Written in front:
I have deep feelings for the musical "Les Miserables". I listened to this musical for the first time in June 2011, and in a year and a half, I myself can’t count how many times I have listened to it. Thinking about what happened this year and a half, it can be regarded as a turnaround in the world and a shaky life experience. I spent many special moments listening to this musical. Later, because of this musical, I found the 10th and 25th anniversary concerts to watch, and I found the original French musical to listen to. I went to read through the original work again. My understanding of this work became deeper and more emotional. Getting deeper. If you ask me why this work is so attractive to me, I think my answer is, because suffering, like love, is also the eternal theme of life.
Recently, a film adapted from this musical is about to be released. I browsed some forums and found that many people criticized that the plot of this film is too large, the plot is difficult to understand, and that it is not very suitable for films in this form of music. In the love of this work, I decided to write this article to introduce the background, music, and part of the plot of this work, hoping to help those who didn’t know much about this novel and this musical before. Friends provide some help.
In particular, this article involves in-depth spoilers (very deep...), students who don't like spoilers should not read it down. In addition, my own knowledge is very limited. I can only do my best to make a detailed and accurate introduction. If anyone who is familiar with this work reads this article, I hope you can point out my deficiencies. ,Grateful.
Start below.
Introduction to the original work:
I saw a Weibo in Gecheng a long, long time ago. It was written about his feelings when he read "Les Miserables", to the effect that after reading this book, I realized that the character of human beings can reach such a high level. . At that time, I had not touched this work, but I firmly remembered his words. Now it's my turn to introduce this work. If I want to use a similar concept to describe this book, that is: the suffering that civilization can cause, and the brilliance that humanity can achieve.
The novel "Les Miserables" is a masterpiece written by French writer Hugo Victor in thirty years. Hugo began to conceive this work in the 1830s and collected relevant materials. During the period, he published many other works, including the landmark work "Notre Dame de Paris", but he never wrote about this "Les Miserables". ". It was not until he later experienced various changes in French society and became an overseas exile himself that he finally completed this work. During the period, Hugo's political thought has changed several times, and this novel has changed its drafts, but its core idea has not changed, that is, Hugo's humanitarianism, and the exploration and questioning of the causes of social suffering.
In Hugo's view, the suffering of people at the bottom of society is caused by the laws and customs of the society. The excessive punishment of the law and the lack of tolerance and charity have created a "hell-like society." The entire civilized world is like a pyramid. Those at the bottom of it look up and see not the brilliance of morality, but the cruel and malicious oppression. Hugo hopes that through this work, people will be aroused to think about reality and get rid of ignorance and hardship.
Hugo once summed up the novel himself as "a saint's story, a man's story, a woman's story, and a child's story", which corresponded to the bishop, Jean Valjean and Fang in the novel. Fantin and Cossette. The benevolent bishop used his forgiveness and tolerance to influence Jean Varjean, who hates society in his heart, "redeemed your soul for God", and let Varjean spend his entire life abiding by the bishop's expectations of him and help Fantine who is desperate. , Adopted Fantine’s daughter, Cosette, and finally fulfilled Cosette’s happiness with his own sacrifice. In Hugo's words, his life is an "epic poem from an ignorant beast to a noble saint".
The fate of suffering imposed by the civilized world on Jean Valjean, Fantine, and Cosette is the author’s thought for everyone, just as the author wrote in the preface, “Even in the most prosperous period of civilization, poverty makes Men perish, hunger makes women fall, and darkness makes children weaker." Even today, more than a hundred years later, this sentence can still shine in the palace of literature. In my opinion, this is the deepest accusation and the greatest proposition that a person can put forward to society.
In addition, some people think that this work describes the victory of Christianity over the enlightenment of people. This statement is incorrect. It should be noted that although the bishop influenced Jean Varjean with a spirit of benevolence, Hugo also attacked religion. The dogma and closedness of China are harmful to the destiny of mankind and encourage ignorance. Regarding religion, Hugo's view is that with the progress of mankind, religion and God will eventually disappear, but humane care and free spirit will always exist.
Introduction to musicals (and movies):
Over the years, there have been endless adaptations of "Les Miserables". There are more than 20 films and dramas alone, but the musical version of "Les Miserables" is the most well-known adaptation. .
