Where were you Alfie? I am giving 6 stars because I have been a long time fan of Les Mis since attending the premier of the show in Sydney in 1987 starring Normie Rowe, Debbie Byrne and the memorable Philip Quast as Inspector Javert. And I am being generous because of the enormous effort all of the crew have obviously put into this film and for the actors' acting performances. BUT I believe the creators have made a gigantic fatal error in the whole concept of the production. Instead of being the "not to be missed", "most brilliant film of the year" it has turned out to be just "worth seeing" and a "very commendable effort".
I am sure when the film was being conceived they must have first asked the question - Is the film a drama or a musical? Or is it a combination of both? To me what carries Les Mis is the wonderful heart rending MUSIC and SONGS. And great songs should be sung by great singers. Yes, I know there are commercial considerations and the star appeal of actors in various countries can make or break a movie. Was this the reason the producers have gone in the main for actors even if some have claims to be able to make a reasonable effort at tuning their vocal chords to lyrics? The answer to the question of drama or musical for Les Mis the film is evident in the screenplay as the spoken words versus the singing words could be counted on one hand. And Messrs and Madams producers, some of the songs in Les Mis are extremely demanding, even for trained opera singers and despite the fact that the actors tried their guts out, I am afraid they were given an impossible task.
I recognize doing it live with actors was very courageous and sure the actors poured their hearts out, but how they did it in the days of "South Pacific", "Kiss Me Kate", "Carousel" and "Oklahoma" with Howard Keel, Gordon MacRae and Kathryn Grayson and co was much, much more effective. And they didn't need a camera stuck in their face to pick up the sound or visual cutaways to distract from the off tune notes. Don't get me wrong I love Hugh Jackman and his performance in his own version of Oklahoma was outstanding - but the challenging vocal range required for Jean Valjean!!! And Anne Hathaway deserves praise for a gut wrenching "I dreamed a dream" but I don't think it will get 115 million hits on YouTube.
There was one notable exception to the rule of natural singers v actors trying to be singers and that was Samantha Barks who also played Eponine in the "Les Misérables in Concert the 25th Anniversary" who demonstrated how a song could be sung by a singer with "On My Own" and what a startling contrast to the rest?
But the greatest shame of all was that the real star of the 25th anniversary London show who made the Jean Valjean role his own and who raised rapturous applause to every song he sang, who could have made the film great, was missing in the film's casting.