new Les Mis movie song sung by Hugh Jackman

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 9:52pm

I am curious about the description of the new song in the interview posted here: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Hugh-Jackman-Talks-New-LES-MIS-Song-Suddenly-20121015

In the interview, it says:
"He says he [Valjean] never knew the love of a mother, a father, of brothers or sisters and vice versa, never loved anyone," Jackman says. "So he meets this little girl who's in his care, he experiences this flood of emotion that for a 50-year-old man has never occurred."

In the musical, Valjean says he stole a loaf of bread to save his sister's son from starving. So my question is, doesn't that imply that he loved his sister and vice versa, and also her son/his nephew? Why would meeting Cosette, a stranger at first, be the first time he feels love, as opposed to having felt love for his nephew (for whom he spent 19 years in prison) and his sister?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 10:07pm

"It's a pretty amazing invention of Victor Hugo and it's never really been dealt with in the stage musical," he says just after that quote. Perhaps his reasons for thievery are different in the movie now? I've never read the novel so I can't speak to the accuracy of Jackman's statement.

Updated On: 10/15/12 at 10:07 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 10:19pm

Here's the full original article in The Telegraph: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/insider/les-mis-song-just-for-hugh-jackman/story-e6frewt9-1226495023480

It's been so long since I read the novel, that I don't remember exactly what his family arrangement was before he was imprisoned, but regardless, he was still stealing bread because they were starving. (In Valjean's confession in Act 2: "He stole some bread to save his sister's son.")

I raised my eyebrows a bit at Jackman's description as well.

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 10:31pm

That quote from Jackman also struck a sour note for me when I read it.

I'm currently making my way through the novel. Valjean lost his parents at a very young age, and his (older) sister brought him up. He lived with this sister and her family (a husband and -- not one -- but SEVEN children) into his twenties. His sister's husband died, and he took up various seasonal jobs to help feed this large family.

From the novel's depiction, Valjean did indeed seem to love his sister and these children. When he enters prison, he sheds many tears. I remember this one scene vividly because it was so touching. This is what Hugo writes: While the bolt of his iron collar was being riveted behind his head with heavy blows from the hammer, he wept, his tears stifled him, they impeded his speech; he only managed to say from time to time, 'I was a tree-pruner at Faverolles.' Then still sobbing, he raised his right hand and lowered it gradually seven times, as though he were touching in succession seven heads of unequal heights, and from this gesture it was divined that the thing which he had done, whatever it was, he had done for the sake of clothing and nourishing seven little children."

He then spends quite a lot of time ruminating about what would become of that poor family he'd left dying of starvation: "All that had constituted his life, even to his name, was effaced; he was no longer even Jean Valjean; he was number 24,601. What became of his sister? What became of the seven children? Who troubled himself about that? What becomes of the handful of leaves from the young tree which is sawed off at the root?

It is always the same story. These poor living beings, these creatures of God, henceforth without support, without guide, without refuge, wandered away at random,--who even knows?-- each in his own direction perhaps, and little by little buried themselves in that cold mist which engulfs solitary destinies; gloomy shades, into which disappear in succession so many unlucky heads, in the sombre march of the human race. They quitted the country. The clock-tower of what had been their village forgot them; the boundary line of what had been their field forgot them; after a few years' residence in the galleys, Jean Valjean himself forgot them. In that heart, where there had been a wound, there was a scar."
Updated On: 10/15/12 at 10:31 PM

[StageManager2]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 10:49pm

Jackman is referring to:

Volume II -- Cosette
Book Four -- The Old Gorbeau House
Chapter III -- Two Misfortunes Equal One Happiness

Dawn the next day found Valjean again near Cosette's bed. He was waiting there, motionless, to see her wake up.

Something new was entering his soul.

Jean Valjean had never loved anything. For twenty-five years he had been alone in the world. He had never been a father, lover, husband, or friend. In prison he was cross, sullen, chaste, ignorant, and intractable. The heart of the former convict was like a virgin's. His sister and her chidlren were only a vague distant memory, almost totally vanished. He had bent every effort to find them again and, not succeeding, had forgotten them. Human nature is that way. The other tender emotions of his youth, if he had any, were lost in oblivion.