This musical was first born in France and was composed by the famous French musician Schoenberg. When creating this musical, Schoenberg was already well-known in France. His rock opera "French Revolution" created in 1975 once created a grand scene in Paris. Since the French are well-known to the plot of "Les Miserables" (probably like the Chinese people's familiarity with the Three Kingdoms), the plot of this musical has been greatly cut and the spurs removed. The plot, and re-arrangement of some bridge sections to make them more dramatic conflict and more suitable for stage performances. The musical was staged in the Paris Stadium in 1980. It was expected to be performed for 8 weeks, but the performance was extended because of the audience's love. The performance was stopped for 16 weeks. It is a pity that this popular work is not favored by critics, so only one version of OC (Original Cast) was released and it was hidden. It is indeed a pity that such an excellent work has not been popular in its hometown of France.
Until 1982, the gold medal musical producer, Cameron Mackins of the United Kingdom, discovered the musical record of this musical. After being shocked, he decided to cooperate with Schoenberg to adapt it into an English version, adding to the French original version. Some tracks, and adjusted the sequence of some plots and songs. The English version was staged in London in 1985, which is the version we are seeing now. After the performance, the English version received rave reviews and became a classic in global musicals. The four major musicals currently recognized are "Les Miserables", "Miss Saigon", "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Cat". The music creations of the first two were made by Schoenberg, and the depth of thought and cultural heritage of "Les Miserables" is even more unsurpassed. The profundity of cultural thoughts and the greatness of music have contributed to the unfailing brilliance of this musical over the past 25 years.
The film version of "Les Miserables" is adapted from a musical, so it is called a musical movie. Both the plot and character performance follow the setting of the musical version, which is different from the original plot. Some friends criticized the movie for too much music and used singing to speak, but in fact they did not realize that the movie was originally a musical adaptation. For musical films, characters naturally express their feelings through singing. In this film, the director simply turns all the dialogue into singing. In fact, this arrangement is more conducive to switching and entering between different episodes. The music effect is very beneficial.
Musical drama knowledge supplement:
Many domestic students may be relatively unfamiliar with the performance form of musical drama. Here is a brief introduction.
The English name of musical is musical, which is called "comedie musicale" in French. It can be seen from this word that this form is a kind of performance style that tends to be relaxed and casual. Musicals are generally stage plays that combine dance and singing, but there are also those that only sing without dancing.
I have seen in many comments that people say that when they hear the lines in a movie, they use singing, and there is a kind of resistance, and they feel that it is the "spring and white snow" of Westerners. In fact, musicals are very popular mass entertainment activities in the West. From Broadway in New York to the West End of London, musicals have always been prosperous. Musicals do not have the complicated bel canto dazzling skills of operas, and serious and lengthy symphony accompaniment. In fact, most of the singing of musicals uses popular singing methods, and bel canto methods are rarely seen, which is easy for the public. Many world-renowned superstars, such as Barbra Streisand and Sarah Brightman, began to sing musicals in the form of music accepted and appreciated. Therefore, I hope that when you enjoy this drama, you will not be separated in your heart. You can enjoy the singing as a popular song. Enjoy the music, I believe you will not be disappointed.
In addition, because I saw someone calling this movie an opera, I would like to talk about the difference between musical and opera. The English name of opera is opera. Historically speaking, opera appeared very early and reached its heyday in Italy, while musicals only began to appear in the 19th century, and first appeared in Britain and the United States. In terms of musical form, opera is almost always bel canto, with symphony accompaniment, focusing on embodying the beauty and skills of bel canto, while musicals use popular instruments and pop music arrangement techniques (such as rock, jazz, folk songs, etc.). It is closer to the public than opera. Linguistically speaking, opera basically only has two languages: Italian and German, while musicals can be written in various languages, English, French, Russian, Chinese...anything you can think of.
Story background:
To understand the meaning of the story of Les Misérables, you must first know the background of this story. To know the background of this story, you must first understand the magnificent French Revolution.
