Lu Ma english speaking People literally can't prononce it correctly. I am German and Studying in university to Become a french teacher, so i cringed hard at the Title pronounciation. 😂
I don't think it's that so much as this takes so, so many aesthetic cues from the Tom Hooper movie that it is actually weird to see it without singing.
The book was epic, I've read it in French and I loved it so much I even cried y the end while those idiots made a musical comedy out of it which wasn't cool at all. It's Victor Hugo ff's! They can't just mess with one of the greatest French authors and books 😤
If this is going to be a faithful adaptation, they really need to describe the sewer system below the streets of Paris in excruciating detail for far too long. I will accept nothing less.
Also, hourlong shots of random churchpeople and every 10 minutes or so the whole action stops like someone pressed pause and some heavenly voice starts telling you things about Napoleon you never wanted to know
I'm only two episodes in and this is already the most emotional series I have ever watched. Lily's performance was absolutely gut wrenching. I have never seen a series this well made and acting this well done. Seriously a must watch!
The series is beautiful and very powerful - I agree - and its what inspired me to try and tackle the book which is now my favorite book of all time. Beautiful book and a lovely adaption of it
This looks nice, but isn't it thematically important in the book that Fantine has blond hair (so she can sell it for a high price), and Cosette brown (to avert the trope that all pure-hearted heroines have blond hair)? Why is it that every adaptation switches this? I mean, it's a minor thing but it bugs me.
I thought they only just started to switch it, with the Anne Hathaway version. In the stage versions, isn't Fantine usually a blonde, and Cosette, at least the adult version, a brunette? Also, I've never heard of the trope that pure-hearted heroines have blond hair. Blondes are more often the shallow, sexy character, while the heroine has dark hair.
@@monmothma3358 that's a more modern aversion to the trope. If you look back at fairytales and legends and stories all the way up to modern times, usually the heroine is a blue eyed blonde girl, while the female antagonist is dark haired and wicked (see Disney's depiction of Cinderella and Aurora, for example; Snow White happens to be an exception to this, though). And it IS still a very common trope even today, along with pitting the innocent girl against the vile sexual woman. Our ideals are old and deeply rooted, and it's usually all subconscious, honestly.
I just can’t see Enjolras as anyone other than Aaron Tveit anymore. And it’s weird for me to see Les Mis with none of the songs I love, but I’ll give it a go EDIT: I have seen it live and read the novel more than once, I’ve just watched the movie more
Ghosst IKR???? judging from this trailer I love the cast, all of them seem well suited BUT Aaron was so good as Enjolras that I wish he was hired here too!
The book is fantastic so it could be great. There’s a ton the musical left out. And they’re not ruining the music like the movie did (prologue, Bring Him Home, etc. 😭)
Rob Thomas, the guy who created Veronica Mars, created and sold a script for modern Les Mis plot based drama. Fox put it in the table and never moved on. Imagine how good this could be. French TV should definitely do something.
I'm not even joking right now, this series legit MOVED me. I went through so many emotions I thought I forgot to have. West, Collins and Oyelowo did such a fantastic job! 11/10 on this show!
Just finished the book. This series is the best adaptation of the book and all the actors did a wonderful job portraying their characters. I'd love to watch this series again.
Lily Collins is such a goddess! 😍 Edit: Jesus Christ, BBC One! You got all these great shows coming out like this and Luther and yet no date for these shows. I wanna mark them down on my calender for the dates on which they get released. 😥
I just finished the last episode and I must say, this Les Miserables is the best adaptation of Victor Hugo's epic novel. It is well-written, brilliantly acted and purposely heart-wrenching, I almost shed a tear in every episode. The actors all did great, David Oyelowo, Adeel Akhtar, Olivia Colman, Josh O' Connor, Ellie Bamber, Joseph Quinn and Erin Kellyman all did an amazing job portraying the characters but the stand-out for me was Lily Collins' Fantine and Dominic West's Valjean. Lily Collins portrayal of Fantine's tragic life is so convincing, it makes Anne Hathaway's Fantine less miserable. Dominic West is also a great Valjean with the likes of Hugh Jackman, I can't really compare the two since Jackman played the musical version of Jean Valjean while Dominic West portrayed the original Valjean straight out of the book so its safe to say his version is a lot more complex. I high recommend this series especially to the fans of the novel, you won't regret this.
I couldn't agree more. I couldn't believe they finally made an accurate film, not twisting the plot. It was the first time after the novel itself that I weeped. Attention to details and acting are amazing. Even their Enjolras and Grantaire whom I didn't like at first proved me wrong. An absolutely terrific film. The best "Les Miserables" adaptation so far.
I don't know why the director swore it would be nothing like the musical version, it does seem similar in many ways to the look they went for in the film
Adot Burr yup. He also said it'd be the most accurate version but then made Enjolras a short-haired brunette with a moustache (in the book he had long blond hair and is described as looking like a 17 year old girl), made Fantine a brunette and Cosette blonde like the 2012 film did (it should be the other way around) and a fair bit of other stuff.
a few homage shots does not mean it will be identical, I mean obviously set design has to be similar, same for costume design, though apparently they did screw up a few important hair colours due to the musical movie, they do seem to downplay the role of Eponine which is a good thing as her character got the biggest overhaul for the stage show
Roland Kramer I hope that there is a fair amount of Éponine in this adaption but that her story is treated properly for once. Montparnasse has been cast, I believe, as has Azelma, so hopefully they're adapting her whole 'marius is literally the only man who has been remotely kind to her so she feels attached' thing better than whatever the musical version is meant to be. To ensure fair I mostly feel this way because I'm slightly salty about the musicals interpretation of her even though I adore the musical.
Does this also name your email ? Oh yes!!! I don't like how in the musical it's this whole tragic unrequited love story when it was tragic in a whole other sense, in that Eponine's life is so bleak that a man who's kind to her a few times was the best thing in her life
It seems rather soon after the last film adaptation to make a tv show. I'm sure it'll be good, but why not The Hunchback of Notre Dame if they wanted some Victor Hugo? It has the added Christmas period benefit of being overtly religious themed. I bet Notre Dame would look beautiful all covered in snow for the trailers with the bells ringing.
Ashley Artus ... I'm not quite sure why you're so mad? Ten years is not that long in terms of high profile movies like Les Mis, would you reboot Iron Man, WallE or Twilight even though they're over ten years old now? It's still in the public consciousness. Les Mis starring Hugh Jackman came out in late 2012 anyway, so it's barely even seven years, not ten. By all means, be excited by another adaptation, it just seems like a bizarre choice, given that it certainly had a smaller budget with a less high profile cast (and it's the a musical) so would likely compare poorly to the 2012 film in the eyes of the public.
Les misérables (2012) with Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried ... was A MASTERPIECE ! The cast was perfect and everyone's acting just blew me away. Hope this one is as good as it.
While the Tom Hooper film from 2012 is probably far better than this new adaptation, it was actually a pretty lousy adaptation of the stage play. Russell Crowe was laughable as Javert and many of the best moments from the play were either underwhelming or chopped for time. Hardly a masterpiece in my book. I first saw Les Miz on Broadway with the brilliant Phillip Quast as Javert (the all-time champ in the role) and Gary Morris as an exquisite Valjean. Whole other deal.
@@livmanley8705 I would've loved a filmed version of the stage play, with an all-star cast, which they've never done (the anniversary concert with people just standing around doesn't count). However, they'll never do that because the touring company would lose business.
