But that establishing shot is just gorgeous. It's so, so beautiful. Marius is sitting there, alone. None of the triangular compositions that are used to establish power dynamics within a scene. He's small, and the camera is angled down. He's also along the line of the room into the vanishing point, disappearing both visually and into grief for his friends. It's absolutely gorgeous cinema and composition.
In the stage play all the dead friends come in and when he sings the "Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me, what your sacrifice was for!" They all walk off again as if they are disappointed in him for saying that they died in vain. Powerful stuff.
These 3 minutes are a perfect example of what an Oscar-worthy performance looks like. I am in absolute awe of Eddie Redmayne, it´s beyond me how he could convey such believable raw emotions and still hold the notes... Makes me cry every time.
@@peyton1254 Actually, they didn´t. This version is famous for recording the vocals live on set and adding the orchestra in post-production. That´s why they all sound somewhat flawed at some point, but ultimately, it adds to the overall effect.
The first time I saw this movie, this scene hit me like a ton of bricks. I broke down and started sobbing as he continued to sing. It shocked my wife because it was the first time she had seen me cry. You see, I am a retired US Army Infantryman. I have deployed to Iraq for three tours. Some of the empty chairs were the direct result of those deployments. Some of my other brothers met their end in Afghanistan after they moved on to different units. The even most heart-breaking losses were when we came home, and they took their own lives. It really is a problem, I have lost more brothers to suicide than to the enemy. What makes all of those empty chairs & tables so painful to think about is that they ultimately died for nothing. It took me a long time to come to the conclusion that all of the blood, pain, and horror we endured, the awful things we saw & did. The horror of knowing that innocent people died because of your actions, and the awful knowledge that you would do it again because it meant you & your brothers get to come home. All war, death, sacrifice, and soul crushing sorrow, was ultimately in vain.
I am in your shoes. I cannot watch this without crying, and my fiancee gets so confused, because I refuse to cry in front of anybody. But this song hours me, and I can't help it
you went from "this scene made me cry" to "so anyway lets talk about me and my tour in iraq that ultimately happened for no reason and then ended anyway"
Imagine, be with your best friends on a fight, ready to die by their side, then you wake up and find out they're all dead and you were the only one who survived
@@randompinoyboi.-.1652 I don't know that much about the Second French Revolution, except that wasn't a total failure. Louis XVIII was a fat, tired old man who didn't really want to be on a throne, so he threw up his hands and left Paris. I don't know where he went, but both the Bourbon Dynasty and Napoleon Bonaparte had worn out their welcome, and the French were ready for Democracy like their American allies. It was a royal mess. But Marius' friends, in the long run, didn't die in vain.
In my opinion, this was the best singing performance in this movie. He managed not only to sing well, but portray a lot of emotion while he did so. Some of the other performances had some good emotion, but that emotion affected their singing in negative ways.
Anne Hathaway tho'. I think Eddie Redmayne and AH totally blew the critics away. We already knew Wolverine had the chops, but these two blindsided.. talent...amazing.
Great acting but i dont like the decision they made for the song. Dont know if it was to tailor it to redmaynes ability or not but i dislike not holding out the orignal notes and also not belting the first half F and G
@@gilljames5013 It was probably direction. There were so many bad decisions made behind the scenes ( like telling Hugh Jackman to not drink water for his earlier songs so he looks haggard ) It's honestly a miracle that this number was even good given the conditions they were working with ( kudos to that at least )
@@rintv3675 Hugh Jackman purposely lost weight and looked haggard for the first scenes. I don't think they served doughnuts and pizza in French prisons in those days. He was playing it for real. In fact I think the whole cast gave it their all - that's why it was such a fabulous and memorable movie.
"Oh my friends, my friends, forgive me that I live and you are gone." There's so many people in the world who can relate to this and it brings tears to my eyes everytime I hear it.
That is the ultimate theme of this scene: The horrible feeling of Survivor’s Guilt. Even if the revolt was successful, he would still feel guilty that he was the only one that survived, the whole thought of “Why did I make it and no one else did? What makes me so special?” But on top of that, the fact that it was for nothing this is just soul crushing. I could easily see lot of people just wanting to commit suicide in that situation. Thankfully, Marius is not of that mindset, at least not completely.
From 0:57 to 1:41 is my favorite section of this performance. So many other singers build and build in this section until they're singing with full-throated voices "AND I CAN HEEEEEEAR THEM NOW" -- no, you can't, you're too busy singing. Here, the restraint of Eddie Redmayne's voice in that section suggests exactly what the lyrics say -- that he's listening for the ghostly voices of the friends he'll never see again. It's a far more effective treatment, one that makes the song land exactly where and how it's meant to.
Just because it's an emotional performance, doesn't mean it's the right performance. Although I respect your opinion, I feel that it's supposed to be a singing performance. It's in a musical, not a play. Emotion can be portrayed through singing just as good as acting.