At the end of the 18th century, France had completed a large amount of capital accumulation and its economy developed rapidly. The bourgeoisie became the most powerful class in French society at that time. Old ideas were gradually replaced by new democratic ideas. A revolution is inevitable. In 1789, the people of Paris launched an uprising and drove away the emperor Louis XVI of the Bourbon dynasty. In 1792, the First French Republic was established and Louis XVI was executed. At this time, France was facing many difficulties under the siege of the "Anti-French Alliance". At this time, the young Napoleon launched the "Fogy Moon Coup" to gain power and led the French people to start the "French Empire" era. But the dominance of France and Napoleon could not last long. In 1814, Napoleon fell, and Louis XVIII became the emperor of France. But the good times did not last long. Napoleon returned to Paris in March 1815 to rebuild the empire, the Hundred Days Dynasty. After the Battle of Waterloo, Louis XVIII was restored and the Bourbon dynasty was restored. During the restoration period, the Bourbon dynasty destroyed the democratic system and free and equal human rights established by the previous revolution, aroused resistance from the people, and finally led to the outbreak of the French July Revolution in 1830. The July Revolution overthrew the Bourbon dynasty, but did not proceed to the end. Instead, it stopped on the road of constitutional monarchy. From this, the July dynasty was born. The French still failed to get rid of their emperor. It was not until 1848 that the people of Paris launched the February Revolution that they overthrew the king and established the Second French Republic. However, the Second Republic lasted only a few years and was replaced by the Second French Empire in 1852, and the Second Empire’s rule continued. Eighteen years later, it was finally replaced by the third country of France in 1870. So far, the French people completely eliminated the monarchy from the land of France. Since then, there has been no emperor in France.
The story of "Les Miserables" began in 1815, when Napoleon was defeated again, the year the Bourbon dynasty was restored, and ended with the Paris People's Uprising in June 1832. The 17 years in which the story took place have been a period of time when the French Revolution was low and the conservative forces were victorious. The brilliance and dreams of Napoleon’s period have been buried with the failure of Waterloo. In the life-and-death contest between the "Kings" and the "Republicans", the former defeated the latter, and many generals of the Republic who had followed Napoleon were squeezed out and left out. , The French Revolution was denounced as perverse and spurned. Under such circumstances, the idea of a democratic republic has gone underground, but it is still circulated as a secret belief among people of insight. The climax of the entire "Les Miserables" is the last Paris uprising of 1832. All the characters, foreshadowings and plots in the book all converge on this event, pushing the story to a climax. When this uprising broke out, the July Dynasty had just been established, and the July Revolution had ended, but the emperor was still there. For many revolutionaries, this meant a compromise with the king’s faction and a betrayal of the revolution, and the reform of the regime. It did not change the miserable lives of the people at the bottom, all of which led to the outbreak of the uprising.
Hugo’s attitude towards uprisings and republics is clear. He used to be a kingly guardian, but in the end he firmly stood on the side of the republicans. In this work, he fully praised the republic’s ideas and the spirit of uprising. In Hugo’s view, only republic and education can make society a paradise for souls, get rid of ignorance, and dispel misery.
Someone commented that it is not clear whether the theme of the whole play is the process of a person's probation or the promotion of the revolutionary spirit. What I want to say is that there is only one theme of the whole play, which is human suffering. Both the former and the latter are developed around this theme. On the issue of revolution, Hugo has actually surpassed his benevolent thought of helping the world. He has created a variety of revolutionaries (although only a part of them are shown in the movie), these people sacrifice themselves in order to eliminate suffering. It can be said that they are entrusted with Hugo's republican thoughts.
Characters in the play:
The main purpose of this part is to supplement some information related to the characters that are not introduced in the musicals and movies, so as to help everyone better understand and feel these characters portrayed in the play.
Bishop Myriel: The
reason for introducing the bishop first is because he is the beginning of the story. It is because of his kindness and tolerance that Jean-Varjean is born again. He is what Hugo called "the story of a saint".