I wouldn't say masterpiece but it's the best we could hope for being as they took actors who could marginally sing, rather than draw from the ENORMOUS West End/Broadway talent pool. Every one of those students had played main characters and they had to give Russel Crowe the part that required the richest voice and he cocked it up.
Also the live singing was questionable at best. Obviously Aaron Tveit had it down pat but if they had actual broadway actors (or just people who can sing live), it would be so much better (I'm looking at you Russell Crowe). They cast for acting ability, and in a musical with live singing on set, that was the complete wrong approach. Even some people who can sing (Eddie Redmayne for example) failed to deliver to as high a level as possible, possibly because they're not used to singing live for a camera. To be honest, I think either the casting choices or the decision to sing live was a mistake for the film adaptation.
I'm pretty pleased they're including the rosy facade that the Thenardiers presented to Fantine before she left Cosette with them. It's in the book, and Olivia Coleman is perfect to play that "I'm the perfect woman to be caring for your child--HAHA NOT" bait and switch. If you've only seen the musical, you'd be well within your rights to wonder what Fantine was thinking choosing the Thenardiers. Truth is, they just seemed nice.
@@rondameravella2885 in episode 4 the Thenardiers were arrested for luring Jean Valjean into a trap at the Gorbeau Tenement for keeping his promise to Fantine after she died.
@@dtaylor4552 I meant that the commenter never mentioned Mme Thénardier's fate at the end of either the BBC series or the novel, so I was wondering why you replied to their comment.
I have just began to watch the series and loved it . Almost like a novel so far and great job BBC. And thank you from the fans of Les miserables all around the world
@@rebelcobra5099 True, but she's still super important in the novel. Honestly, I just want to see her with Gavroche and Azelma a bit more. It's such an interesting dynamic in the book
He said it's be the most faithful adaption of the book but... Enjolras canonically has long blond hair and looks like a 17 year old girl (are they doing this so nobody realised he's canonically gay?). Fantine is canonically blonde, Cosette is a brunette and a lot of the costuming is wrong (especially the hair). I mean I'm extremely excited but come on Andrew.
Does this also name your email ? Not to mention the aesthetic of this looks too much like the 2012 musical version, the costuming, a lot of the shots, I get it’s based on the same story but it didn’t have to look like it
I did think that the costumes were a bit too...modern. I mean if they're doing 'accuracy' then you'd think the production would at least follow the costume designs that older movies managed to do correctly.
I think it actually makes sense to have it as a TV show because the book is incredibly long and more episodic (I believe it was published chapter by chapter?) like a lot of novels in those days. I tried to read the unabridged version twice and could never quite get through it. The chapters with action in them were incredibly engrossing but they'd always be followed with 3-4 chapters on something like what the inside of a cafe looked like or the meaning of gossip in the French language, or Waterloo or something. But I think that this definitely gave the story a good sense of depth and place that is lacking in the musical.
My favorite is when Víctor Hugo breaks fourth wall and delves into 50 paged spiels about Waterloo, the convent, the priest, French slang, and the Paris sewer systems. My man has no chill.
I genuinely loved this. For anyone who’s never really watched or read Les Miserables I suggest you watch this it’s a nice opener and explains the story very well, I wanna read the book now and will be watching the musical soon lol.
@@justusing6192 I agree. It's the most accurate adaption We have so far. But a few statements made by the characters or actions that set apart them from the books. Example of that is Marius was having an evil perception of Jean Valjean because He thought that Jean Valjean killed Javert and robbed Monsieur Madeleine (That never happened here). Also when Thernadier went to talk to Marius to sell him information Cossette wasn't present in the room (Cossette was there in this adaptation). Also Marius wasn't talking when He woke up from his coma at the bed with Monsieur Gillenormand because He thought that Monsieur Gillenormand was hiding his true colors in which He wasn't (Marius talked to early in this adaptation). When Jean Valjean gave Marius to Monsieur Gillenormand, there was a doctot who told them that Marius was alive (In this adaptation, it was Aunt Gillenormand who told them that Marius was alive) Monsieur Gillenormand didn't hold a supper with his friends when General Lamarque died in the books (in this adaptation He did the opposite) Also in the books Cossette gave Eponine (not knowing who She was) the letter in which Eponine hid it with her until at the barricades when She finally gave the letter to Marius. (in the adaption, Eponine went inside and got the letter). In the adaption, there was a scene in which Cossette was shouting at the Soldiers marching to the barricade (This was never mentioned at the books). When Javert spied at the barricade, When He was caught, He never shouted and asked for Jean Valjean. He thought Jean valjean was going there in which He was but He never asked for him and never thought him as their leader.
I can't help but be skeptical too - the writer went on about wanting to be true to the novel and if you're being true to the novel, you'd hope they wouldn't be blind to that!
@@cloroxbleach6344 ........ imagine reading a +1000 pages book and not understanding that Enjolras calls "France" his mistress to point out he doesn't have time/doesn't care for dating bc he's too busy with his cause... wow
I absolutely loved it! Jean was a great example of transformation of character. I’m glad I never read the book or watched any of the other version of films as this series was well made and I truly admired how it ended.
My school recently did this as a production and I’ve never enjoyed watching more in my life. It was incredible and I know the bbc will make this story into a brilliant show. Can’t wait.
@@acer4237 come on dude. It is literally bullshit when they change the color of the character for what???? Anti-racism????? What is wrong with the society today that they just make non sense stuffs, in this case ruin the original story and characters of the novel, poor Victor Hugo.
hong phuc I am one of the very fortunate that never read the book, watched any of the other versions, or even heard of the movie. I watched it with no biases so appreciated the movie with fresh eyes and thought it was perfect in this version because of this. Maybe if I was one that had seen previous versions, I’d b disgruntled like the rest but soooo glad I’m not. Agree to disagree, it’s just a movie of millions so over it and moving on😁
I've already watched this trailer a thousand times, please don't disappoint me, BBC, it's my favourite book ever and I love it with every inch of my heart.
Les Miserables is my favourite book! I hope this will be faithful to the novel but the BBC does normally make good period dramas, so I guess it will be.
@@cloroxbleach6344 Yes, parts of it are pretty boring, especially, the 'Waterloo chapter', but I like classical novels. It could have done with a trim down. The storyline is really good, you just have to be patient with some of the less exiting chapters.
@@alexsmithStudios I've noticed. But then again, Fantine in the novel had light hair and blue eyes; I don't know what this version's Cosette will look like. I guess having Javert played by someone of a different ethnicity is taking the rules of adaptation and interpretation too far. But if this adaptation is faithful to the plot/storyline, and the acting is good, I will overlook that.
adeel1650 I too am a fan of the novel, and it is my opinion that both examples are unnecessary chances. If race, sex, eye color, hair colour, looks and accent really doesn’t matter in todays world, then what is the problem with being true to great source material? I know it’s nitpicking, but I would be scratching my head the same if a black character had been whitewashed.
Lmao, I never thought that Enjolras was gay or straight, even after reading the novel twice. In my reading, it seemed more like he was completely uninterested in relationships in general, more aromantic than anything. I really think you guys are wishing too hard for something that wasn’t really there.
It’s not something in the trailer, just a response to a bunch of comments I saw discussing what they thought to be a romantic relationship between Grantaire and Enjolras in the book.
@@GoodJokesMP4 I didn't view it as a 'romantic' one. R was very smitten by E. Not 'romantically' but in the "you don't believe in anything" - "I believe in you." way. I think he was taken by E's dedication and passion - something which R had none of for anything. E had eyes and heart for only one thing - revolution.
