Les Misérables (1998)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Les Misérables |
| Original title | Les Misérables |
| Country of production | United Kingdom , Germany , United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1998 |
| length | 128 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Bille August |
| script | Rafael Yglesias based on the novel by Victor Hugo |
| production | James Gorman Sarah Radclyffe |
| music | Basil Poledouris |
| camera | Jörgen Persson |
| cut | Janus Billeskov Jansen |
| occupation | |
Les Misérables is the name of a 1998 film directed by Bille August . It is based on the (original of the same name) novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo .
action
After nineteen years in prison in the quarries near Toulon for stealing bread, Jean Valjean is released. When he arrives in the town of Digne-les-Bains , only the bishop wants to receive him there. But Valjean, drawn and full of hatred, awakened by his memories of the quarry, gets up in the night to steal his silver . When the bishop catches him doing it, Valjean knocks him down and flees. The next morning the police bring him back. But the bishop, who knows Valjean's past, lies to help him by claiming that he gave Valjean the silver and gives him two candlesticks in front of the police. Then he says goodbye to Valjean: "Never forget it: you promised me that you would become a decent person with this silver."
Mayor of Vigo
Nine years later, a new prefect of police arrives in the small town of Vigo. Javert is a very strict man who was previously a prison guard in the quarries near Toulon. Police captain Beauvais introduces him to the mayor. This is a very strange man; although he has become rich, he lives in a small house. He is called 'Monsieur Le Maire' (French: Mr. Mayor), nothing is known of his past. When he sees Javert, it seems to frighten him. The viewer realizes: Monsieur Le Maire is none other than Jean Valjean.
At the same time in Valjean's factory: The foreman discovers that one of the workers named Fantine has an illegitimate child. She asks Valjean to be able to quit Fantine; the latter hardly listens to her and agrees, since he is still completely confused from his meeting with Javert.
Fantine is fired and she now has to watch how she earns enough money to pay the couple from Montfermeil , with whom their daughter Cosette lives, and to have enough available herself. After selling everything, including her hair, all she has left is prostitution .
One day there is an accident: A man, Lafitte, has gotten under the wheels of his cart. There doesn't seem to be a way to save him as time is short. Finally Le Maire / Valjean arrives and manages to lift the cart. Lafitte is saved and Le Maire finds him a job as a gardener in Paris , in the Petit-Picpus nunnery. Javert, also present, recalls that he only knew one man strong enough to lift this cart: convict Jean Valjean.
Fantine and Valjean
A few days later, Fantine is harassed by a drunk during their evening round, an argument ensues, which is stopped by Javert, who believes the man and leads Fantine away. Javert wants to put Fantine in jail for six months, but the mayor intervenes and says that it was not Fantine who started the argument. When Javert insists on imprisoning Fantine, Le Maire rebukes him and takes care of the sick Fantine.
Fantine has tuberculosis and is only getting better very slowly. She tells her story to Le Maire and he promises to bring her child; To do this, he has her sign a form in which she allows him to take Cosette with him. Slowly a love develops between the two.
Javert is now certain to have recognized Valjean in Le Maire. Valjean is wanted because he disappeared nine years before the end of his probationary period; allegedly it says life sentence. He denounced him, but the answer was that Valjean had already been found. He tells Le Maire about this story with a request that he be released because he believes he has a lack of respect for Le Maire.
The next day is the trial of the alleged Valjean. The real Valjean appears there and identifies himself as Valjean, but leaves before he is arrested.
Back at Fantine's bed, he tells her that he will soon be fetching her daughter. Fantine knows that she is unlikely to survive. She gives Valjean a necklace, the only thing left, with the request that he give it to Cosette. But then Javert comes to arrest Valjean. Valjean asks him three days to get Cosette. Javert, impatient, tells Fantine the whole truth, and the shock is too much for her: she dies. Valjean knocks Javert down and flees, with Beauvais helping him. Javert chases him as soon as he gets back on his feet, but fails to catch up with Valjean.
He traveled to Montfermeil to the Thénardiers to get Cosette. The Thénardiers let themselves be well paid by Fantine the whole time and at the same time exploited Cosette as a maid. Thénardier tries to take out Valjean too, but he shows him Fantine's signature under the power of attorney, and Thénardier has no choice but to let Cosette go.
Shelter in Paris
Valjean and Cosette come to Paris. There, at Javert's suggestion, the controls were strengthened, the two of them have to climb over the city wall, where Javert discovers them. But on the other side of the wall is a nunnery, the one where Lafitte works as a gardener. Valjean and Cosette are allowed in, Javert is refused entry while looking for Valjean.
