New Les Miz Trailer- Page 2

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/8/12 at 9:54pm

Crowe sounds like he's singing to a metronome, but in all fairness, so does the full chorus that comes in right after him. A little too robotic in the musical direction, right then.

I don't mind his (rock & roll) voice, but I hope he "loosens up" with the phrasing the way Jackman seems to have.

As for Seyfried ... I can't tell yet. I think her acting is going to carry the performance, and it looks good. Her singing voice is too thin with that slim, rapid-fire vibrato. If it doesn't get in the way of the songs, I can live with it. But she's not winning me over vocally in these clips.

I will say that the overall look, feel, and power of the story seem to be coming through beautifully. And above all else, including the score, Les Miz is a classic tale. One for the ages.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 11/8/12 at 9:57pm

It looks absolutely gorgeous. Crowe is whatever. I’m just more excited to see the tour again the week after the movie comes out.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 11/9/12 at 3:06am

I'm sure it's just for the trailer (I hope) but you could barely hear the orchestra.

Russell Crowe sounds a bit jarring not because of any lack of singing ability, which is what a lot of people are pinning it on (or at least alluding to that being the case), when anyone with ears can confirm he is singing on key and can sufficiently carry a tune.

I don't feel comfortable saying much more than that because that was a miniscule sample of each character, all of which produced some degree of the same reaction in me during the trailer. So, I'll lay off of the Crowe for now.

But I am worried about the general approach everyone is taking, which is just a concern, and not a prediction.

All I can say is I don't want to see 1001 nuances one can inject in the line "Hey!! Eponine, what's up today?!!" that reflect actual, real-world ways in which the same thing is said in regular speaking fashion. The new tour was a real b*tch to sit through due to the constant, reflective pausing and contemplative speak singing. Such an approach would probably be a fair match with, say, Sondheim fare. You know, Wordsmith. Not saying Kretzmer is crap, and I do enjoy his sometimes efficient, sometimes romantic, sometimes clever, sometimes pedestrian lyrics and all, but...

Music. MUSIC. I feel it is being undermined. I did not get a powerful musical sense out of this trailer and MUSIC and the MUSICAL Les Miserables are responsible for having launched a certain someone's unrelenting love for theatre, MUSIC theatre, into the stratosphere.

The use of Saturday morning cartoony, bright sunshiny/slash wrists tragical, trainwrecky, cliche-ey-ab-fab, crowd pleeeasin', jumblahlahaljahjageg, 25th ann. orch concoction in "One Day More" has a way of squeezing my balls worse than a Michael Bolton ballad, yes, but that's a rant I'll reserve for when y'all irritate me.

Estoy jugando.

Pero es la musica que me late, y este pinche cabron productor se enfoca en la fina actuacion, como si vive en las palabrillas el corazon y el alma de esta historia MUSICAL.

No, I haven't started speaking in tongues. Que mantengan la calma, senores. Soy Spic!

Anyway, I dug the other IDAD take more.

[Dave19]

Posted: 11/9/12 at 5:53am

"Best12bars: Crowe sounds like he's singing to a metronome"

It DOES sound like that, extremely staccato, just like all the 14 year old girls on youtube that sing "I dreamed a dream" on the exact counts/clicks/beats. No emotion, not telling a story. Just an amateur desperately trying to stay in tune.

"As for Seyfried ... Her singing voice is too thin with that slim, rapid-fire vibrato. If it doesn't get in the way of the songs, I can live with it. But she's not winning me over vocally in these clips."

I couldn't agree more.
The number 1 reason for the success of a musical film is the music and the singing. I have a feeling they underestimate/undermine this.

[Dave19]

Posted: 11/9/12 at 6:07am

My Oh My, you are right. MUSIC.
When will they ever learn that lesson? Because I really feel they are making the same mistakes again as they did in the Phantom film. The Gerard Butler/Emmy Rossum effect. The music will not soar with people like Amanda and Russel. So there is no point in singing at all.

I see this as another hard lesson that they need to learn before the Miss Saigon film. Please take excellent singers for that.

[FireFingers]

Posted: 11/9/12 at 6:09am

I was told by someone that One Day More in the film has Javert addressing the troops (not wondering on and singing to the auidence, which would be odd in a film) so that explains why he appears to "singing to a metronome". He is giving an order, commanding his men in a clear and succinct way.