Way back in the early 90s, when I was in elementary school my third grade teacher read us Les Miserables. I have been obsessed with the musical and the book ever since.
This better be good or else... and Lilly Collins as Fantine is totally unexpected. Also, it's nice to see an adaptation where Fantine's backstory is emphasized. Victor Hugo will be proud.
Whilst it looked like the 2012 movie version without the songs, I like it better. The actors ate, they included my favourite scenes from the book and Cosette was more likeable here (which she is meant to be in the books).
Great movie ,great acting ,10/10 a must watch People here criticising how bad this is probably are the ones who forgot what they had for breakfast yesterday
All the actors are amazing with a special mention to Erin Kellyman and Adeel Akthar. Photo is great, costumes are perfect. Some will maybe have a problem with the fact that it's not historically accurate to have a black police chief in the early XIXth century, knowing Napoleon himself restablished slavery in France, and it was still occuring after his reign. I passed on this, because the acting is great and David Oyelowo is a fantastic Javert. Diversity is a good thing, history too, let's not forget the past, it's up to the spectator to be able to understand the historical context, people are not stupid.
Funktastic Ed Erin Kellyman is so great as Eponine, she doesn't need to sing to show her emotions. Her eyes have it. Dominic West, Lily Collins and David Oyelowo also did a fantastic job as Valjean, Fantine and Javert.
I saw the 1998 les mis with liam Neeson and no music; I thought this was alright. Then I saw les mis the musical and my life was changed, so after that I can settle for no less then a musical number every 5 minutes. The music makes the story worth it.
Someone call the Doctor and let her know about this Masterful Bishop! (Yes, I know that the Bishop and the Master are basically opposites; however, somebody else will probably make a similar comment) ;)
To the annoying people in the comments: You do realise that France in this period had a ethnically diverse population, right? (Well actually not at all but compared to what people think it is, ie having anyone non white living there. I will never understand how people acknowledge that there was slavery in the 1700 and 1800s but then if they show up in any other form ie. free, which many were, it’s historically inaccurate or whatever.) As an example, the writer of another very famous French book as well as the contemporary and friend of Victor Hugo, The Three Musketeers, Alexander Dumas was mixed race. It would be historically inaccurate to pretend that everyone in France was white. Now is it accurate for Javert to be black and in his position? Honestly it’s unlikely but not impossible (say, as unlikely as one of France’s greatest novelists being mixed race?). Making him black adds to his story of having to work his way out from the gutter as he would have had to fight against racial prejudice and his poverty, in a time period where slavery was legal. It is possible that Javert had a wealthy white father and black mother and maybe that allowed him to reach that position. Like Dumas’ father (also mixed race) joined the military and became a general; Javert the police (which I hate to inform everyone wasn’t exactly prestigious, being a prison guard and an officer are not well, being a famous novelist or general). In my opinion it makes his hatred of Jean Valjean more intense because he is a man who was gifted with several privileges that he did not have and still choosing to be a criminal. It only adds more to his possible back story and makes the character more fleshed out, which in a novel that has been adapted this many times is an interesting take on the character. (I mean, let’s face it there’s like 10 adaptions I can think of so they’ve gotta do something.) Now someone may correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think Javert’s race is stated in the book? It’s been a while since I’ve read it. EDIT: it’s implied that he’s Roma. Anyways, people need realise that the exclusion of different races in fiction has lead to a skewered and inaccurate understanding of history. Putting in non-white characters in randomly in serious productions for the sake of it bugs me as much as anyone else (because any significant change to that character should add to that character and often they’re just shoe horned in without reaping any storytelling benefits from that change which frustrates me to no end) however in this case even if Javert was definitely white in the book I believe the decision would be for the better as it adds another dimension to a character that has had his story done to death so many times ( haha get it? Okay I’ll stop) without any kind of inventiveness or change. It’s also sad that we consider having a non white actor play a non white character inventive but that’s the world we live in. Maybe some day we will seen a Romani actor play the part. This whole comment was originally a reply but I edited it to make it more general and posted it here because I saw multiple people making the same mistake. EDIT2: People google is at your fingertips. None of what I’m saying is exactly what you’d call radical. If you don’t believe me you don’t even need to leave UA-cam to learn more about these fascinating time periods, the June rebellion and the French Revolution (and the which since you’re looking Les Mis I’m guess that you’re at least a little interested in). I’ve already had someone comment about something that would have taken them one second to search and human stupidity is getting to me. tl;dr black people are not a modern invention and have been going around doing their thing largely in the background of history. It’s possible that within this *fictional* world Javert was one of those people.
Hallie Hurst you literally had one example of a famous half black writer. France was most definitely not a multi ethnic nation in anyway it was completely ethnically homogenous. He won't add any more dimensions to the character at all if you are going for the pale stale argument it's rather pathetic.
Daniel Joshua *facepalms* you can can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. You are literally on the internet but since you’re apparently incapable of doing your own research I’ll give you a couple more examples from the top of my head. Alexander Dumas’s father for one was the first mixed race general in France. But I’ll give you that he comes from the same family. Perhaps they’re just overachievers? Chevalier de Saint-George was a famous mixed race composer. During the French Revolution he was the colonel of the first all black regiment in France. I was actually going to use him as my example because he made a better comparison to Javert but I felt that Dumas was better known. For my other examples, well all the men in that regiment might be a start. Javert might have more in common with these ordinary men of the regiment that these well known historical figures though. He’s starts as a prison guard and works his way up slowly to inspector and then detective. Taking him twenty years to do so from the start of the novel. A slow gradual progression. Now as to the ethnically diverse point because after I posted it I edited it to clarify what I meant and I’m guessing you read it in that time. For anyone else, I think I’m right in saying that it’s actually very difficult to even estimate what percentage of the population was non white. Because of the difficulties in obtaining historical records. Most likely it was a tiny percentage of the population. But again just to clarify even if that percentage was tiny I don’t see how it would stop Javert being black. I don’t really understand your last part. I listed the reasons why I think making him black is interesting and a good choice and threw in a joke about how unimaginative some previous adaptions have been. (Also I’m not terribly enthusiastic about this one but I love in hope) I have a question for you: Are you really more willing to believe that a poverty stricken illegitimate Roma son of a criminal mother was able to raise in station than a black man?
“Sumner’s Paris journal entry for Saturday, January 20, 1838, in which, after observing how “well-received” black students are at the Sorbonne, he writes, “It must be then, that the distance between free blacks and the whites among us [at home] is derived from education, and does not exist in the nature of things.”” ^ from The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David W. McCullough (Sorbonne being the main university campus in Paris, then and now. And of course university was pretty much reserved for the wealthy in this era. To be clear, this isn't to say that Paris was a modern liberal paradise without racism, but this sort of thing isn't anything unheard of.) Also it's all nonsense anyway since being a police officer wasn't a prestige profession back then, unless you were very high up in the ranks which Javert definitely isn't. In fact the French police forces employed actual criminals at the time, most famously Eugène Vidocq. I mean being a street cop isn't exactly the highest of social positions even now and it used to be even less so. They were thugs for the authorities. Javert gets a number of promotions but he never rises above his class. A highly ranked officer does not go chasing criminals in the streets or infiltrate a revolutionary group.
Here's the thing, though: the novel doesn't differ much from the musical in character development, and visually, a lot of these set pieces look like direct rip-offs to the 2012 film. Victor Hugo purists will say it's amazing, though.