When he saw Cosette, when he had rescued her, he felt his heart move again. Everything within him, all feeling and affection, was aroused and poured out on this child. He approached the bed where she slept and trembled there with delight; he felt inward yearnings, like a mother, and did not know what they were, since the strange and great motion of a heart beginning to love is incomprehensibly sweet.

Poor old heart, so new at it!

But, as he was fifty-five and Cosette only eight, all the love he might have felt through his whole life melted into a sort of ineffable glow.

This was the second white vision he had met. The bishop had caused the dawn of virtue on his horizon; Cosette invoked the dawn of love.

Updated On: 10/15/12 at 10:49 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 10:55pm

I'm glad they've added more music to this. Because if there's one negative that can be said about LES MISERABLES, it's that it's just too short.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 11:00pm

And if anyone needs another song it's Valjean. LOL! Seriously, they could've taken this opportunity to finally give Adult Cosette her own solo and develop her character more. (Yes, I'm still bitter, and what?)

Updated On: 10/15/12 at 11:00 PM

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 11:21pm

Thanks Mike and StageManager for the book excerpts - that does help to explain that he did love his sister and her children but forgot about them after 20+ years, mostly in prison and then not being able to find them afterward.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 11:34pm

And then it'll have a reprise, right? And then another? And then it'll be part of a medley?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 11:45pm

And underscored throughout?

[chewy5000]

Posted: 10/15/12 at 11:53pm

You'll be able to tell what songs are new because their melodies won't be reused a thousand times.

[broadway guy]

Posted: 10/16/12 at 2:18pm

Does Anyone know what songs they are cutting? My guess is they would have to cut atleast 10 songs.I figure that they are cutting:
-Castle on a cloud
-Drink with me
-Beggars at the feast
and have dialogue in and out with: at the end of the day,the arrest,waltz of treachery,eponine's errand,dog eats dog,look down etc etc..

[bobs3]

Posted: 10/16/12 at 2:27pm

I would assume they are going to try and keep the film's running time to between 150 and 160 minutes (including end credits) so there will be substantial cuts made from the stage version.

Updated On: 10/16/12 at 02:27 PM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/16/12 at 3:51pm

I assume there will be massive cuts, but I can't fathom those three songs broadway guy mentioned would be completely gone. I just can't imagine any way they'd cut "Castle on a Cloud," not because of any personal attachment to it, but because it's Young Cosette's introduction. "Drink with Me" would be a surprise, as well. As for "Beggars," that Japanese trailer that was going around last week had a shot of what looked like Mdm. Thenardier in that very scene. True, she could still have the costume and be in that scene without the song, but it seems unlikely to me. No offense, broadway guy, because you could very well be right, but I guess my though would be that most of the cuts would come from music that wasn't on the two original cast recordings, but this is all just speculation on my part.

Does anyone know if there is going to be any dialogue? I hadn't heard that any music was going to be shuttled for dialogue, but I have heard precious little about the score since this kicked into gear. I feel like by this point with Dreamgirls, so much information had leaked about what songs were cut and/or drastically shortened, but I have yet to hear any info about Les Miz. That's good, though, because the less I know about what's in and what's out, there more surprises the film will hold for me.

Updated On: 10/16/12 at 03:51 PM

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 10/16/12 at 3:52pm

I thought this song had been written 30 years ago but never used?

[willep]

Posted: 10/16/12 at 4:02pm

No, it is a completely new song.

[Fan2]

Posted: 10/16/12 at 7:45pm

I think Hugh mentioned at the beginning of filming that there was going to be *some* dialogue but it's mostly sung. Also, for those of us that were following the filming every day, it seems like from tweets, all the songs were filmed. What makes the final cut is another story.

[jo]

Posted: 10/16/12 at 8:33pm

That was also confirmed by screenwriter William Nicholson when he said that the format is still the basic sung-through but that they were "introducing some dialogue".