Years go by, Cosette becomes a young woman and is about to become a novice; but she manages to persuade Valjean to leave the monastery. On a walk she meets the young revolutionary Marius and the two fall in love. However, Marius is observed by Javert, who considers him dangerous because of his political views. The street boy Gavroche finally helps Marius connect with Cosette. The two meet every evening on a park bench in front of Cosette's house. Javert notices this, and since he has not seen Valjean and considers him a respectable citizen, he wants to warn him about what his daughter is up to.
He tries to speak to Valjean, but he hears the name and sends Cosette, who claims he is not there. Javert leaves a letter for Valjean. When Valjean reads this, he gets angry with Cosette. An argument ensues, at the end of which Cosette leads Valjean to tell her his past.
Revolutionary days
The students are planning the revolution . But Marius, actually their leader, has something else on his mind, namely Cosette. The evening before, she told him that her father had decided to emigrate to England. Even if she doesn't tell Marius the reasons, she makes it clear that she has to come with me. Javert disguises himself as a spy to spy on the students. Finally the barricade is built and in the evening Marius sneaks away to see Cosette again. Javert follows him and overpowers him. When Cosette arrives, he takes her prisoner too. But the two manage to turn the tables, and Marius takes Javert as a prisoner to the barricade.
Cosette tells Valjean what happened, and Valjean makes his way to the barricade. He can persuade Marius to shoot Javert; but he lets him go and fires the shot in the air. The boy Gavroche is shot trying to pull the corpses for their powder on the other side of the barricades. The next morning the situation is pretty hopeless. Valjean tries to persuade Marius to leave the barricade, but Marius does not want to betray his friends. Finally the barricade falls. Valjean, the only one uninjured, flees through the sewer with the seriously injured Marius. The insurgents who are still alive are shot. Javert, looking for Valjean, discovers the displaced manhole cover.
Near the Seine, Valjean and Marius come out of the sewers. Javert is already waiting. But this time he lets Valjean persuade him to bring Marius to Cosette. Accompanied by two police officers, Valjean returns to his house. Cosette, seeing the two policemen, guesses what happened. She wants to hold back Valjean, but Valjean says that was the deal that he could bring Marius to Cosette. In parting he gives her the necklace Fantine had entrusted to him.
Javert is waiting on the banks of the Seine. He sends the police away as soon as they have brought Valjean to him. But to Valjean's surprise, Javert finally removes the handcuffs and plunges into the Seine. Valjean is on his way back home and is happy to be able to live freely now.
Cast and dubbing
The German-language dubbing of the film was done by RC Production Rasema Cibic, Berlin. Dorothee Muschter is the author of the dialogue book . Dialogue director led Hagen Mueller-Stahl .
| role | actor | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Jean Valjean / Monsieur Le Maire | Liam Neeson | Bernd Rumpf |
| Inspector Javert | Geoffrey Rush | Jürgen Heinrich |
| Fantine | Uma Thurman | Petra Barthel |
| Cosette as a woman | Claire Danes | Nana Spier |
| Marius, friend of Cosette | Hans Matheson | Gerrit Schmidt-Foss |
| Captain Beauvais | Pure Brynolfsson | Michael Walke |
| bishop | Peter Vaughan | Hasso Zorn |
| Cosette as a child | Mimi Newman | Arlette Markuse |
| Thénardier, Cosette's foster father | Jon Kenny | Bodo Wolf |
| Madame Thénardier, Cosette's foster mother | Gillian Hanna | Marianne Gross |
| Lafitte, gardener in the nunnery | Tim Barlow | Hans Nitschke |
| Mother Superior | Kathleen Byron | Barbara Adolph |
| Brevet, former fellow convict of Valjean | Frank O'Sullivan | Jürgen Kluckert |
| Lombard, a former fellow convict of Valjean | Tony Vogel | Karl-Maria Steffens |
| Bertin, a former fellow convict of Valjean | Christopher Adamson | Roland Hemmo |
| Toussaint, Valjean and Cosette's housekeeper | Patsy Byrne | Sonja German |
| Gavroche, street boy | Shane Hervey | Wilhelm-Rafael Garth |
Differences from the book
Cross out figures
- Éponine, actually a main character in the book, only made a brief appearance at the beginning of the film when she played with her sister Azelma at the Thénardiers' hostel as a child.
- The actual leader of the revolt, Enjolras, is only any member of the student group, whose leadership Marius has now taken over. This is in contrast to the book, in which Marius decides to join the revolt only after Cosette's apparent departure.
- The Thénardiers only perform their job as hosts who take in (and exploit) Cosette. After that, they no longer occur. However, they continue to play an important role in the book.