In the original work, Bishop Miriare occupies a volume, detailing his life, views and character. The musical version deleted his story, leaving only a plot admonishing Jean-Valjean. In the original book, the bishop is a very simple person. As the bishop of a region, he lives with his sister in a very simple house. He only hires a maid. The house can almost be described as a family member. The usual meals are also It is extremely simple (the above details can be seen in the movie), every month's income is deducted from the necessary expenses, and all the excess money is donated to the poor. The only valuable items in his house are the set of silver tableware and candle holders, which are specially used for entertaining guests. We can see that when Jean-Valjean arrived, the bishop used silver tableware to entertain him. It can be seen that although Jean-Valjean was cast aside by the world, the bishop treated him as a distinguished guest. It was precisely because of the bishop's poverty that he finally gave all the silver utensils, including silver candlesticks, to Jean-Valjean, which made him even more noble and powerful.
Jean Valjean: Jean Valjean
is the central character of Les Misérables, and the author's humanitarianism is embodied through him. He was a prisoner on parole at first, and his heart was full of hatred for society. Hugo emphatically portrays his stubborn character in the book. He is always asking the society, "Why make a poor person always fall into a sea of suffering, either lack of work or excessive punishment". So he constantly tried to escape from prison, including the later theft of the bishop, which was his resistance to society. Hugo described him as a "beast", full of anger and violence, but still retaining the part of the good nature.
There were four major psychological struggles in Jean-Varjean's life.
The first time was after the bishop gave him the candlestick, he began to feel the power of kindness. At first he felt angry because the bishop deprived him of his right to anger with his kindness and also shaken the foundation of his hatred. However, he was eventually influenced and determined to renew Be a man
The second time, when he knew that someone had been arrested as him and was about to be sentenced, he was hesitant to save himself and save others. The former means the destruction of conscience, the latter means the destruction of life, he He hesitated repeatedly and couldn’t make a choice. Finally, at the moment of entering the court, his conscience defeated selfishness and stepped forward to save the innocent person (personally think this psychological description is the most exciting part of the book); the
third time was when he When he learned that he saw Marius’ letter to Cosette and knew that Marius was at the barricade, his heart was shaken. He felt both hatred and fear for the fact that Marius might lose him to Cosette, and If Marius died in a barricade battle, this dilemma would never have to be faced, but his conscience reminded him that he should save the child’s life. This psychological struggle is not described in the original work, but we should be aware of it.
At the end of the story , he was fully tempted to refuse to go to the barricade to participate in the battle; the fourth time was at the end of the story, after Marius and Cosette got married, he decided to tell Marius because he was worried that exposure of his identity would affect Cosette’s reputation. Si's own true identity, and consciously left Cosette. In the original work, the meaning of Cosette to Jean-Valjean was repeatedly rendered throughout the story. For him, she is the "collection of all love". Because of this, Jean-Valjean is making this decision. Earlier, the inner struggle was so intense that it could not be added, and after he left Cosette, he was finally overwhelmed and "aged twenty years old within a month" and finally passed away. This last sacrifice is so tragic and noble. The author's title for this section in the original work is "One Step Back", which is really embarrassing. In the words of the author, Jean-Valjean "has fought with his conscience for countless rounds, but every time his conscience has strangled his throat".
"Conscience will afflict those who understand it more", this is what Hugo wrote to Jean-Varjean.
I say this because only by understanding these can we understand the suffering of Jean-Valjean and his height.
PS Hugo adopted a certain romantic approach when shaping Jean-Valjean. He gave Jean-Valjean amazing strength. For example, he could lift a carriage alone and climb a rock on a steep wall. It is a skill he has honed in his long prison career. In the movie, this skill of his was faithfully restored. In addition, in the original barricade battle, the author especially emphasized that Jean-Varjean never kills people in battle, and is only satisfied with wounding or repelling the enemy, which further reflects his humane spirit.
Fantin (Fantin)
Fantine represents the suffering of those women at the bottom of society. Abandoned by lovers, spurned by society, selling hair, selling teeth, and even betraying oneself, becoming a slave to society. And it is said that when Hugo created this character, there was not much fiction. It can be imagined that the women at the bottom of society at that time suffered more than tens of millions of such misfortunes. The most ironic thing is that it was Jean Valjean who became the mayor who caused Fantine's dismissal. Under the prejudice of the society, Jean Valjean involuntarily caused Fantine's tragedy until he woke up. But it is too late. Such a dramatic arrangement reflects the misfortune of the society and the depth of suffering.