I've lost a lot of friends; through cancer, car crashes, warfare, suicide and addiction have I lost a lot of friends. The emptiness remains but they are not forgotten.
This song really caught me off guard in the best way possible the first time I saw it. At this point in the musical it’s near the end and there’s already been so many big numbers, then in comes this one that hits you like a brick with all its emotion.
Truth!! I’m not even sure I’d heard this song before….I’m currently working the live show of the Broadway tour (backstage with costumes) anyway, I heard it for the first time Tuesday night and it had me riveted… The feeling of survivors guilt and the way he sings it it’s just powerful beyond powerful 🦋
I really love how he starts the song in falsetto (head voice) rather than chest voice like basically every other Marius. I listened to the movie soundtrack before any of the other ones so I may be biased, but I feel like starting with an even, low voice like most Mariuses do is contrived - too pretty, not very expressive. The way Eddie Redmayne goes from falsetto to eventual chest voice when the song and emotions build up to the crescendo has the same effect the technique has in "Bring Him Home" - it's really wonderful.
I saw this in theaters roughly about a month after my tour in Afghanistan. I had zero idea what I was getting myself into, this scene absolutely crushed me. The way he so accurately portrays his survivor guilt is one of the most beautiful and moving things I’ve ever come across. I’ve never not found comfort in this piece over the years, it also helped me discover my voice. Such an incredible work of art.
I've watched other people singing this song in musicals but this is the most emotional performance I've ever seen. Such raw emotion. Beautiful. It hurts everytime I hear: my friends forgive me, that I live and you are gone. The guilt and the pain.
A film has the advantage of getting a close up of a man’s grief, the tears and the agony. On stage this mainly has to be transmitted through body language. A whole different perspective.
One of the best portrayals of survivor's guilt in the history of cinema. The guilt and anguish in his voice when he all but screams "Don't ask me what your sacrifice was for" is almost tangible, sinking like a double-edged knife straight into the soul. There really are no words powerful enough to capture the depth of this kind of agony. Every scene in this movie is an individual masterpiece.
There's a grief that can't be spoken, There's a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables, Now my friends are dead and gone. Here they talked of revolution, Here it was they lit the flame, Here they sang about tomorrow and tomorrow never came. From the table in the corner, They could see a world reborn, And they rose with voices ringing, And I can hear them now The very words that they have sung Became their last communion On this lonely barricade, at dawn. Oh my friends, my friends forgive me That I live and you are gone There's a grief that can't be spoken, And there's a pain goes on and on Phantom faces at the window, Phantom shadows on the floor, Empty chairs at empty tables where my friends will meet no more. Oh my friends, my friends don't ask me What your sacrifice was for Empty chairs at empty tables Where my friend will sing no more.
Eponine literally took a bullet for him and died in his arms. Gavroche was a child, probably no more than ten, who still willingly sacrificed himself for the revolution. Enjolras gone. All his friends gone. You feel that pain, listening to this.
I have seen this on the stage several times in major productions, I've watched Michael Ball sing it with his powerful voice, so beautiful, but I feel Eddie Redmayne did the most moving, but real, performance. As so many have said, he went deep into the sadness of monstrously huge loss, the guilt of having lost them when he hadn't been able, for too long, to stand by their sides. I also love the cinematography choices, close on Marius, briefly but importantly showing the whole empty room. Bravo, Mr. Redmayne.
When my dad passed away, I always play this song and start to cry. At home there is an empty chair where my dad would always sits. When I need to cry this song would help me with the grieving of my dad.
It happens so often in an epic tale that the main character is the only one who survives a battle, and I always thought it was strange how quickly the story always just moves on. I know it’s because to the audience those minor characters were expendable, but that wouldn’t be true from the perspective of that surviving main character. I love that they took the time to let the hero mourn his friends here, the way he would in real life.
This man who was waiting on his teenage daughter to come out of the restroom, says to me that his daughter, when she first saw Eddie Redmayne on screen said, he's a funny looking fellow, and at the end of Empty Tables, she was crying saying that he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.
Eddie Redmayne is BRILLIANT in this role. His rendition of Empty Chairs at Empty Tables is my favorite. I have seen all the PBS concerts and have seen the play live 5 times, and Eddie triumphs over them all.
Eddie Redmayne really is an underrated actor. Say what you want about his singing, which I think is quite beautiful, but he is an incredibly talented actor and you can’t help but feel for him as he mourns his friends all dying at the barricade.
My first Eddie Redmayne movie was "Fantastic Beasts", and I fell in love with him at once. That's why I found as many of his movies as I could, and Les Miserables is one of my favorites, too.
I came here because my grandma just passed away. I know the song isn't about that. She didn't even like musicals or had any connection with this movie/play. But looking at her empty room, the chair she sat on, I just can't stop thinking about this song. Empty chairs at empty tables... Her room just feels so empty without her. Now I will just burst into tears wherever I hear this song remembering her.