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/9/12 at 6:38am

It may very well work in context, FireFingers. I didn't say (and can't speak to) whether it is effective or not in the film, only that it sounds like both Crowe and the chorus immediately following him are singing to a metronome, which it does.

Javert certainly does have his rigidness, whether or not that "fatal" character trait has to be interpreted so literally in the musical beats. I'm looking forward to seeing the film, and this trailer certainly hasn't changed my mind about that.

Updated On: 11/9/12 at 06:38 AM

[Dave19]

Posted: 11/9/12 at 6:43am

Speaking to your troops in that moment would work 100 times better if you would not "rea-dy-for-these-school-boys-they-will-wet-them-selves-with-blood". Which makes it sound silly and insecure and like the primary school musical.

Updated On: 11/9/12 at 06:43 AM

[Kaplan18]

Posted: 11/9/12 at 10:48am

I want a sing a long night!

Trailer looks great. Big fan of Eddie Redmayne!

[broadway guy]

Posted: 11/9/12 at 10:27pm

I think the trailer looks stunning!I'm really loving the fact that the people who bashed Anne's singing voice have no room to talk anymore.The way she belted"so different from this hell im Living" was Phenominal.Made me think of RUthie Henshalll.Anne can indeed sing,and sing pretty Damm well.The oscar is basically in her hands.

Hugh Jackman:We have not heard much singing from him in the trailer but come on....Its Hugh Jackman....everyone knows he is going to knock "bring him home" out of the park.My theory is,they are not showing him sing that much until the actual Movie comes out.It will be an amazing surprise for all the people who have never heard "wolverine " sing.I honestly believe when the academy sees this movie and they here Hugh Jackman's rich baritone voice belt out "who am i" it will guarantee him a place in the Best actor categorie.

Eddie:sounds great,looks great, not worried.

Russel crowe:I acutally really like his voice.We haven't heard that much of it so it is to quick to judge,but I think his stars will be just fine.People are already doubting crowe just like they doubted Hatheway when the first trailer was out....But look who has the last laugh.He had weeks of singing rehearsal and also had the creators of the musical on set.If they didnt like how he was singing they would have said something.They took many different shots so we don't even know if what we heard will be in the movie..

SBC/HBC: Have not heard them sing or act in the trailers but they look fantastic!These roles are right up their alley.They will be fantastic.No doubt in my mind.

Samantha Barks...Do we even need to doubt her performance?She is the perfect eponine for the movie.Her eponine looks so genuine and tragic,unlike the the show I saw on tour where the eponine had a cockney accent????wtf.This movie will make her a star and she deserves every minute of it.

Amanda:Not totally sold on her yet but it's not like she is in every scene.Her voice is a little to thin for me but at the same time I think it works for the movie.She looks beautiful on the posters and in the trailers.She will do fine.

I really Think this movie will be a classic.After reading the leaked screenplay it seems that they have dodged the traps that Phantom fell in.It wont be another Evita movie because the leads can actually do jusice to the score.There is always a chance that this movie will completely suck but thats HIGHLY doubtful.

[jo]

Posted: 11/9/12 at 10:56pm

Very grounded comments, BroadwayGuy!

Re Hugh --

*When they filmed Bring Him Home, the barricade boys and Samantha were one in tweeting their pleasure! Sam had one word : "Stunning!"

*I think what they wanted to emphasize in the trailer was not Hugh's singing ability( very much a known factor) but to show how he can handle the dramatic requirements of the role. The opening scene where he works the docks, the "I'm cold...can you let me stay here tonight?" hardships, rescuing the stricken Fantine, the moments where he sat on a travelling coach articulating his thoughts and doubts via soft singing, the physical confrontation with Javert, joining the barricade -- all dramatic moments!! Save for his charming " Mademoiselle?" to little Cosette and the exhilarating last frame showing a smiling Valjean carrying a half-smiling Cosette with a doll -- they are all realistic takes on the character of Valjean. It is a dramatic role, one fraught with hardships, moments of self-reflection, moments of love, compassion and self-sacrifice for others ...and if he is going to compete with the likes of DDLewis, J.Phoenix, D. Washington, J.Hawkes et al for acting honors -- it has to be largely as a dramatic actor -- with the added major bonus that he is also showing his considerable musical talent! I think that is what the AMPAS may be looking for - someone who can be toe to toe with those leading dramatic actors and not "just a musical leading man"!