Among all the characters, Fantine's fate is the most tragic. She was originally beautiful, innocent and naive. She fell in love with a rich boy who was romantic, became pregnant, and was abandoned by him. Fantine had to go to work in order to feed his children, and the society at the time was extremely harsh on a woman who was unmarried and conceived (this can be seen from the fact that Fantine was expelled from the factory). For this reason Fantine could only put his daughter, Cosette, in foster care with the Tenadière couple who happened to be on the way. However, the Tenadier and his wife used Cosette as a cash cow, pretending that Cosette was ill to send Fantine the cost of living. This is why Fantine is so eager to earn money to pay off his debts in the movie. At the end of the original work, Fantine saw Mr. Madeleine (namely Jean-Varjean) being questioned by Sand and dying in fright and despair. In the musical, the creator put her in the comfort of Jean-Varjean. The happy death may also be because Fantine's life experience in the original book was too miserable and unbearable.
By the way, Anne Hathaway in the movie version lost a few tens of catties in order to act the image of Fantine critically ill and dying. I deeply admire her professionalism.
Marius Pontmercy
There are two characters in this novel showing tortuous thought changes, one is the aforementioned Jean-Varjean, and the other is Marius. Marius Fu in musicals and movies appeared as a determined republican revolutionary young man. In fact, in the original work, he was a model of the republicanism from the kingly guardian faction. His life experience can be described as bumpy.
He was originally influenced by his grandfather Jill Norman, and he was a kingly guardian. His father, Ponte Messi, was a general under Napoleon. Gil Norman is hostile to him and will not allow him to meet Marius, otherwise he will deprive Marius of his inheritance. Pon Messi thought about his son's future, so he had to swallow his anger, and could only secretly visit his son while he was going to church. He left a will to his son when he died. Marius was shocked, read books and newspapers secretly, learned about his father’s heroic deeds, and finally changed his position, broke with his grandfather, ran away from home, contacted the republican youth of the "ABC Friends Society", and finally accepted the republicanism Thought. (The above is excerpted from "The Preface to the Translation of Les Misérables" by Mr. Zheng Klue)
In the original work, Marius grew up as a true republican during the barricade battle. The direct reason for his participation in the barricade battle was that he lost Cosette did not want to live alone and wanted to die with his friends, but in the course of the battle, facing the cruel battle and the sacrifice of friends, he truly realized his responsibility and mission. In the movie, his thought changes are deleted, so that the story is more concise and the conflict between the two sides of the battle is more intense. I think such an adaptation is very reasonable for the musical.
In the original work, Marius appears as a set of contrasts with his maternal grandfather Gil Norman (the old man who scolded Marius in the movie). Gil Norman is a staunch guardian who hates the republic. He regularly organizes a "guardian party" (囧) at home. He instilled in Marius from his childhood the beliefs of the guardian, and he said that Marius’ father was " robber". Therefore, after contacting and accepting the republican idea, Marius had always had a hostile relationship with his grandfather. Even though he had a meager income and difficult life, he never bowed his head to his grandfather. Gil Norman actually loves his grandson deeply. Since Marius broke his relationship with him, he has been wandering between his kingly stance and his love for Marius. In the end, Marius was injured at the barricade and was sent back to his home by Jean-Varjean. His mental defenses completely collapsed. At first he thought Marius was dead, and the whole person fell into a state of madness, "Jill Norman The husband twisted his hands and let out a terrifying laugh, "He is dead! He was beaten to death at the barricade! He hated me! He opposed me so he did this! He just came back to me, the scourge of my life, he He died like this!'" Then he found that Marius was still alive, surprised and happy, shouting "Marius! My little Marius! My child! My beloved grandson!", Even so excited that he fainted, a centenarian showed his love for his grandson deeply, and the grandson and grandson were relieved of their previous suspicion. This is also my favorite part of the book.
In the movie, Gil Norman appeared twice. The first time was to scold Marius on the street. The second time was after Marius was rescued. He looked at Marius lovingly on the stairs and said, thank you. God you are still alive. Although these two appearances are very short, they still accurately show the character of this character.
