Les Miserables

— I went to “Les Miserables” not certain what I’d think, but I was suckered in without much kicking or screaming. It seemed a little plodding at first, but then this is during the oppressive and depressive French Revolution. Once the characters are all accounted for, they worked on me until they had me by my heartstrings--the actors really were awfully good and the direction really was awfully grand. Tom Hooper has created an oversized film, almost rejecting the confines of the stage, and then served up very intimate moments with songs so emotional you have to go with it. True, the "to love another person is to see the face of God" them is only slightly more sophisticated than “love means never having to say you’re sorry”, but that’s okay, it’s all part of the experience that’ is, as NPR says, “misery and music blended for the big screen”.

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[2012. 158 min. Directed by Tom Hooper. Starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, and Eddie Redmayne.]
http://www.npr.org/2012/12/24/167624491/in-paris-misery-and-music-blended-for-the-big-screen