As this is the medium of film, it seems that Hugh is reinterpreting the role of Valjean to bring us the more dramatic aspects of the character...and hopefully, he will also give us his inimitable way with a song!



Updated On: 11/9/12 at 10:56 PM

[BroadwayBenny]

Posted: 11/10/12 at 12:52am

I want a sing a long night!

I'm bringing a water pistol with me to squirt anyone who starts singing while I'm watching this in theaters.

[jo]

Posted: 11/10/12 at 3:37am

Not sure where to post this -- but the special screenings of Les Miserables for awards bodies will start on November 24 in Hollywood/LA. Report from Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere --

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/11/15_days_to_les.php

>15 Days to Les Miz


My Vietnam excursion (11.19 through 11.30) means I'll be missing out of the first wave of Les Miserables press & industry screenings, which will begin with a bang on Saturday, 11.24, or during the Thanksgiving time-off cycle. Universal has set 12.11 as the review embargo date although tweeting responses are cool from the get-go. Les Miz director Tom Hooper will be doing q & a's before or after the six screenings slated for 11.24. <<<



A similar report from Variety --

http://weblogs.variety.com/thevote/2012/11/splash-of-les-miserables-screenings-set-for-nov-24.html





Updated On: 11/10/12 at 03:37 AM

[jnb9872]

Posted: 11/10/12 at 11:16am

Fortunately, I am heartened that, from everything I've seen, the creatives working on Les Mis all disagree with My Oh My. Musicals on stage and Musicals on screen are different beasts entirely. The willing suspension of disbelief is dramatically altered when you are watching someone live, in the flesh, in front of you, and over-dramatic vocalizations are more obviously impressive and appreciated. On screen, such bloviating stage performing can be embarrassingly overcooked and take an audience out of the much more difficult suspension of disbelief in a dark room looking at a picture on a flat wall. Film acting requires emotional nuance on a smaller-scale not required on stage, where projecting to cheap seats is rewarded. One could argue that movie musicals live and die based on how closely they observe this key difference. (Hence, Chicago, which is generally considered one of the more successful adaptations, because it found a narrative device to excuse its theatricality.) Les Mis is a score that needs to be nurtured, not excused, and to do so requires finessing it to the nature of the screen. On that scale, everything I've seen so far shows me this film is going to understand that perhaps more than any other major movie musical I've ever seen from Hollywood.

Updated On: 11/10/12 at 11:16 AM

[Dave19]

Posted: 11/10/12 at 11:44am

Yes, that part is just as important as excellent singing in a movie musical. From what I've seen so far you completely agree with the filmmakers, who also seem to be missing this point.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 11/10/12 at 12:32pm

Les Mis is a score that needs to be nurtured, not excused, and to do so requires finessing it to the nature of the screen.

Your point is very well expressed jnb9872. I wholeheartedly agree, but you're never going to convince the overly-obsessive fanboy/girls on this forum. They just DON'T. GET. IT.

[Plum]

Posted: 11/10/12 at 12:39pm

I remember feeling continually outraged at the casting of light-voiced Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd in the leadup to that movie, and I still think I was right. :P I guess I'm just not as attached to the Les Mis score, but I do get the pain of the superfans.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 11/10/12 at 1:00pm

Dave19 it is in my opinion that you should skip this film and instead see the tour, or watch one of the two concert versions on TV.
You seem to not understand the difference in the mediums. When you give a stage performance on film, you end up with crap like The Producers. Trust me, nobody wants that to happen to Les Miz. If it is a stage performance on film that you are seeking, there are already two very nice DVDs available to you. Just stick to those.

On film the suspension of disbelief works differently than it does on stage, broad performances and belting to the rafters, and generally over singing is not appropriate in a movie.

When films started taking on a more realistic feeling, the movie musical began to fade and nearly die. For them to work now, they must be less bombastic and over the top, they need to retain the suspension of disbelief, otherwise you end up with The Producers all over again.

