LES MISERABLES (1995)
A film review by Roger Dobrick
Copyright 1996 Roger Dobrick
We saw the Claude Lelouche version of "Les Miserables" yesterday--and I highly recommend it.
It's an "updated" version of Victor Hugo's novel, with Jean-Paul Belmondo playing Jean Valjean and two 20th-century era characters whose lives are similar to the character in the novel. Lelouche brilliantly intertwines Hugo's book with the 20th century, most notably the German occupation of France during WW II and the persecution of the Jews which accompanied it.
I've seen many 3-hour long movies in my life, but this is one of the few that constantly held my interest.
I suggest reading Roger Ebert's review of it, primarily because he summarizes its complexity better than I can. You can find it in the "Enertainment" section of Compuserve or possibly the Chicago Sun-Times Web Site.
As for the "R" rating--we took Mariessa, who is 12, and proportionally there is far less sex violence and offensive language in it than most pictures with this kind of rating. Moreover, rather than being gratuitous, these elements enhance the plot and the theme of the story, which is a highly moral and ethical point about the human condition.
If I were rating it, I'd give it a "PG-13"--I think it's a movie most teens ought to see, although it may be a little too strong for *most* kids under 10 or 11.
Roger Dobrick
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