Lmao they copied some of the costuming and sets exactly from the film adaptation of the musical... (I know it’s the same story and content but like... you don’t need to copy it to the point of making the actor’s look like the musical actors)
Dylan B Andrew Davies Said they were adding in sex scenes... Hopefully it's just one between Fantine and Tholomyès? I can't think of any other characters who should have a sex scene, it's all either be rape, the sex work or inaccurate (making Enjolras sleep with a woman etc). Don't get your hopes up.
Lmao at black Javert. Thank god they didn't dare do that with War & Peace. "you don' like black people enough so we'll keep putting them into everything you watch". I'm sure racists will appreciate it and will stop being racists. Meanwhile everyone else that doesn't have any problem with blacks and wants to watch an adaptation of their favourite novel will become racist by reaction. Congratulations BBC!
Seriously why do you care about the dude's skin color? If he can act it, then let him. Is it historical accuracy - cause it is a historical fiction (p.s. Thomas-Alexandre Dumas if you need a token historical example). Book accuracy? Honestly the people I would most expect to be most annoyed by this are super liberals who might be frustrated that castings like this misrepresent the racist history of French (and European) society.
It is a piece of trailer music by Extreme Music. It's called Hope on a Rope. You;ll find it in their Choral Themes - Directors Cut album. I don't think there is a version to listen to in UA-cam, but you can find it on their website, extrememusic.com.
tabularasaconfirmed it was good. The story is very faithful to the novel, the actors did a great job portraying the characters and I almost a shed a tear in almost every episode. Go on give it a try, you won't regret it 😊
Those are the most English sounding French I have ever heard.
someone didn't see the movie version of Gavroche
I was thinking: aren't there French actors for this?
Ooh la la 😂
Jean Luc Picard is a pretty English sounding Frenchman...
Lu Ma english speaking People literally can't prononce it correctly. I am German and Studying in university to Become a french teacher, so i cringed hard at the Title pronounciation. 😂
Gotta love that almost everyone here on the comments sections seems to have forgotten that Les Misérables is a novel first and a musical second. 🙄
Yes. It does say something.
@@selty no, it really doesn't.
I don't think it's that so much as this takes so, so many aesthetic cues from the Tom Hooper movie that it is actually weird to see it without singing.
The book was epic, I've read it in French and I loved it so much I even cried y the end while those idiots made a musical comedy out of it which wasn't cool at all. It's Victor Hugo ff's! They can't just mess with one of the greatest French authors and books 😤
Not only that, but that there have been countless adaptations without the music. Even an anime series, which, surprisingly, was actually very good
If this is going to be a faithful adaptation, they really need to describe the sewer system below the streets of Paris in excruciating detail for far too long. I will accept nothing less.
this
Hahahaha
Also, hourlong shots of random churchpeople and every 10 minutes or so the whole action stops like someone pressed pause and some heavenly voice starts telling you things about Napoleon you never wanted to know
@@cielagreengrass9526 beautiful
Very true. Got v angry and left the theatres when they made a mistake within the sewer system where there was an extra tunnel. ;(
"Do you hear the people sing?".... no, no we don't.
Lauren Poland ;(( 😩
Oh.. :((
...because they don't sing!..
A bit cheap looking
Lauren 😂😂😂
I'm only two episodes in and this is already the most emotional series I have ever watched. Lily's performance was absolutely gut wrenching. I have never seen a series this well made and acting this well done. Seriously a must watch!
Where can i watch?
The series is beautiful and very powerful - I agree - and its what inspired me to try and tackle the book which is now my favorite book of all time. Beautiful book and a lovely adaption of it
Lily Collins ? Count me in.
she is awesome.
@Mia deal with it, many people think otherwise.
Same. love her
She’s so beautiful. I’m excited to see her in a period piece. Wouldn’t be watching otherwise to be honest.
@Mia she's hot though. And that's how you insure viewers if a movie happens to be crap. Hell I'm gonna watch it
This looks nice, but isn't it thematically important in the book that Fantine has blond hair (so she can sell it for a high price), and Cosette brown (to avert the trope that all pure-hearted heroines have blond hair)? Why is it that every adaptation switches this?
I mean, it's a minor thing but it bugs me.
Wow I didn't know that, that is interesting. I wonder why they do that?
Hm i didn't know that.. But i guess thats why they change it cause they think they can get away with it
I thought they only just started to switch it, with the Anne Hathaway version. In the stage versions, isn't Fantine usually a blonde, and Cosette, at least the adult version, a brunette? Also, I've never heard of the trope that pure-hearted heroines have blond hair. Blondes are more often the shallow, sexy character, while the heroine has dark hair.
@@monmothma3358 that's a more modern aversion to the trope. If you look back at fairytales and legends and stories all the way up to modern times, usually the heroine is a blue eyed blonde girl, while the female antagonist is dark haired and wicked (see Disney's depiction of Cinderella and Aurora, for example; Snow White happens to be an exception to this, though). And it IS still a very common trope even today, along with pitting the innocent girl against the vile sexual woman. Our ideals are old and deeply rooted, and it's usually all subconscious, honestly.
In the stage versions it is how you said :)
My favorite novel ever. I hope you won't mess with it BBC.
You didn't see Javert?
@@golDroger88 David is an excellent actor. Javert could be a creole even if it's not that way in the novel. As a French I'm not scandalized.
where is my blond enjolras
@@manonsegur7547 Creole? Please. Absolutely anti historical.
They already messed with the musketeers was my favorite series ever! Still miss them..
Lily Collins is a underrated actress, she was incredible in To The Bone
Thank you! I couldn't figure out where I knew her from. That was a good movie
Lily collins is incredible but far from underatted
@@belso_ I’ve seen him in Emma. He really suits period pieces.
I just can’t see Enjolras as anyone other than Aaron Tveit anymore. And it’s weird for me to see Les Mis with none of the songs I love, but I’ll give it a go
EDIT: I have seen it live and read the novel more than once, I’ve just watched the movie more
Ghosst IKR???? judging from this trailer I love the cast, all of them seem well suited BUT Aaron was so good as Enjolras that I wish he was hired here too!
The book is fantastic so it could be great. There’s a ton the musical left out. And they’re not ruining the music like the movie did (prologue, Bring Him Home, etc. 😭)
without the music it's gonna throw me off hard core.
look up Hyoie O'Grady's Enjolras, he IS basically Enjolras judging from every Enjolras descriptions in the novel
You need to see a live show.
David Thaxton is a wonderful Enjolras.
'Paris is a tinderbox' - What an incredibly timely statement.
That deserves a timely drama...but the BBC wouldn't touch it.
Well, Paris a tinderbox almost once every 5 years...
Rob Thomas, the guy who created Veronica Mars, created and sold a script for modern Les Mis plot based drama. Fox put it in the table and never moved on. Imagine how good this could be. French TV should definitely do something.
Why?
@@natalietaylor7328 The comment is adressing the multiple riots that took place in Paris the first week of December 2018.
*Screams at top of lungs* ONE DAY MORE ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER DESTINY
*Jumps on the table and yells back at you across cafeteria*THIS NEVER-ENDING ROAD TO CALVARY..
These men who seem to know my crimes will surely come a second time
One day more. I did not live until today. How can I live when we are parted?
One day more. Tomorrow you'll be worlds away, and yet with you my world has started.
@@darrenleake3343 one more day all on my own
I'm not even joking right now, this series legit MOVED me. I went through so many emotions I thought I forgot to have. West, Collins and Oyelowo did such a fantastic job! 11/10 on this show!
Just finished the book. This series is the best adaptation of the book and all the actors did a wonderful job portraying their characters. I'd love to watch this series again.