Bro! I’m literally leaving the cemetery after leaving flowers for my grandma. Likewise, she wasn’t into musicals or even Les Mis but I connected with “there’s a grief that can’t be spoken, there’s a pain goes on and on”.
You don't have to be into musicals. A lot of people are not. But this one is different and it is really in the realm of Opera, along with Sweeney Todd and Phantom of the Opera. To call any of these simply musicals is in error.
I've seen this scene performed by multiple actors/singers over the past 30 years, and this guy is the only one I've ever seen who begins to show the true anguish that the character would have been experiencing in that tragic situation. He simply nailed it. I don't know if he won any awards for his performance, but he absolutely deserves one.
I was taught by Samantha Pauly (the Broadway actress) how to sing with emotion. She said to dig down into what you can relate with this song, so I did. And now, everytime I hear or sing this song, I break down in tears while I think about my friends that I have lost. It truly breaks my heart.
When I saw this movie for the first time and had no idea what the story was about... this scene wrecked me. Eddie Redmayne became one of my favorite actors in a handful of minutes. Absolutely heart-wrenching.
I love Les Mis...I'd heard this song so many times before I saw the film rendition and knew what was coming. Yet to this day I have never been as moved by a scene as I was by Eddie's performance. I still cry like a baby every time I hear it, Eddie Redmayne conveys the agony of grief in this song like I've never experienced before.
Eddie Redmayne has so much emotion in his presentation that it truly stays with you a while. It is not easy to make the change from very soft vocalizing to very strong, but he nails it. Unforgettable.
There are a few songs in Les Miserables that resonate with me on a richter scale. This is one, Stars is another. I dreamed a dream and On my own. Right there I can fill a tanker with my tears.
I have avoided this cinematic version for almost 10 years because Les Mis is literally my favorite musical and the 10th anniversarydream cast is the definitive version, IMHO. But Eddie Redmayne actually did a great job here! Sorry I waited so long!
This is one of the most powerful performances I've ever seen on film, and I've seen countless movies in my 75 years of age. This is right up there with the greatest performances of all time. Stunning in its purity and simplicity while showing what real grief looks like.
It is so, SO hard to sing while looking like you're crying. To sing *this* well while looking like he's breaking apart is a skill that we need to acknowledge more often.
One of the best version of this song.Redmayne really shows his skills to be a leading actor in21st century, and his voice on this song is so REAL.Fantastic version
So many of the things we have.... anti-discrimination laws, minimum wage, the eight hour workday, are because people like Marius fought and sometimes died for a better future... One that we enjoy and they will never see. Next week will be Labor Day. Remember this song, and remember that the fight is not over.
We are going through a revolution in Iran. When I hear this song, I remember my Iranian friends and teenagers who are being killed these days. We are living this song these days...
This is absolutely amazing. I'm hanging on every sound. The space he is able to create. I love Eddie as an actor and feel like i knew that he was capable of doing literally everything, but this role is outstanding. Great musical, great cast. I would absolutely recommend it!! Thanks for making this timeless piece of art.
There was a lot of criticism of this movie when comparing it to the play. I honestly don’t think you can get this kind of authentic emotion from an actor when he has to project his voice to the back row of the theater. I think for it to feel real it has to be done quietly and alone with the ghosts.
David Pietarila The authentic emotion is in the voice and the music. You shouldn’t need to hear a wobbly affected crying voice or tears running down someone’s face to see or hear the emotion. Tom Hooper doesn’t understand this.
the emotion he carries just with his voice... I had no idea he could sing. I have become quite a fan of his work after this. Of all the cast, I liked his performance better than most of the ones that where "trained' singers.
I will never forget seeing this for the first time in the cinema. I cried so hard and had forgotten to bring tissues. I looked a right mess when the lights turned on
I love how there is nothing elaborate about this scene, no epic cinematography, just a man sitting in a room, alone.
technically the blonde girl was standing by the staircase😂 because she waits for him there when he’s done singing
i think that if this film has a Cesar it isn’t just for a man sitting in a room alone
But that establishing shot is just gorgeous. It's so, so beautiful. Marius is sitting there, alone. None of the triangular compositions that are used to establish power dynamics within a scene. He's small, and the camera is angled down. He's also along the line of the room into the vanishing point, disappearing both visually and into grief for his friends. It's absolutely gorgeous cinema and composition.
That’s the point of the song though. You not a thespian 🎭 I see.
This whole scene is just heartbreaking!!
In the stage play all the dead friends come in and when he sings the "Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me, what your sacrifice was for!" They all walk off again as if they are disappointed in him for saying that they died in vain. Powerful stuff.
Wow. I can't even imagine how amazing that would be to see.
And I love how he sings it almost like a quiet yell.