"Friends of ABC"
finally wrote about my favorite group of people. "Friends of ABC" is a republican organization, that is, the organization where Marius and his friends are in the movie. Most of its members are the children of nobles with a republican spirit. The French name of "Friends of ABC" is "Les amis de l'ABC". ABC is pronounced the same as the French word "Abaisees", meaning "lower level" or "lower level", so it means that this organization is a friend of the people at the bottom.
Friends of ABC took in Marius when he was desperate, not only led him to get in touch with Republican ideas, but also his most loyal friend (for example, in the original book, he loaned him money to help him pursue Cosette... ). This organization is made up of many young people with their own characteristics. They sometimes ridicule each other, sometimes discuss current affairs, and sometimes express some quirky but irrefutable long talks. Doctors and lawyers. People of various personalities and identities gathered together because of the republican idea, which added a lot of bright colors to this heavily depressed work.
In movies and musicals, due to space limitations, only two members of Friends of ABC have more roles. One is the leader of Friends of ABC, Enjolar, who is dressed in red and leads the song "Do you The one who hears the people sing, there is another one is Grantaire, who sang with Marius in the first set of "Red and black", and he finally sang with Anjoola sacrifice. Angora is a very important role in the musical "Les Miserables", with many chants, mainly on the melody of "Do you hear the people sing" and "Red and black". It is vigorous and magnificent. In the Casts of "Les Miserables" in the past, Aungrua is a very popular character. The revolutionary sentiment of the entire musical is mainly set off by his singing. In the description of the original book, Anjoola is a handsome, slender young man with noble morals and a firm republican spirit. He is firm and composure, not chaotic in the face of danger, and is the spiritual leader of the entire organization. Grantaire is a very interesting person. He is addicted to alcohol like his life (in the movie he always holds a wine bottle in his hand), and is rebellious and questioning everything. He is an out-and-out skeptic. But he only firmly believes in one person, that is, Aungrua, because Aungrua has a firm belief that he does not possess. In the original book, this man can be said to have "infinite love", as long as it is something Aung Joola ordered, he must promise, he must obey, and always respond with "gentle eyes." During the whole uprising, he slept in the tavern because of drunkenness. When he woke up, he found that the battle was over (囧). Although he could retreat and save his life, he chose to come to Angola and choose Sacrificing with him, such feelings are indeed very moving.
Another thing that needs to be added is that the Friends of ABC, as the ideological enlightenment of Marius, had a wonderful debate with Marius. When Marius just ran away from home, he was immersed in the admiration of Napoleon and the vision of the glory of the empire. He asked friends of ABC Friends, what is more worth pursuing than this glory. Anjoola reminded him that his adoration of Napoleon surpassed the adoration of freedom. Although Napoleon was great, France no longer needed an emperor. What is more worth pursuing than the glory of the empire is human freedom and liberation. After listening to these words of Anjoura, Marius was speechless and lost in thought. This debate can be regarded as the place where the book best reflects the political ideas of the Friends of ABC.
Tenadiers (Thenardiers)
In musicals and movies, the Tenadiers appear as comedy characters. The exaggerated performance and singing make people laugh. However, in the original work, the images of these two men are dark. Depressed a lot. The Tenadier and his wife represent what Hugo calls "the pure darkness of the bottom of society". In their bodies, moral education and legal punishment have completely lost their effectiveness. Here, Hugo is aware of the spirit of benevolence. The limitations. And in the end, this kind of evildoer did not receive any sanctions, but continued to go unpunished. This cannot but be said to be a great irony.
What needs to be said is that in the original book, Eponi is their daughter, and the little beggar Gafrosh is their son (Tenardier abandoned him), but the children of this wicked couple are dedicated to uprising. The heroes and martyrs of China can be described as "full of loyalty", and this arrangement also pinned Hugo's confidence in the progress and advancement of mankind. Before the
plot description
, we said that this movie is adapted from a musical, and when the musical is being created, it focuses more on the display of certain scenarios and psychology, instead of fully paving the way for the development of the plot. The information about the development of the plot is only a brief passing, because Western audiences are already familiar with the plot of the story. For those who have not been exposed to this story, the plot of the movie may develop too fast and the rhythm is difficult to adapt. Therefore, I am here to supplement some plots that are generally incomprehensible or not explained clearly, hoping to be helpful to everyone.