The musical took an emotional toll on me. Watch me watch this and go crazy yet again. This is one of those painfully beautiful pieces. Love it.
Lily Collins is such a goddess! 😍
Edit: Jesus Christ, BBC One! You got all these great shows coming out like this and Luther and yet no date for these shows. I wanna mark them down on my calender for the dates on which they get released. 😥
Sebastian Joseph point of the empty space?
It starts Sunday 30th December
If it's based off the book I hope we get 'Ursula' and Marius banging his head on a tree for two hours.
Am i the only one waiting for the songs?? M'kay, cool. 🙈
I don't think it's gonna be a musical mate.
no songs :c its an adaptation of the book not the musical
@@rosvlinds i know that it's not the musical lol. But my mind plays tricks on me and tells me that there should be songs hahaha.
Camila Céspedes I expected someone to burst into song!!
@@smilertheavidreader you get me hahaha.
I just finished the last episode and I must say, this Les Miserables is the best adaptation of Victor Hugo's epic novel. It is well-written, brilliantly acted and purposely heart-wrenching, I almost shed a tear in every episode. The actors all did great, David Oyelowo, Adeel Akhtar, Olivia Colman, Josh O' Connor, Ellie Bamber, Joseph Quinn and Erin Kellyman all did an amazing job portraying the characters but the stand-out for me was Lily Collins' Fantine and Dominic West's Valjean. Lily Collins portrayal of Fantine's tragic life is so convincing, it makes Anne Hathaway's Fantine less miserable. Dominic West is also a great Valjean with the likes of Hugh Jackman, I can't really compare the two since Jackman played the musical version of Jean Valjean while Dominic West portrayed the original Valjean straight out of the book so its safe to say his version is a lot more complex. I high recommend this series especially to the fans of the novel, you won't regret this.
Agreed
I couldn't agree more. I couldn't believe they finally made an accurate film, not twisting the plot. It was the first time after the novel itself that I weeped. Attention to details and acting are amazing. Even their Enjolras and Grantaire whom I didn't like at first proved me wrong. An absolutely terrific film. The best "Les Miserables" adaptation so far.
please explain to me the final scene . where those little boys were begging for money . why it ended like that ?
I don't know why the director swore it would be nothing like the musical version, it does seem similar in many ways to the look they went for in the film
Adot Burr yup. He also said it'd be the most accurate version but then made Enjolras a short-haired brunette with a moustache (in the book he had long blond hair and is described as looking like a 17 year old girl), made Fantine a brunette and Cosette blonde like the 2012 film did (it should be the other way around) and a fair bit of other stuff.
a few homage shots does not mean it will be identical, I mean obviously set design has to be similar, same for costume design, though apparently they did screw up a few important hair colours due to the musical movie, they do seem to downplay the role of Eponine which is a good thing as her character got the biggest overhaul for the stage show
Roland Kramer I hope that there is a fair amount of Éponine in this adaption but that her story is treated properly for once. Montparnasse has been cast, I believe, as has Azelma, so hopefully they're adapting her whole 'marius is literally the only man who has been remotely kind to her so she feels attached' thing better than whatever the musical version is meant to be. To ensure fair I mostly feel this way because I'm slightly salty about the musicals interpretation of her even though I adore the musical.
Does this also name your email ? Oh yes!!! I don't like how in the musical it's this whole tragic unrequited love story when it was tragic in a whole other sense, in that Eponine's life is so bleak that a man who's kind to her a few times was the best thing in her life
@@MRosezhahira good point but what you are forgeting is that the musical changed things that were written in a way if you think of it
It seems rather soon after the last film adaptation to make a tv show. I'm sure it'll be good, but why not The Hunchback of Notre Dame if they wanted some Victor Hugo? It has the added Christmas period benefit of being overtly religious themed. I bet Notre Dame would look beautiful all covered in snow for the trailers with the bells ringing.
Richard Bourton Idris Elba is working on Notre dame
Grace Carey really? I didn't know that, that's cool.
Les Mis is is then
Ashley Artus ... I'm not quite sure why you're so mad? Ten years is not that long in terms of high profile movies like Les Mis, would you reboot Iron Man, WallE or Twilight even though they're over ten years old now? It's still in the public consciousness. Les Mis starring Hugh Jackman came out in late 2012 anyway, so it's barely even seven years, not ten. By all means, be excited by another adaptation, it just seems like a bizarre choice, given that it certainly had a smaller budget with a less high profile cast (and it's the a musical) so would likely compare poorly to the 2012 film in the eyes of the public.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is so sad :( but so beautiful
@@rosalindgrxc0e oh now I'm so excited. I love him and The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Les misérables (2012) with Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried ... was A MASTERPIECE ! The cast was perfect and everyone's acting just blew me away. Hope this one is as good as it.
While the Tom Hooper film from 2012 is probably far better than this new adaptation, it was actually a pretty lousy adaptation of the stage play. Russell Crowe was laughable as Javert and many of the best moments from the play were either underwhelming or chopped for time. Hardly a masterpiece in my book. I first saw Les Miz on Broadway with the brilliant Phillip Quast as Javert (the all-time champ in the role) and Gary Morris as an exquisite Valjean. Whole other deal.
how can we even hope for that tho? but me too
@@livmanley8705 I would've loved a filmed version of the stage play, with an all-star cast, which they've never done (the anniversary concert with people just standing around doesn't count). However, they'll never do that because the touring company would lose business.
I wouldn't say masterpiece but it's the best we could hope for being as they took actors who could marginally sing, rather than draw from the ENORMOUS West End/Broadway talent pool. Every one of those students had played main characters and they had to give Russel Crowe the part that required the richest voice and he cocked it up.
Also the live singing was questionable at best. Obviously Aaron Tveit had it down pat but if they had actual broadway actors (or just people who can sing live), it would be so much better (I'm looking at you Russell Crowe). They cast for acting ability, and in a musical with live singing on set, that was the complete wrong approach. Even some people who can sing (Eddie Redmayne for example) failed to deliver to as high a level as possible, possibly because they're not used to singing live for a camera. To be honest, I think either the casting choices or the decision to sing live was a mistake for the film adaptation.
I'm pretty pleased they're including the rosy facade that the Thenardiers presented to Fantine before she left Cosette with them. It's in the book, and Olivia Coleman is perfect to play that "I'm the perfect woman to be caring for your child--HAHA NOT" bait and switch. If you've only seen the musical, you'd be well within your rights to wonder what Fantine was thinking choosing the Thenardiers. Truth is, they just seemed nice.
In the book Madame Thenardier dies in prison.
@@dtaylor4552 The OP never said she didn't?
@@rondameravella2885 in episode 4 the Thenardiers were arrested for luring Jean Valjean into a trap at the Gorbeau Tenement for keeping his promise to Fantine after she died.
@@dtaylor4552 I meant that the commenter never mentioned Mme Thénardier's fate at the end of either the BBC series or the novel, so I was wondering why you replied to their comment.
@@rondameravella2885 bacause I am now beginning to wonder whether there are certain parts of the novel that the musical did not address.
I have just began to watch the series and loved it . Almost like a novel so far and great job BBC. And thank you from the fans of Les miserables all around the world
Every single performance in this show is incredible, the direction and writing is exceptional, and it's an emotional powerhouse.
Joseph quinn as Enjorlas is perfection
Do you hear the people sing?... Oh wait, it's not a musical 😂
im so pissed about this tbh
i wish it was a bloody mysical
*musical
The book is more darker than the musical as well
@@christinasamuel3947 which musical?
