The BBC's 'Les Miserables'
What I'm Looking Forward To in the BBC's Les Miserables
Firstly, I am so sorry this didn't come out yesterday! I didn't realise until just now that it hadn't been posted. Hopefully I'll be back on schedule for Wednesday!
I am a huge fan of Les Miserables. I first saw it in the West End the summer before the film came out, then fell in love with the film too, and have a love-hate relationship with the novel. There are a lot of details in the novel which I miss from its musical adaptations, but equally some I'm not sorry to see ignored. Yes, I'm talking about long, rambling sections on Napoleon, and the Parisian sewer system.
I'm hoping that the BBC's new adaptation will at least cut down those long digressions, but if they do justice to the smaller details then I know I'll love the adaptation. Here are some of the things I most want to see on screen!
1. The Thenardier siblings! Eponine is one of my favourite characters in both the book and the musical, but for me, her relationships with Azelma and Gavroche are the most intriguing in the book. I really hope they spend enough time on them in the adaptation.
2. A more detailed depiction of Les Amis de l'ABC. At least they're in the musical, but their personalities don't generally get a chance to emerge amongst all the singing. And those personalities are what makes their storyline so much more poignant. In particular, I want to see Jehan Prouvaire's death depicted more accurately, as for me it was one of the most memorable moments of the book.
3. The explanation of Fantine's backstory. I can understand that there wasn't time for her relationship with Tholomyes in the musical, but it adds a lot to the theme of upper class callousness and gives more depth to the meaning of the novel. Although that said, I don't know if I'll be able to stand it on screen. It will make her death so much more tragic.
4. Marius' utter ineptness when it comes to courting Cosette. Marius in the books is a comic gift. His lack of worldliness leads to some hilarious moments with both Cosette and Les Amis, and the humour of Les Miserables goes underappreciated too often. If anything, it's a nice counterpoint to the darker sections of the novel.
5. A depiction of Jean Valjean which is equally as overdramatic as Victor Hugo's. That's a big ask, and it's probably the only thing on this list which won't actually effect how good the adaptation is. I just feel that the BBC won't be true to Hugo's spirit until they are pretending that Valjean, in various disguises, is in fact another character completely.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who's looking forward to this. Is there anything I've missed off this list that you think should be included? Let me know!
I am a huge fan of Les Miserables. I first saw it in the West End the summer before the film came out, then fell in love with the film too, and have a love-hate relationship with the novel. There are a lot of details in the novel which I miss from its musical adaptations, but equally some I'm not sorry to see ignored. Yes, I'm talking about long, rambling sections on Napoleon, and the Parisian sewer system.
I'm hoping that the BBC's new adaptation will at least cut down those long digressions, but if they do justice to the smaller details then I know I'll love the adaptation. Here are some of the things I most want to see on screen!
1. The Thenardier siblings! Eponine is one of my favourite characters in both the book and the musical, but for me, her relationships with Azelma and Gavroche are the most intriguing in the book. I really hope they spend enough time on them in the adaptation.
2. A more detailed depiction of Les Amis de l'ABC. At least they're in the musical, but their personalities don't generally get a chance to emerge amongst all the singing. And those personalities are what makes their storyline so much more poignant. In particular, I want to see Jehan Prouvaire's death depicted more accurately, as for me it was one of the most memorable moments of the book.
3. The explanation of Fantine's backstory. I can understand that there wasn't time for her relationship with Tholomyes in the musical, but it adds a lot to the theme of upper class callousness and gives more depth to the meaning of the novel. Although that said, I don't know if I'll be able to stand it on screen. It will make her death so much more tragic.
4. Marius' utter ineptness when it comes to courting Cosette. Marius in the books is a comic gift. His lack of worldliness leads to some hilarious moments with both Cosette and Les Amis, and the humour of Les Miserables goes underappreciated too often. If anything, it's a nice counterpoint to the darker sections of the novel.
5. A depiction of Jean Valjean which is equally as overdramatic as Victor Hugo's. That's a big ask, and it's probably the only thing on this list which won't actually effect how good the adaptation is. I just feel that the BBC won't be true to Hugo's spirit until they are pretending that Valjean, in various disguises, is in fact another character completely.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who's looking forward to this. Is there anything I've missed off this list that you think should be included? Let me know!
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