Keeping that in mind, it is important not to take that too far in the opposite direction; otherwise you end up with a disaster like Rent. A balance must be kept for a movie musical to work, and the only thing we can do at this time is to wait and see if it works.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/10/12 at 1:14pm

Like Plum, I just don't think I have the investment some people have with this, so for me, everything I see just makes me want to see it more.

[Wishing Only Wounds]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 12:27am

I'm loving the new "take" of I Dreamed a Dream they seem to be using, as opposed to what was featured in earlier trailers.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 12:36am

The very first hint of any reservations I may have about the film version, and everything I've ever said in support of it--which is a LOT--flies out the window and I am suddenly an over-invested, silly fanboy and movie basher. Not to mention, clueless about film and theatre being vastly different, and I apparently don't know what an adaptation is. Great.

Believe it or not, as frustrating as it can be to be called those things after everything I've said, I'm not surprised and I expect it all the time. Of course people will only look on the surface. Nobody is invested enough to really care about what I did or didn't say, and that's alright. And trust me, saying I'm ridiculously invested is a given, and nice of you for having noticed. Thanks! XD

Yeah, at any rate, check out my longish rants in the "The Les Mis Film Has Started Filming" thread, where I entertain such thoughts as it being totally cool that even my beloved original orchestrations get adapted for film in parts that could use it. And not referring to the expected expansion of the orchestra and orchestrations as most film versions do, I'm referring to complete rewrites, even new stuff. I'm pretty tight assed about orchestrations, so if I give the green light on messing with them for the film version, then I'm what you'd call someone flexible, understanding, and open minded. I hate tooting my own horn, but sometimes people around here have a way of making me feel good about myself.

Btw, another thing I've supported is the adaptation of acting styles typical of live theatre into more film-appropriate styles and approaches. I've been quite vocal about that one, and in the spirit of people who only glance on the surface of things, my recent thoughts have been assumed to be complaints about the adaptation of anything. Nevermind my pointing out that I am speaking out of concern. CONCERN. Not disappointment just yet, but concern that they will incorporate one of the lamer approaches at reinvention utilized on the current new tour, where the bulk of an actor's effort doesn't lie in telling a musical story but instead doing everything they possibly can to "shake things up," every second, every word, gesture, and intonation. It came off too self-conscious, often awkward, very cartoony and embarrassingly melodramatic. Some moments of the trailer hinted at that being a possible approach throughout.

Everyone is speaking about mediums, styles, and adaptation and I completely agree with everything being said about that.

But that's not what I'm talking about. My worries are more regarding the quantitative rather than qualitative, meaning there's nothing wrong or bad about the styles and approaches seen in the trailer because they are perfectly appropriate for the medium, but I hope they don't get ridiculous and infuse the film with too much of a good thing like the tour did. It comes off pretentious and it makes the musical aspect of musicals really choppy to the point you wonder why they're singing at all, considering the overwhelming effort placed on being naturalistic and as ordinary, mundane and about as expressive as the limited spoken word is known to be.

The approach and style is fine. But please spare us this stupid over-pensiveness, allusions of something profound being said all the time, and speak singing should be strategically incorporated at key moments, not added to undermine the musical storytelling aspect of musicals.

Like I said in another thread, not losing sleep over this. Much less, my temper. It's a typical concern we invested fanboys hyperventilate over all the time. Nothing new here.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 2:32am

A balance must be kept for a movie musical to work, and the only thing we can do at this time is to wait and see if it works.

True. The best comment.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 3:19pm

I don't need to check out any other posts. I've seen lots of them. I think anyone who regularly uses the name "cammack" is probably a titch more invested in this than some others. That's all. No need to write ten paragraphs explaining how you are NOT over-invested in this.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 3:35pm

Both versions work, and I guess Tom and co. just changed their minds.


Updated On: 11/11/12 at 03:35 PM

[Wynbish]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 3:51pm

I'm not sure if it was in this thread or another one where someone wondered if little Cosette at the curtain is during Fantine's death: I'm pretty sure that is accurate.

In the new trailer, at 1:40ish, they show Valjean/Javert's confrontation post-Fantine's death. And it's the same curtain behind them.

And I will lose my poo when that happens.

ETA: It was the other thread. Bah. Updated On: 11/11/12 at 03:51 PM