Okey but why I don't see anybody talking about Éponine, I mean where is she?
She's there! 1:16 ..wish we got more of a peek at her though!
@@rebelcobra5099 True, but she's still super important in the novel. Honestly, I just want to see her with Gavroche and Azelma a bit more. It's such an interesting dynamic in the book
He said it's be the most faithful adaption of the book but... Enjolras canonically has long blond hair and looks like a 17 year old girl (are they doing this so nobody realised he's canonically gay?). Fantine is canonically blonde, Cosette is a brunette and a lot of the costuming is wrong (especially the hair). I mean I'm extremely excited but come on Andrew.
Does this also name your email ? Not to mention the aesthetic of this looks too much like the 2012 musical version, the costuming, a lot of the shots, I get it’s based on the same story but it didn’t have to look like it
Does this also name your email ? Yes they are doing this so nobody will get that he is gay
ugh why won’t they give us an accurate Enjolras
I did think that the costumes were a bit too...modern. I mean if they're doing 'accuracy' then you'd think the production would at least follow the costume designs that older movies managed to do correctly.
WATCH THE FUXXER.....then lets talk.
I think it actually makes sense to have it as a TV show because the book is incredibly long and more episodic (I believe it was published chapter by chapter?) like a lot of novels in those days. I tried to read the unabridged version twice and could never quite get through it. The chapters with action in them were incredibly engrossing but they'd always be followed with 3-4 chapters on something like what the inside of a cafe looked like or the meaning of gossip in the French language, or Waterloo or something. But I think that this definitely gave the story a good sense of depth and place that is lacking in the musical.
I was able to finish it via audio book, but yes there has been quite some long sections of whatever 😂
@@Fliegenpilz_Pilz Published in five volumes; the book has 365 chapters
My favorite is when Víctor Hugo breaks fourth wall and delves into 50 paged spiels about Waterloo, the convent, the priest, French slang, and the Paris sewer systems. My man has no chill.
I absolutely love Dominic West. It's a shame that he hasn't been able to emulate his small screen success into the silver screen.
Jimmy McNulty is one of the greatest characters in the history of TV. No doubt.
Just finished this. Dominic West needs an award.
I genuinely loved this. For anyone who’s never really watched or read Les Miserables I suggest you watch this it’s a nice opener and explains the story very well, I wanna read the book now and will be watching the musical soon lol.
ThePugPie well I’ve read the book now and yes I agree with my comment. :)
@@justusing6192 I agree. It's the most accurate adaption We have so far. But a few statements made by the characters or actions that set apart them from the books.
Example of that is Marius was having an evil perception of Jean Valjean because He thought that Jean Valjean killed Javert and robbed Monsieur Madeleine (That never happened here).
Also when Thernadier went to
talk to Marius to sell him information Cossette wasn't present in the room (Cossette was there in this adaptation).
Also Marius wasn't talking when He woke up from his coma at the bed with Monsieur Gillenormand because He thought that Monsieur Gillenormand was hiding his true colors in which He wasn't (Marius talked to early in this adaptation).
When Jean Valjean gave Marius to Monsieur Gillenormand, there was a doctot who told them that Marius was alive (In this adaptation, it was Aunt Gillenormand who told them that Marius was alive)
Monsieur Gillenormand didn't hold a supper with his friends when General Lamarque died in the books (in this adaptation He did the opposite)
Also in the books Cossette gave Eponine (not knowing who She was)
the letter in which Eponine hid it with her until at the barricades when She finally gave the letter to Marius. (in the adaption, Eponine went inside and got the letter).
In the adaption, there was a scene in which Cossette was shouting at the Soldiers marching to the barricade (This was never mentioned at the books).
When Javert spied at the barricade,
When He was caught, He never shouted and asked for Jean Valjean.
He thought Jean valjean was going there in which He was but He never asked for him and never thought him as their leader.
Everybody know Javet was quite a dark character, however nobody would have expected that he was from Congo. Respect!
1:22 Dunno why but I love that shot of Valjean with the quote "There is Hope"
Praying for accurate representation of Enjolras and Grantaire's relationship 🤞🤞
Georgina Melia I don’t think it’s going to happen but... let’s wait
I can't help but be skeptical too - the writer went on about wanting to be true to the novel and if you're being true to the novel, you'd hope they wouldn't be blind to that!
Yes please
🌈
@@cloroxbleach6344 ........ imagine reading a +1000 pages book and not understanding that Enjolras calls "France" his mistress to point out he doesn't have time/doesn't care for dating bc he's too busy with his cause... wow
I absolutely loved it! Jean was a great example of transformation of character. I’m glad I never read the book or watched any of the other version of films as this series was well made and I truly admired how it ended.
This is the best adaptation I've ever seen ❤😢
My school recently did this as a production and I’ve never enjoyed watching more in my life. It was incredible and I know the bbc will make this story into a brilliant show. Can’t wait.
Javert must have been the first black police inspector in France ever!
Jens14 This was well made, he was awesome
@@acer4237 come on dude. It is literally bullshit when they change the color of the character for what???? Anti-racism????? What is wrong with the society today that they just make non sense stuffs, in this case ruin the original story and characters of the novel, poor Victor Hugo.
hong phuc I am one of the very fortunate that never read the book, watched any of the other versions, or even heard of the movie. I watched it with no biases so appreciated the movie with fresh eyes and thought it was perfect in this version because of this. Maybe if I was one that had seen previous versions, I’d b disgruntled like the rest but soooo glad I’m not. Agree to disagree, it’s just a movie of millions so over it and moving on😁
@@acer4237 the revolution in the novel occured in 1832 and Javert must be an officer many years before that time.
hong phuc again, it’s a Hollywood film and I appreciated the art of it.
This series was amazing! Real art. It was so moving and so well done. Thankyou
Agreed, its so close to the novel, I just finished it and I still can't get over 😊
Where can i download or watch the movie
I don't like that visually it looks so much like the 2012 movie. Sets, costumes etc.
bulaluigi Would it be because they take the descriptions for the costumes and settings from the book, and what Paris looked like during that time?
@@hannekekrijt75 so how does that explain other film/tv adaptations of Les Miserables?
@@bulaluigi easy answer - MONEY
bulaluigi of course it looks like the film, it’s set in the same time period.
@@obiwankenobi687 Les Miserables (1998) starring Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, & Claire Danes looks very different.
I’m praying that they include Enjolras and Grantaire’s relationship from the novel and that they portray the complexity of it RIGHT.
I've already watched this trailer a thousand times, please don't disappoint me, BBC, it's my favourite book ever and I love it with every inch of my heart.
Beautiful!! Loved it. 💗
Les Miserables is my favourite book! I hope this will be faithful to the novel but the BBC does normally make good period dramas, so I guess it will be.
adeel1650 How can that stupid, boring, annoying, conveniently miserable book be your favorite?
adeel1650 Inspector Javert is described as “pale” in the novel, so I’d guess again....
@@cloroxbleach6344 Yes, parts of it are pretty boring, especially, the 'Waterloo chapter', but I like classical novels. It could have done with a trim down. The storyline is really good, you just have to be patient with some of the less exiting chapters.
@@alexsmithStudios I've noticed. But then again, Fantine in the novel had light hair and blue eyes; I don't know what this version's Cosette will look like. I guess having Javert played by someone of a different ethnicity is taking the rules of adaptation and interpretation too far. But if this adaptation is faithful to the plot/storyline, and the acting is good, I will overlook that.
adeel1650 I too am a fan of the novel, and it is my opinion that both examples are unnecessary chances. If race, sex, eye color, hair colour, looks and accent really doesn’t matter in todays world, then what is the problem with being true to great source material? I know it’s nitpicking, but I would be scratching my head the same if a black character had been whitewashed.
