Marius that he is actually a wanted prisoner and that Cosette is not his daughter either. He left her a dowry of 600,000 francs and will never appear again in her life. In the autumn of 1838 Marius was visited by Thénardier, who wanted to blackmail him with his knowledge of Valjean. So Marius also learns that Valjean saved his life in the barricade fighting. He rushes to Valjean's house with Cosette, but only finds him dead. In the end, both of them mourn his grave.
production
The Legion of the Damned was filmed in 1981 in Paris, Palaiseau , Bordeaux , Sarlat-la-Canéda and the SFP studios in Bry-sur-Marne . Around 3,000 extras were involved in the shoot. The costumes were created by Sylvie Poulet , the film construction came from François de Lamothe and Jean Mandaroux .
The film was released in French cinemas on October 20, 1982, where it was seen by 3,828,029 viewers. In 1985 a four-part version of the film was shown on television in France, which was 30 minutes longer. In Germany it was released in cinemas on October 28, 1983. On December 3 and 10, 1984, it was shown in two parts on ZDF for the first time on German television. In 2007 it was released on DVD.
criticism
Der Spiegel found that director Hossein “takes a lot of effort [...] in the misery of the damned on earth [indulges]” and that the film is a “make-up and color dripping… version of the 'wretched' by Victor Hugo”. For the lexicon of international film , The Legion of the Damned was “mostly conventional in form, but partly convincing due to dignified acting performances and the commitment to the pathetic and sentimental aspects of the literary original.” “Plump picture arches of French history”, summarized Cinema .
Awards
In 1983, Jean Carmet won a César in the Best Supporting Actor category for his portrayal of Thénardier . The film received four César nominations in the categories of Best Actor (Lino Ventura), Best Adapted Screenplay (Alain Decaux, Robert Hossein), Best Production Design (François de Lamothe) and Best Cinematography (Edmond Richard).
At the Moscow International Film Festival Robert Hossein was awarded a special prize; the film also ran in the competition for the main prize of the festival.
Web links
- The Legion of the Damned in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release Certificate for The Legion of the Damned . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , April 2007 (PDF; test number: 54 171 DVD).
- ↑ a b On TV this week . In: Der Spiegel , No. 49, 1984, p. 256.
- ↑ See allocine.fr
- ↑ On TV this week . In: Der Spiegel , No. 50, 1984, p. 222.
- ↑ The Legion of the Damned. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed December 10, 2018 .
- ↑ See cinema.de