It's just so powerful.
Why didn’t they do this in the movie version too??
J F I wish I knew!
@@JF-sh2sm realism
this scene is so powerful, i cry every time. eddie redmayne killed it.
r e g i n a I still cannot believe how many awards went to other films that year...
@@jacquelynnjones1372 Agreed
I know!
gina same!! He killed it!!! This scene never fails to make me cry
Eddie is a miracle, no matter what role he plays. In this case, he breaks my heart and makes me weep.
These 3 minutes are a perfect example of what an Oscar-worthy performance looks like. I am in absolute awe of Eddie Redmayne, it´s beyond me how he could convey such believable raw emotions and still hold the notes... Makes me cry every time.
kefinkamed they prerecorded the voice
@@peyton1254 Actually, they didn´t. This version is famous for recording the vocals live on set and adding the orchestra in post-production. That´s why they all sound somewhat flawed at some point, but ultimately, it adds to the overall effect.
It took many, many takes before he felt he had it right. At least part of his weariness in this scene is real.
YESSSS HE ABSOLUTELY BLOWS ME AWAY
Sawyer no they didn’t
"Oh my friends, MY FRIENDS!" he screams, only to have the only full shot of the empty room he stands in is so subtle yet so haunting.
Good point. I never noticed that and got double chills
The first time I saw this movie, this scene hit me like a ton of bricks. I broke down and started sobbing as he continued to sing. It shocked my wife because it was the first time she had seen me cry. You see, I am a retired US Army Infantryman. I have deployed to Iraq for three tours. Some of the empty chairs were the direct result of those deployments. Some of my other brothers met their end in Afghanistan after they moved on to different units. The even most heart-breaking losses were when we came home, and they took their own lives. It really is a problem, I have lost more brothers to suicide than to the enemy. What makes all of those empty chairs & tables so painful to think about is that they ultimately died for nothing. It took me a long time to come to the conclusion that all of the blood, pain, and horror we endured, the awful things we saw & did. The horror of knowing that innocent people died because of your actions, and the awful knowledge that you would do it again because it meant you & your brothers get to come home. All war, death, sacrifice, and soul crushing sorrow, was ultimately in vain.
I am in your shoes. I cannot watch this without crying, and my fiancee gets so confused, because I refuse to cry in front of anybody. But this song hours me, and I can't help it
I am so sorry for your loss. Each death took a bit of you. I hope you are letting love of your family rebuild your spirit and make whole your soul.
I always cry in this scene and now your comment made it even worse! I am so sorry for what you've been through, you are very strong.
Thank you.
you went from "this scene made me cry" to "so anyway lets talk about me and my tour in iraq that ultimately happened for no reason and then ended anyway"
Imagine, be with your best friends on a fight, ready to die by their side, then you wake up and find out they're all dead and you were the only one who survived
Haru that would be HORRIBLE
Lottie Chan that’s what he’s going through!!
SURVIVORS GUILT
And all of them died in vain.
Truly must be heartbreaking for Marius.
@@randompinoyboi.-.1652 I don't know that much about the Second French Revolution, except that wasn't a total failure. Louis XVIII was a fat, tired old man who didn't really want to be on a throne, so he threw up his hands and left Paris. I don't know where he went, but both the Bourbon Dynasty and Napoleon Bonaparte had worn out their welcome, and the French were ready for Democracy like their American allies. It was a royal mess. But Marius' friends, in the long run, didn't die in vain.
Enjolras yelling at him from heaven: There wouldn't be so many empty chairs at empty tables IF YOU HAD PUT THEM ON THE BARRICADE LIKE I ASKED!!
xD
Enjolras and Marius, the greatest love and hate bromance of all time.
How could he? He was shot down, remember? Still, it's a funny thought.
He really did just gather a meeting of all the people that care about his lonely soul
That's some of the best dark humor I've ever seen.
In my opinion, this was the best singing performance in this movie. He managed not only to sing well, but portray a lot of emotion while he did so. Some of the other performances had some good emotion, but that emotion affected their singing in negative ways.
Anne Hathaway tho'. I think Eddie Redmayne and AH totally blew the critics away. We already knew Wolverine had the chops, but these two blindsided.. talent...amazing.
His performance goes directly under the skin. So powerful, so full of emotions.
Great acting but i dont like the decision they made for the song. Dont know if it was to tailor it to redmaynes ability or not but i dislike not holding out the orignal notes and also not belting the first half F and G
@@gilljames5013
It was probably direction. There were so many bad decisions made behind the scenes ( like telling Hugh Jackman to not drink water for his earlier songs so he looks haggard )
It's honestly a miracle that this number was even good given the conditions they were working with ( kudos to that at least )
@@rintv3675 Hugh Jackman purposely lost weight and looked haggard for the first scenes. I don't think they served doughnuts and pizza in French prisons in those days. He was playing it for real. In fact I think the whole cast gave it their all - that's why it was such a fabulous and memorable movie.