Lmao, I never thought that Enjolras was gay or straight, even after reading the novel twice. In my reading, it seemed more like he was completely uninterested in relationships in general, more aromantic than anything. I really think you guys are wishing too hard for something that wasn’t really there.
It’s not something in the trailer, just a response to a bunch of comments I saw discussing what they thought to be a romantic relationship between Grantaire and Enjolras in the book.
@@GoodJokesMP4 Thanks! I was just reading about it. There are some interesting perspectives on it. I agree with you, however.
@@GoodJokesMP4 I didn't view it as a 'romantic' one. R was very smitten by E. Not 'romantically' but in the "you don't believe in anything" - "I believe in you." way. I think he was taken by E's dedication and passion - something which R had none of for anything. E had eyes and heart for only one thing - revolution.
cijmoalbal Exactly. It wasn’t so much true love, but a deep admiration.
the book literally compares the two to multiple gay ancient greek characters though, like hugo couldnt have made it any more obvious back in the day
This looks just like the musical (same costumes, set design, photography) just without singing. Might be good, but it doesn't look very original.
Well, it is an adaptation of a book so I doubt it will be original...
That is also what those outfits looked like historically
"doesn't look very original"
lmao what you on about
It's the french revolution, what do you expect it to look like?
Um.. that’s what that period of French history looked like.. and how it’s described in the book. you can’t exactly change that
Way back in the early 90s, when I was in elementary school my third grade teacher read us Les Miserables. I have been obsessed with the musical and the book ever since.
I was not expecting much when I clicked on this to watch it, but I ended up with chills like I was listening to good ASMR sooo 10/10 would recommend
You know, I've never thought about Olivia Colman as Madame Thenardier before today, but on reflection, I can't imagine a better casting choice.
This better be good or else... and Lilly Collins as Fantine is totally unexpected. Also, it's nice to see an adaptation where Fantine's backstory is emphasized. Victor Hugo will be proud.
Looks amazing! And not much different from Les Mis 2012! That's big shoes to fill, I hope this adaptation is worthy.
I can never unhear the songs.
Whilst it looked like the 2012 movie version without the songs, I like it better. The actors ate, they included my favourite scenes from the book and Cosette was more likeable here (which she is meant to be in the books).
Great movie ,great acting ,10/10 a must watch
People here criticising how bad this is probably are the ones who forgot what they had for breakfast yesterday
Lily Collins is a good actress. Love her in Mortal Instruments and Priest.
Everyone talking about Lily Collins and I'm just sitting here looking forward to seeing Olivia Colman.
Lily looks so great 😃
This is THE best version of Les miserables I have seen.
Meanwhile, Paris is burning during Yellow Vests protests. Great timing, BBC! Truly great!
"Brick accurate", they said
Johnny Flynn playing Félix Tholomyès. I N T E R E S T I N G.
Johnny Flynn is the man.
A masterpiece. Do it justice BBC.
All the actors are amazing with a special mention to Erin Kellyman and Adeel Akthar.
Photo is great, costumes are perfect.
Some will maybe have a problem with the fact that it's not historically accurate to have a black police chief in the early XIXth century, knowing Napoleon himself restablished slavery in France, and it was still occuring after his reign.
I passed on this, because the acting is great and David Oyelowo is a fantastic Javert.
Diversity is a good thing, history too, let's not forget the past, it's up to the spectator to be able to understand the historical context, people are not stupid.
Funktastic Ed Erin Kellyman is so great as Eponine, she doesn't need to sing to show her emotions. Her eyes have it. Dominic West, Lily Collins and David Oyelowo also did a fantastic job as Valjean, Fantine and Javert.
Javert was a Gypsy in the book.
Thomas Alexandre Dumas, father of Alexandre Dumas was a general.
cool but WHAT ABOUT WAR OF THE WORLDS 😫😫
is it really that hard to slap a blonde wig onto lily collins
Abbi Pajak I know right
Would look horrid with her eyebrows
Isn’t lily Collins playing Fantine and Fantine isn’t blonde
@@eleiraeel actually I believe she was in the book
NOTHING about Les Miserables is "slapping on" That comment belongs with im a celebrity get me out of here. Not LES MISERABLES.
❤ BBC! They can do no wrong. Great storytelling. The cinematography is stunning. Yes, yes and yes! This is going to be beautifully done!
I saw the 1998 les mis with liam Neeson and no music; I thought this was alright. Then I saw les mis the musical and my life was changed, so after that I can settle for no less then a musical number every 5 minutes. The music makes the story worth it.
Beautiful show.
This is so inaccurate. Why is nobody wearing hi vis jackets?
My guy 😂😂
' afágner
I
Is that Derek Jacobi..? (Yes!!!!)
yes!
Someone call the Doctor and let her know about this Masterful Bishop! (Yes, I know that the Bishop and the Master are basically opposites; however, somebody else will probably make a similar comment) ;)
Do you hear the people sing ? Singing a song of angry men
It is the music of the people who will not be slaves again
Haven’t seen the musical and don’t intend to....but this superb Andrew Davies adaptation,has already gripped me!
I've watched the series recently . I find all the episodes amazing,. I think ir's the best adaptation of the novel so far. I simply love it.
This looks fantastic. Gonna have to figure out if sling TV gets bbc. Thank you in advance to everyone involved in this adaptation :))
#teamlesmis
Considering the level of English that French people have (it's low, trust me), these are the best English-speaking French people I've ever seen.
So unrealistic for 1830s France! Leave it to the BBC to ruin the verisimilitude like that!
i'm sooooo happy its not another musical.
Lily Collins is such an underrated actress. Hopefully this is what makes everyone see it.
Touching!!! Loved this!
To the annoying people in the comments:
You do realise that France in this period had a ethnically diverse population, right? (Well actually not at all but compared to what people think it is, ie having anyone non white living there. I will never understand how people acknowledge that there was slavery in the 1700 and 1800s but then if they show up in any other form ie. free, which many were, it’s historically inaccurate or whatever.) As an example, the writer of another very famous French book as well as the contemporary and friend of Victor Hugo, The Three Musketeers, Alexander Dumas was mixed race. It would be historically inaccurate to pretend that everyone in France was white.
Now is it accurate for Javert to be black and in his position? Honestly it’s unlikely but not impossible (say, as unlikely as one of France’s greatest novelists being mixed race?). Making him black adds to his story of having to work his way out from the gutter as he would have had to fight against racial prejudice and his poverty, in a time period where slavery was legal. It is possible that Javert had a wealthy white father and black mother and maybe that allowed him to reach that position. Like Dumas’ father (also mixed race) joined the military and became a general; Javert the police (which I hate to inform everyone wasn’t exactly prestigious, being a prison guard and an officer are not well, being a famous novelist or general). In my opinion it makes his hatred of Jean Valjean more intense because he is a man who was gifted with several privileges that he did not have and still choosing to be a criminal. It only adds more to his possible back story and makes the character more fleshed out, which in a novel that has been adapted this many times is an interesting take on the character. (I mean, let’s face it there’s like 10 adaptions I can think of so they’ve gotta do something.)
Now someone may correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think Javert’s race is stated in the book? It’s been a while since I’ve read it. EDIT: it’s implied that he’s Roma.