In addition, it needs to be pointed out that many people criticize too many "coincidences" in the story. For example, Marius happened to be neighbors with the Tenadière couple, and Tenadière happened to be planning to rob the house of Jean-Valjean. and many more. Here we must realize that this work itself is a product of the combination of romanticism and realism. Through this kind of legendary experience full of coincidences, the author intends to create stronger dramatic conflicts and express his thoughts in a more powerful way.
This explanation takes the form of FAQ.
How did Jean-Varjean become mayor?
After leaving the bishop, Jean-Valjean changed his name to Madeleine and went to the coastal city of Montreuil, where he invented a new process for making black glass crafts. He borrowed German black glass manufacturing technology and changed some of the raw materials to make it better in quality, while the cost was greatly reduced. With this technology, he opened a black glass factory, whose products sell well in the French domestic and overseas markets, and he has also accumulated a lot of wealth. He spent more than one million for the city of Montreuil and the poor, founding a nursery, creating worker relief, opening a free pharmacy, and so on. He was deeply loved by the local residents and was eventually unanimously elected mayor.
How did Jean-Varjean surrender in court?
When Javert began to have doubts about Jean-Valjean, he received a letter stating that Jean-Valjean had been arrested in a certain city. Javert firmly believes that the real Jean-Varjean has been arrested, and he misunderstood the mayor of Madeleine. After a fierce ideological struggle (part of "Who am I"), Jean-Varjean, who knew the truth, finally rushed to the court overnight, confessed his identity before the court's decision, and saved the man who was mistaken for him.
Some people questioned why Javert could not tell whether the arrested one was Jean Valjean he was hunting down. Hugo explained this in the original book. In the original book, Jean Valjean saw him in court. When it came to his "stand-in", he was very surprised and felt "he was looking at himself in the past." This prisoner not only has the same name as him, the same experience as him (also a convict for more than ten years), and a body similar to him, but he also has the same look as him, that kind of angry, savage, and fearful. Demeanor. In addition, Javert only had a vague impression of Jean-Valjean in the period of hard labor, so it is reasonable to think of this person as Jean-Varena.
After Jean-Varjean and Cosette live in seclusion, where is their source of income? Why is there money to give to the poor?
Jean-Varjean took out all his savings during his previous period as mayor, and after he settled in Paris, he buried all his savings in the woods on the outskirts of Paris, taking them every once in a while. The amount of money is huge. When Cosette got married, Jean-Varjean gave all the money (584,000 francs) to Cosette and Marius, leaving only five hundred francs for retirement.
How did Marius and Eponi meet? The relationship between the two people?
After Marius left his grandfather, he only made money by helping others to copy official documents and write litigation letters (Malius was a law school student). His income was very Weibo, so he had to live in the poor area and happened to be with Tenadi. The Ai family became neighbors. The Tenadier family has a custom of disguising as a down-and-out scholar or artist, writing letters to the rich and begging for alms from the rich. Generally, the work of delivering letters is done by Tenadier’s daughter Eponi. Marius accidentally picked up Eponi’s lost letters on his way home, and gave Eponi five francs out of sympathy, and thus became friends with Eponi. Aiboni fell in love with Marius at first sight and was willing to do anything for Marius, while Marius was always polite to Aiboni, calling her "you" all the time ("you" and "you" in French "Is a different vocabulary, the former is honorific). Therefore, in the movie, when Marius begged Aiboni to find Cosette for him and wanted to give her money, Aiboni coldly said that I don't want your money, and the people who heard it were sad. At that time, the sorrow and helplessness in Eponi's heart can be imagined.
Why did Tenadière and the gang go to rob Jean-Valjean's house?
This is a coincidence... The Tenadier group specializes in looting houses in the suburbs. They saw that there was only one old man and one young girl in Jean-Valjean's family, and they thought it was easy to start, so they planned to rob. They didn't know that the people living inside were Jean-Varjean and Cosette.
Why did the uprising begin and why did it fail?
The fundamental reason for the beginning of the uprising I have briefly introduced in the background section above, mainly because the Republicans hope to overthrow the monarchy government, and the lives of the people have not been improved because of the new government. The direct cause was the death of General Lamarck. General Lamarck was the leader of the people-oriented faction in the French government at that time. He followed Napoleon in the battle, made great military exploits, and cared about the suffering of the people, which was once the hope of the French people. His death caused great grief to countless French people, especially the people at the bottom. The Republicans took advantage of this incident to plan this uprising.