"Oh my friends, my friends, forgive me that I live and you are gone."
There's so many people in the world who can relate to this and it brings tears to my eyes everytime I hear it.
It is truly one of the most ugly feelings. I would give up anything to have my mates back. The survivor guilt is awful.
Survivor's guilt is so brutal. I hate it.
Lost my 26 year old brother to cancer a year ago. Battled it for 7 years. It’s so true
That is the ultimate theme of this scene: The horrible feeling of Survivor’s Guilt. Even if the revolt was successful, he would still feel guilty that he was the only one that survived, the whole thought of “Why did I make it and no one else did? What makes me so special?” But on top of that, the fact that it was for nothing this is just soul crushing. I could easily see lot of people just wanting to commit suicide in that situation. Thankfully, Marius is not of that mindset, at least not completely.
From 0:57 to 1:41 is my favorite section of this performance. So many other singers build and build in this section until they're singing with full-throated voices "AND I CAN HEEEEEEAR THEM NOW" -- no, you can't, you're too busy singing. Here, the restraint of Eddie Redmayne's voice in that section suggests exactly what the lyrics say -- that he's listening for the ghostly voices of the friends he'll never see again. It's a far more effective treatment, one that makes the song land exactly where and how it's meant to.
That part is my favorite too.
Just because it's an emotional performance, doesn't mean it's the right performance. Although I respect your opinion, I feel that it's supposed to be a singing performance. It's in a musical, not a play. Emotion can be portrayed through singing just as good as acting.
@@albatross4023 Your preference is your own.
@@LaundryFaerie Yeah I know, I just wanted to say that.
Depressed Ravioli “emotion can be portrayed through singing just as good as acting” thank you! Unfortunately no one told Tom Hooper this.
I love the way he says "my friends , my friends" like a very old man at 1:41
Oh my gosh I can’t stop hearing it that way now 😂😂
Hahah
Oh no now you ruined it 😂
Outliving your friends will make you old fast.
I've lost a lot of friends; through cancer, car crashes, warfare, suicide and addiction have I lost a lot of friends. The emptiness remains but they are not forgotten.
Awwww! So sorry! Hope you have a great day.
BOT Chad sorry for that I can imagine what you feel
BOT Chad I feel so sorry for you. I can’t even imagine how much pain you have experienced.
I'm so sorry you had to go through that 😓
Awwwww! I’m so sorry for your loss ❤️❤️
This song really caught me off guard in the best way possible the first time I saw it. At this point in the musical it’s near the end and there’s already been so many big numbers, then in comes this one that hits you like a brick with all its emotion.
Truth!! I’m not even sure I’d heard this song before….I’m currently working the live show of the Broadway tour (backstage with costumes) anyway, I heard it for the first time Tuesday night and it had me riveted… The feeling of survivors guilt and the way he sings it it’s just powerful beyond powerful 🦋
@@CoachRudi1 that's so cool dude hope you like it, my gf is working to do what you're doing with the costumes
Why he didn't get an Oscar for this, I'll never know.
Well they made up for it in theory of everything
Agreed 👍
Because the Oscars rewards “realism” and musicals are the last kind of movies they would reward
@@ezelfrancisco1349 guess that crying isn’t realistic.
He wasn't "too famous" back then. Oscar wins rely mostly on buzz.
*When you're the only one who studied for the final exams*
UA-cam Channel i’m 100% sure they died on the inside
Wow you really had to make me laugh at 2:30 at literally the most emotional part. But that was funny.
And then all your friends ask you to help them cheat but you can’t, so everyone fails except for you :,((
I love this comment 😂😂😂😂
Well, You destroyed the emotion of the song..... But It was funny
The GREATEST interpretation of this song i have ever heard or seen. He was brilliant in this damn movie.
This is one of the most well performed scenes in the movie adaptation of this show. I love it so much
It would have been so easy for this character to fall behind the scenes with all the other amazing performances. Eddie made that impossible
I really love how he starts the song in falsetto (head voice) rather than chest voice like basically every other Marius. I listened to the movie soundtrack before any of the other ones so I may be biased, but I feel like starting with an even, low voice like most Mariuses do is contrived - too pretty, not very expressive. The way Eddie Redmayne goes from falsetto to eventual chest voice when the song and emotions build up to the crescendo has the same effect the technique has in "Bring Him Home" - it's really wonderful.
Have u heard Jonathan Antoine's version. Its pretty good and he also starts off quiet.
Isn’t falsetto different from head voice?
@@ChicoTunda Yep :)) Head voice is the one I should have used. I'm not gonna bother fixing it though because this comment is quite old.
@@Dale-ct5ru I am interested in the difference as a non musical person :O lol
this is more of a falsetto, as it’s more closely resembling a chest voice. the difference between falsetto and head voice is mostly biological.