Anyways, people need realise that the exclusion of different races in fiction has lead to a skewered and inaccurate understanding of history.
Putting in non-white characters in randomly in serious productions for the sake of it bugs me as much as anyone else (because any significant change to that character should add to that character and often they’re just shoe horned in without reaping any storytelling benefits from that change which frustrates me to no end) however in this case even if Javert was definitely white in the book I believe the decision would be for the better as it adds another dimension to a character that has had his story done to death so many times ( haha get it? Okay I’ll stop) without any kind of inventiveness or change. It’s also sad that we consider having a non white actor play a non white character inventive but that’s the world we live in. Maybe some day we will seen a Romani actor play the part.
This whole comment was originally a reply but I edited it to make it more general and posted it here because I saw multiple people making the same mistake.
EDIT2: People google is at your fingertips. None of what I’m saying is exactly what you’d call radical. If you don’t believe me you don’t even need to leave UA-cam to learn more about these fascinating time periods, the June rebellion and the French Revolution (and the which since you’re looking Les Mis I’m guess that you’re at least a little interested in). I’ve already had someone comment about something that would have taken them one second to search and human stupidity is getting to me.
tl;dr black people are not a modern invention and have been going around doing their thing largely in the background of history. It’s possible that within this *fictional* world Javert was one of those people.
Hallie Hurst you literally had one example of a famous half black writer. France was most definitely not a multi ethnic nation in anyway it was completely ethnically homogenous. He won't add any more dimensions to the character at all if you are going for the pale stale argument it's rather pathetic.
Hallie Hurst
Some people are happy in their ignorance.
Daniel Joshua *facepalms* you can can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
You are literally on the internet but since you’re apparently incapable of doing your own research I’ll give you a couple more examples from the top of my head. Alexander Dumas’s father for one was the first mixed race general in France. But I’ll give you that he comes from the same family. Perhaps they’re just overachievers?
Chevalier de Saint-George was a famous mixed race composer. During the French Revolution he was the colonel of the first all black regiment in France. I was actually going to use him as my example because he made a better comparison to Javert but I felt that Dumas was better known. For my other examples, well all the men in that regiment might be a start.
Javert might have more in common with these ordinary men of the regiment that these well known historical figures though. He’s starts as a prison guard and works his way up slowly to inspector and then detective. Taking him twenty years to do so from the start of the novel. A slow gradual progression.
Now as to the ethnically diverse point because after I posted it I edited it to clarify what I meant and I’m guessing you read it in that time.
For anyone else, I think I’m right in saying that it’s actually very difficult to even estimate what percentage of the population was non white. Because of the difficulties in obtaining historical records. Most likely it was a tiny percentage of the population. But again just to clarify even if that percentage was tiny I don’t see how it would stop Javert being black.
I don’t really understand your last part. I listed the reasons why I think making him black is interesting and a good choice and threw in a joke about how unimaginative some previous adaptions have been. (Also I’m not terribly enthusiastic about this one but I love in hope)
I have a question for you: Are you really more willing to believe that a poverty stricken illegitimate Roma son of a criminal mother was able to raise in station than a black man?
He is of the Bohemian race.
“Sumner’s Paris journal entry for Saturday, January 20, 1838, in which, after observing how “well-received” black students are at the Sorbonne, he writes, “It must be then, that the distance between free blacks and the whites among us [at home] is derived from education, and does not exist in the nature of things.””
^ from The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David W. McCullough
(Sorbonne being the main university campus in Paris, then and now. And of course university was pretty much reserved for the wealthy in this era. To be clear, this isn't to say that Paris was a modern liberal paradise without racism, but this sort of thing isn't anything unheard of.)
Also it's all nonsense anyway since being a police officer wasn't a prestige profession back then, unless you were very high up in the ranks which Javert definitely isn't. In fact the French police forces employed actual criminals at the time, most famously Eugène Vidocq.
I mean being a street cop isn't exactly the highest of social positions even now and it used to be even less so. They were thugs for the authorities. Javert gets a number of promotions but he never rises above his class. A highly ranked officer does not go chasing criminals in the streets or infiltrate a revolutionary group.
Here's the thing, though: the novel doesn't differ much from the musical in character development, and visually, a lot of these set pieces look like direct rip-offs to the 2012 film. Victor Hugo purists will say it's amazing, though.
I mean, I love Lily Collins with all my heart, but no one can top the 2012 version of Les Mis
Lily Collins living barbie doll ❤️❤️
I've watched the first two episodes and I thought they were awesome. The best adaptation of the novel I've seen.
Lmao they copied some of the costuming and sets exactly from the film adaptation of the musical... (I know it’s the same story and content but like... you don’t need to copy it to the point of making the actor’s look like the musical actors)
I thought that was Hugh Jackman for a second...
Or maybe that's how it was in the book
Ro something tells me you’re not very familiar with the book
Ro one who talks when unsure of things. Then I look at your photo...
WHAATEVEN I question if you’ve ever actually watched the musical version if you think these guys look the same
"Do you hear the people sing?"
Singing a song of angry men?
it is the music of a people who will not be slaves again
When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums.
There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!
Will you join in our crusade, who will be strong and stand with me?
I just hope they don’t turn it into a sex romp like they did with War and Peace. Otherwise the trailer does look very promising.
Dylan B Andrew Davies Said they were adding in sex scenes... Hopefully it's just one between Fantine and Tholomyès? I can't think of any other characters who should have a sex scene, it's all either be rape, the sex work or inaccurate (making Enjolras sleep with a woman etc). Don't get your hopes up.
Unfortunately, they did.
@@rondameravella2885 Great, one less show to bother about. Off the list with you!
I just want Courfeyrac. Please just give me more Courfeyrac.
So excited to see Josh O'Connor as Marius!!!!
"Less Miserable", as how many still pronounce today!
Lmao at black Javert. Thank god they didn't dare do that with War & Peace.
"you don' like black people enough so we'll keep putting them into everything you watch". I'm sure racists will appreciate it and will stop being racists. Meanwhile everyone else that doesn't have any problem with blacks and wants to watch an adaptation of their favourite novel will become racist by reaction.
Congratulations BBC!
Seriously why do you care about the dude's skin color? If he can act it, then let him. Is it historical accuracy - cause it is a historical fiction (p.s. Thomas-Alexandre Dumas if you need a token historical example). Book accuracy? Honestly the people I would most expect to be most annoyed by this are super liberals who might be frustrated that castings like this misrepresent the racist history of French (and European) society.
I don't really see what the problem is. Javert's skin color isn't relevant, so there's no real reason to care
*Jean Valjean*
Honestly... Lily Collins is the best on-screen fantine! NOBODY can change my mind.
It’s impressive how happy they made it look
WHAT IS THE SONG? it is so beautiful😍
I was hoping to find this out as well. So far No Luck.
It is a piece of trailer music by Extreme Music. It's called Hope on a Rope. You;ll find it in their Choral Themes - Directors Cut album. I don't think there is a version to listen to in UA-cam, but you can find it on their website, extrememusic.com.
Permets-tu?
Liv Jones You are a hero!
Enjolras lui serra la main en souriant.
Une version vraiment misérable.
I literally JUST discovered this show by accident when looking for another show and I'm shocked! It looks good! I'm gonna have to check it out
tabularasaconfirmed it was good. The story is very faithful to the novel, the actors did a great job portraying the characters and I almost a shed a tear in almost every episode. Go on give it a try, you won't regret it 😊
Die Britten haben es wieder mal drauf. Fantastische Schauspieler!!