Les Misérables just had its world premiere in a star-studded event held at Leicester Square in London.
The film is based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 epic masterpiece of the same title. Directed by Tom Hooper, it is set to be released on December 25 in the US and January 11 in the UK.
The story is centered on the life of former prisoner Jean Valjean, who struggles with his past and seeks redemption by doing good things to others. Among those he gets to help is tragic factory worker Fantine.
The film has an all-star cast led by:
Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean
A man imprisoned for stealing bread, and who becomes a mayor of a town in France. He spends the rest of his life coming to terms with the past and evading Inspector Javert, a police officer who is consumed with bringing him back to prison. He rescues Fantine’s daughter, Cosette, from the hands of the cruel Thénardiers and becomes her guardian.
Anne Hathaway as Fantine
A poor factory worker who is forced to leave her daughter, Cosette, at the hands of the unscrupulous Thénardiers. She is a picture of desolation, a gaunt and miserable character forced into prostitution to support her child.
Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert
A police inspector who has an ax to grind with Jean Valjean. Hunting the former prisoner to bring him back to prison becomes the obsession that consumes his life.
Amanda Seyfried as the teenage Cosette
Fantine’s daughter who is abused by the Thénardiers. She is rescued by Jean Valjean who treats her as his own child and provides for her. She falls in love with student revolutionary Marius.
Sacha Baron Cohen as Thénardier
Owner of the inn where Fantine is forced to leave her daughter, Cosette. An unscrupulous character who is supposed to be the little girl’s guardian but is abusive and is a cunning thief.
Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thénardier
Thénardier’s wife who verbally abuses Cosette and makes her life miserable.
Samantha Barks as Eponine
The spoiled daughter of the Thénardiers, unkind to Cosette as a child. She becomes a hapless, lonely street waif after the family loses their inn business.
Eddie Redmayne as Marius
A student who comes from a wealthy family but chooses to live a frugal life independently and joins the revolutionary movement. Eponine is secretly in love with him, but he falls in love with Cosette instead.
Les Misérables is set in a society where unrest pervades. The story revolves around intertwined lives in a setting marked by the grim realities of dissatisfaction, inequality, poverty, abuse, and unrequited love. However, in the end, there’s redemption, forgiveness, and hope.
Our verdict? It’s a must-watch. We’re talking about no garbage literature here.
Images: ImageCollect / Video: YouTube