I saw this in theaters roughly about a month after my tour in Afghanistan. I had zero idea what I was getting myself into, this scene absolutely crushed me. The way he so accurately portrays his survivor guilt is one of the most beautiful and moving things I’ve ever come across. I’ve never not found comfort in this piece over the years, it also helped me discover my voice. Such an incredible work of art.
I've watched other people singing this song in musicals but this is the most emotional performance I've ever seen. Such raw emotion. Beautiful. It hurts everytime I hear: my friends forgive me, that I live and you are gone.
The guilt and the pain.
most of the time on stage they dont have any emotion they just sing it and too fast there is no reality that he just lost his friends
M.ichael Ball gives a wonderful interpretation
The best performance will always be Michael Ball
A film has the advantage of getting a close up of a man’s grief, the tears and the agony. On stage this mainly has to be transmitted through body language. A whole different perspective.
One of the best portrayals of survivor's guilt in the history of cinema. The guilt and anguish in his voice when he all but screams "Don't ask me what your sacrifice was for" is almost tangible, sinking like a double-edged knife straight into the soul. There really are no words powerful enough to capture the depth of this kind of agony. Every scene in this movie is an individual masterpiece.
There's a grief that can't be spoken,
There's a pain goes on and on.
Empty chairs at empty tables,
Now my friends are dead and gone.
Here they talked of revolution,
Here it was they lit the flame,
Here they sang about tomorrow and tomorrow never came.
From the table in the corner,
They could see a world reborn,
And they rose with voices ringing,
And I can hear them now
The very words that they have sung
Became their last communion
On this lonely barricade, at dawn.
Oh my friends, my friends forgive me
That I live and you are gone
There's a grief that can't be spoken,
And there's a pain goes on and on
Phantom faces at the window,
Phantom shadows on the floor,
Empty chairs at empty tables where my friends will meet no more.
Oh my friends, my friends don't ask me
What your sacrifice was for
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friend will sing no more.
Wow...How powerful. Eddie sang it perfectly, too.
Eponine literally took a bullet for him and died in his arms. Gavroche was a child, probably no more than ten, who still willingly sacrificed himself for the revolution. Enjolras gone. All his friends gone. You feel that pain, listening to this.
He is so talented & to portray such emotion in song is just another example of his skill.
2:12 from here on is so powerful, especially when he says "Oh my friends! My friends! Don't ask me what you're sacrifice was for."
His face there was what made me feel it so much
I don’t think I ever wanted to hug a movie character more than his. Well done, Redmayne
The raspiness of his voice saying "my friends, my friends". You can already imagine him as an elderly man with a cane longing for his friends😢
This song hits you like a knife to the heart. The emotions are just that powerful. And when you feel like that, the song has been performed perfectly
“Phantom faces at the window. Phantom shadows on the floor.” This is my favorite part. A gut punch.
Just remember... This whole movie is based on historical events.. people really went through this.. brings a whole new weight to his words
I have seen this on the stage several times in major productions, I've watched Michael Ball sing it with his powerful voice, so beautiful, but I feel Eddie Redmayne did the most moving, but real, performance. As so many have said, he went deep into the sadness of monstrously huge loss, the guilt of having lost them when he hadn't been able, for too long, to stand by their sides. I also love the cinematography choices, close on Marius, briefly but importantly showing the whole empty room. Bravo, Mr. Redmayne.
“There’s a grief that can’t be spoken there’s a pain goes on and on...” uggghh😭
Eddie Redmayne killed this scene.
i was gonna make a comment about everyone else dying, but...
And the scenes before this killed everyone else
Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks and Amanda Seyfried stole the entire film for me in my opinion.
Never knew 5 words could speak so much truth
@@BusBenchProductions i 100% agree !!!
When my dad passed away, I always play this song and start to cry. At home there is an empty chair where my dad would always sits. When I need to cry this song would help me with the grieving of my dad.
Your message touches me so much - because that’s EXACTLY the same reason that brought me here 😔😔😞😞😥😥😥💔💔💔💔💔
I've never seen any actor or actress portray grief and loss so honestly.
If you're a veteran of any conflict and this song doesn't cut you deep then you've never known a true friend ever. Truly great performance.
@*Intellectual Ruskii , how am I "gatekeeping"
Ford Fan by saying if people don’t feel similarly as you then they must not have friends. The fact that you don’t see that is even worse.
@@Bleax exactly, people respond differently and are impacted by different things. They shouldn't invalidate how someone repsonds/feels
@@Bleax Aww...that's not what he meant.
This is not as heroic but also true in the community that pulls through addiction. A list of people you outlived.
The vibrato, the raw emotions in his voice is something extraordinary. His face conveys such grief so real that you can feel it through the screen.
