Les Miserables - A Book, A Play & now a Movie
On Christmas Day Les Miserables was released. The original novel is a classic written in the 19th century by French author, Victor Hugo. The play has been around for more than 25 years and has been playing continuously in London's west end. At its tenth anniversary in London a concert performance was put on at the Royal Albert Hall and for the 25th a much bigger crowd joined in at London's "02" arena. It is a story with a very wide sweep and yet, clearly it has worked as a play. People keep coming back.
With my own background not only as a priest, but as someone who received a liberal arts education, I see it clearly as a story of sainthood, somebody living a life in imitation of Christ. A question in my mind is to what extent do you need to have this Christian template in mind when you experience the story? Judging by the tears and sniffles in the theatre when I was there, maybe not too much.
In a world that often seems cruel and indifferent what can change us? We see in the life of the principal character, Jean Valjean, that key kindnesses from caring people have a great impact. As the story progresses he learns love from young Cosette whom he rescues from unscrupulous guardians.
Critics of the film have been somewhat less than fully enthusiastic. It's a bit different to hear complaints that it is too gritty. I think one of the things that makes Les Miserables both popular and simultaneously hard to deal with is that it crosses idioms.
It is not conventional musical theatre. The substance of the story is front and centre and it deals directly with the heavy questions about the meaning of life and the relationship of individuals and society-at-large. In this way it is more opera than musical. We see the breadth of humanity. Some people are generous, some egregiously selfish and manipulative and many are looking for a voice. Some critics didn't like the closeups but they magnified the emotions, just like opera. Art needs magnification to get our attention and focus it.
It isn't often that something is both popular and stretches us to look at life in new ways. The play and novel show that it has legs. We will be revisiting this story again and again.