- In addition, numerous less important characters have been deleted.
Changed ending
- The book ends with Valjean revealing his true identity to Marius after his wedding to Cosette. Marius then clearly indicates to Valjean that he is no longer welcome in his house. Valjean slowly dies from the breakup with Cosette. Marius learns from Thénardier that it was Valjean who saved his life. When he and Cosette find Valjean in his apartment, however, he is already dying.
- Unlike in the book, Javert plunges into the Seine in the presence of Valjean. The film ends here. In the book, Javert is alone in his suicide.
Changes of names
- The city where Valjean is mayor is called Montreuil-sur-Mer in the book, not Vigo. A city called Vigo does not exist in France.
- The man whose life Valjean saves when he lifts the cart is called Fauchelevent, not Lafitte.
- The man who is mistaken for Valjean is called Champmathieu in the book, although this name is important because it continues to incriminate the man, not Carnot, as in the film.
- The three convicts who testify against Champmathieu / Carnot are called Brevet, Chenildieu and Cochepaille instead of Brevet, Lombard and Bertin in the book.
One possible explanation for the shortening and simplification of many names in the film is that they are easier to pronounce for the predominantly English-speaking actors.
Valjean
Jean Valjean's personality is very different from what is described in the book. Valjean not only knocks down the bishop and Javert in the film, but also hits Cosette when she doesn't want to tell him the truth about her relationship with Marius. He also only goes to the barricade at her request to save Marius. In addition, Valjean Cosette is relatively willing to tell about his past, while in the book of Marius he tearfully pleads not to tell her anything.
Others
- In the book, Valjean learns to read and write in prison, in the film he only does this when he is already mayor.
- Javert is Montreuil Police Inspector, not Prefect. There was (and is) only one prefect of police to whom the entire police force in France is subordinate.
- The character of Captain Beauvais does not exist in the book.
- Monsieur Madeleine actually runs a jet factory (a type of colored glass used to make rather cheap jewelry), not a brick factory.
- After Fantine's death, Valjean allows himself to be arrested without resistance and only later escapes from prison. He doesn't knock Javert down.
- In the book, Valjean has been living in Paris for a while before Javert runs into him by chance. He doesn't find him already when Valjean tries to get to Paris.
- Gavroche is the son of the Thénardiers in the book.
- Nor is it Gavroche who exposes Javert as a spy in the film, but Marius when Javert follows him on the way to his appointment with Cosette.
- In the film, Javert happens to find out about the affair between Marius and Cosette and wants to inform Valjean, whom he considers a respectable citizen, about it. This leads to an argument between Valjean and Cosette, which ends with Valjean confessing his past. That part of the plot doesn't exist in the book.
- There are also a large number of omissions and numerous anachronisms .
criticism
From the criticism was Bille August's directing skills largely praised. The remake of the classic captivates "in Bille August's version with atmosphere and actors" and is a "noteworthy film adaptation of Victor Hugo's main work, which focuses on the conflict between opponents". On the other hand, the cuts were criticized. The course of the plot, which for Victor Hugo extends over 40 years and around 1500 book pages, is "concentrated on an essential narrative framework" and the "tome by author Hugo is reduced to Hollywood-like proportions " .
“Bille August, already a specialist in literary adaptations through his first international success with Pelle the Conqueror , concentrates in Les Misérables on crucial moments and situations in which rigid conditions suddenly change. The time seems tight and crowded, the characters restless, and if there weren't any subtitles that remind us that it is now "10 years later", one could believe that the dramatic events took place within a few months. "
“It should not be concealed that Bille August depicts a lot in a striking and clichéd manner. For example, after his purification, Jean Valjean is so unreservedly noble and magnanimous in a way that would never be possible with a human being. "
Web links
- Les Misérables in theInternet Movie Database(English)
- Les Misérables atrotten tomatoes(English)
- Les Misérables in the German dubbing index
- Parodied retelling of the film
- Reviews of some films
Individual evidence
- ^ German dubbing index - Films - Les Misérables. In: synchronkartei.de . Retrieved November 20, 2019 .
- ↑ social drama by Victor Hugo's epic misery ( Memento of 7 January 2015 Web archive archive.today ).
- ↑ Les Misérables. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Les Miserables 1998 Reviews of the film adaptations of the novel by Victor Hugo (English)
- ↑ Borissa Hellmann: Les Misérables review on artechock
- ^ Rüdiger Suchsland: Les Misérables review on artechock
- ↑ Dieter Wunderlich: Bille August: Les Misérables Dieter Wunderlich: Book Tips & Film Tips