1:31 The way he delivers "On this lonely barricade..." is truly heartbreaking.
Definitely a tone I wish I could copy.
It happens so often in an epic tale that the main character is the only one who survives a battle, and I always thought it was strange how quickly the story always just moves on. I know it’s because to the audience those minor characters were expendable, but that wouldn’t be true from the perspective of that surviving main character. I love that they took the time to let the hero mourn his friends here, the way he would in real life.
This man who was waiting on his teenage daughter to come out of the restroom, says to me that his daughter, when she first saw Eddie Redmayne on screen said, he's a funny looking fellow, and at the end of Empty Tables, she was crying saying that he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.
That’s so beautiful… 😭 I felt that way too.
Eddie Redmayne is BRILLIANT in this role. His rendition of Empty Chairs at Empty Tables is my favorite. I have seen all the PBS concerts and have seen the play live 5 times, and Eddie triumphs over them all.
Yes, for me the same!
My dear friend Benny Harvey used to sing at the pub on a regular basis. Rest in peace. Miss ya big man.
Had the pleasure of meeting Benny Harvey at a charity do once. He was surprisingly down to earth, and VERY funny
I genuinely think that this is one of the most powerful scenes in Les Mis overall. The raw emotion just resonates with me so much.
this is simply stunning, what a way to sing this, incredible.
Oh my friends my friends forgive me... that I live and you are gone. That broke my heart
Same 😓
Eddie Redmayne really is an underrated actor. Say what you want about his singing, which I think is quite beautiful, but he is an incredibly talented actor and you can’t help but feel for him as he mourns his friends all dying at the barricade.
This was the first movie I saw Eddie Redmayne, I thought this song was so powerful. His acting was superb here
Me too.
My first Eddie Redmayne movie was "Fantastic Beasts", and I fell in love with him at once. That's why I found as many of his movies as I could, and Les Miserables is one of my favorites, too.
I don't remember the first movie I saw him in, but certainly the most powerful was The Danish Girl. He was absolutely amazing in that movie.
I came here because my grandma just passed away. I know the song isn't about that. She didn't even like musicals or had any connection with this movie/play. But looking at her empty room, the chair she sat on, I just can't stop thinking about this song. Empty chairs at empty tables... Her room just feels so empty without her. Now I will just burst into tears wherever I hear this song remembering her.
Bro! I’m literally leaving the cemetery after leaving flowers for my grandma. Likewise, she wasn’t into musicals or even Les Mis but I connected with “there’s a grief that can’t be spoken, there’s a pain goes on and on”.
@@she-hulkSMASHES sending you hugs. Indeed a grief that can't be spoken. But time will make it easier, or so I hope.
@@LordSkelleton13 thank you. Sending you a hug back.
truly heartbreaking. He's seriously the most underrated in this movie
Eddie Redmayme will always be the best Marius to me
My God that VOICE and EMOTION
The Eddie does this shows such raw, genuine emotion. He shows grief show heavy perfectly in this and it hurts my soul to see that kind of sadness
Nothing can be better than Eddie Redmayne singing this song...sobbing everytime...❤❤❤🙏❤❤❤
Eddie is just so talented, his singing can cure my depression. He is also a funny person in real life, I adore him!!!!
I'm not a musical person, but I may have to watch Les Miserables. Even without full context, this transforms you into feeling what hes feeling
You should!! One of the most amazing tales ever..so sad and miserable but so real
Definitely recommended.
Yes! Yes! Do it!
@@Nooralhudahamad That's probably why the title translates roughly to mean "Miserable People".
You don't have to be into musicals. A lot of people are not. But this one is different and it is really in the realm of Opera, along with Sweeney Todd and Phantom of the Opera. To call any of these simply musicals is in error.
I've seen this scene performed by multiple actors/singers over the past 30 years, and this guy is the only one I've ever seen who begins to show the true anguish that the character would have been experiencing in that tragic situation.
He simply nailed it. I don't know if he won any awards for his performance, but he absolutely deserves one.
"My friends, forgive me that I live and you are gone." I can't even begin to imagine what the torture of survivor's guilt must be like.
I was taught by Samantha Pauly (the Broadway actress) how to sing with emotion. She said to dig down into what you can relate with this song, so I did. And now, everytime I hear or sing this song, I break down in tears while I think about my friends that I have lost. It truly breaks my heart.
I have the profoundest respect for Eddie Redmayne. He makes us all see what we must see.
When I saw this movie for the first time and had no idea what the story was about... this scene wrecked me. Eddie Redmayne became one of my favorite actors in a handful of minutes. Absolutely heart-wrenching.
I love Les Mis...I'd heard this song so many times before I saw the film rendition and knew what was coming. Yet to this day I have never been as moved by a scene as I was by Eddie's performance. I still cry like a baby every time I hear it, Eddie Redmayne conveys the agony of grief in this song like I've never experienced before.
My friends my friends forgive, that I live and you are gone. That gives me chills everytime
Survivors guilt. Breaks my heart.
Eddie Redmayne has so much emotion in his presentation that it truly stays with you a while. It is not easy to make the change from very soft vocalizing to very strong, but he nails it. Unforgettable.
There are a few songs in Les Miserables that resonate with me on a richter scale. This is one, Stars is another. I dreamed a dream and On my own. Right there I can fill a tanker with my tears.
he was PERFECT! Ive alway loved the fact that they recorded live on the set while filming.
This is honestly my favorite Les Mis song and Eddie did a great job portraying all of the emotions Marius feels
I heard he did this scene 28 times or so and he himself was only satisfied in releasing the last take
I have avoided this cinematic version for almost 10 years because Les Mis is literally my favorite musical and the 10th anniversarydream cast is the definitive version, IMHO. But Eddie Redmayne actually did a great job here! Sorry I waited so long!
This is one of the most powerful performances I've ever seen on film, and I've seen countless movies in my 75 years of age. This is right up there with the greatest performances of all time. Stunning in its purity and simplicity while showing what real grief looks like.
Extraordinary. There is no other word for it.
2:28 soo powerful. "oh my friends, my friends don't ask me"😪😪 goosebumps every time.
That expression gets me every time
This is my favorite scene in the movie, such a powerful and heartbreaking scene. Always makes me cry Eddie Redmayne is an excellent actor!!!
The emotion Eddie puts into this performance is outstanding.
For me, it was just the most miserable scene from Les miserables, Eddie Redmayne had sang and expressed his feelings wonderfully, and painfully!
Keep in mind he is primarily an actor but this is a great voice with incredible range
I’ve come here to cry….. simply breathtakingly beautiful
Eddie Redmond . I never tire of hearing his soulful singing of this song
Me neither, I have to come back to it again and again.
It is so, SO hard to sing while looking like you're crying. To sing *this* well while looking like he's breaking apart is a skill that we need to acknowledge more often.
One of the best version of this song.Redmayne really shows his skills to be a leading actor in21st century, and his voice on this song is so REAL.Fantastic version
So many of the things we have.... anti-discrimination laws, minimum wage, the eight hour workday, are because people like Marius fought and sometimes died for a better future... One that we enjoy and they will never see. Next week will be Labor Day. Remember this song, and remember that the fight is not over.
For me this is the most beautiful and the most powerful song of the whole movie.
The pain he conveys when he yells oh my friends MY FRIENDS has never not brought me to tears instantly
As a Veteran, to see this scene (perhaps the best protrayl filmed) and hear this rendition is haunting, moving, and heartbreaking.
We are going through a revolution in Iran. When I hear this song, I remember my Iranian friends and teenagers who are being killed these days. We are living this song these days...
I’ve never seen a better version than this
This is absolutely amazing. I'm hanging on every sound. The space he is able to create. I love Eddie as an actor and feel like i knew that he was capable of doing literally everything, but this role is outstanding. Great musical, great cast. I would absolutely recommend it!! Thanks for making this timeless piece of art.
There was a lot of criticism of this movie when comparing it to the play. I honestly don’t think you can get this kind of authentic emotion from an actor when he has to project his voice to the back row of the theater. I think for it to feel real it has to be done quietly and alone with the ghosts.
David Pietarila The authentic emotion is in the voice and the music. You shouldn’t need to hear a wobbly affected crying voice or tears running down someone’s face to see or hear the emotion. Tom Hooper doesn’t understand this.
There is a difference between staged opera and movies.
I agree. Although I love the play more for it's fantastic atmosphere, on film the individual emotions are a revelation and a triumph.
The grief into anger while still holding strong notes. So beautiful and haunting. You feel every word he sings. ❤
You can only truly sing this then you has lost people in your life
This scene breaks me everytime. He is such an excellent artist!
when he sings "oh my friends, my friends dont ask me what your sacrifice was for" is so powefull my god he done so well
His performance is brilliant
This scene not only hurt my soul, but also me, but like, physically. I could literally feel my chest plunging to the point I felt actual pain.
Eddie was a brilliant actor and singer. Very few can sing and cry and act at the same time without losing the song.
He did it all. Love this man.
The movie may not be the best version ever, but Eddie Redmayne is an AMAZING cast for Marius
the emotion he carries just with his voice... I had no idea he could sing. I have become quite a fan of his work after this. Of all the cast, I liked his performance better than most of the ones that where "trained' singers.
NOTHING CAN TOP THE RAW EMOTION IN THIS.
Truly one of the best performances I have ever seen. He deserved the Oscar for this
I will never forget seeing this for the first time in the cinema. I cried so hard and had forgotten to bring tissues. I looked a right mess when the lights turned on
I am in awe. He was not musically trained before this movie. He trained just for this. Impressed.