Some people therefore say that the insurgents are a group of ignorant idealistic students. This is incorrect. According to the original description, this uprising was jointly launched by many republican organizations. At that time, they set up barricades all over Paris. "Friends of ABC" was only one of the forces, which is why the movie Anjoola said, "We are the last barricade left." In addition, the view that the uprising was impulsive and lack of planning is also incorrect. The previous uprisings of the people of Paris followed the process of "partisan uprising-building barricades-instigating rebellious government forces-mobilizing the people-breaking out a revolution". Barricade warfare is an excellent fighting tradition of the people of Paris. Its purpose is not to destroy the enemy, but to buy time for the rebel army and the people to mobilize. According to the original description, according to the original plan of the uprising, there should be at least one regiment of dragoons (a type of French cavalry) who "have done counter-insurgency work" in the early morning of the next day. There were about thousands of troops at noon. The people of Paris joined the uprising, and the revolution broke out in the evening. If this plan is successful, it is entirely possible that this uprising will quickly seize the Tuileries Palace (the French palace at the time).
The reason for the failure of the uprising, as stated in the movie, was because the insurgents were "abandoned by the people of Paris." Regarding this uprising, Hugo called it the aftermath of the "July Revolution." He believes that the reason for the failure of the uprising was that the pace of advancement was too fast, and that the whole of France was not ready to accept such a strong light. In other words, the revolutionary republican ideas have failed to resonate with the people, and society has not yet reached the point where it must be changed. However, this failed uprising is still very touching, especially when the insurgents already know that they have been abandoned by the people and that there is no chance of winning, they still choose to defend the barricade and sacrifice for their faith and the benefit of the public. Most of them, living a rich and prosperous life, can completely enjoy life and stay out of things. Anjoola said, "If the people abandon the Republicans, we must prove that the Republicans do not abandon the people." The feelings for the people contained in this sentence permeated the entire struggle of the uprising, and the climax of the story was enveloped. The beauty of a classical tragedy.
In the movie, the performance of the barricade battle is my most satisfying part, and the tragic expression of the whole process is vividly and vividly expressed. When people stood on the barricades waving French flags high and singing "Do you hear the people sing", it was beyond the touch and shock.
What is the ending of the Tenadier couple? Did he get away with Marius' money?
The ending movie of the Tenadier and his wife is different from the original. In the movie, Tenadier finally took Marius' money, which is the end of their story. In the original work, Tenadier and his wife were arrested and imprisoned, and Madame Tenadier died in prison. Tenadier, under the supervision of Marius, took the 20,000 yuan that Marius gave him. Franc (this is because Tenadier accidentally saved Marius' father in Waterloo), went to America with his other daughter, and started a slave trade business there.
music
As a musical film, the music part is the real essence. A series of songs from the original musical of "Les Miserables" has become a well-known classic, such as "I dreamed a dream" and "On my own", which have been covered countless times. The music part of the movie version is basically the same as the musical, but in order to adapt to the development of the plot of the movie, some lyrics have been modified, the order of the songs have been adjusted, and some songs have been deleted (this is what I think The most regrettable place). In terms of singing skills, film actor is not a professional musical actor after all, and will be inferior to the musical version in singing skills. However, as a film, it can be regarded as a satisfactory answer sheet. In addition, because of the visual expression of the film The advantage of the above, the emotion of the song penetrates through the picture, and the overall effect is much better than that of the stage play. For example, the majestic "One day more", through the cuteness and flashbacks of the camera, the singing of different groups of people crosses and shines, the revolutionary youth with high morale, the police detective army waiting in full, and the panic Jean-Wa Let, Cosette, who cares for his lover, and Eponi, who is lonely and sad, are intertwined with the emotions of various characters, waiting for the arrangement of fate. Through the processing of the movie screen, this song achieves an effect that cannot be achieved in a stage play. For example, several famous lyrical songs "I dreamed a dream", "On my own", "A little fall of rain", etc., through the coordination of the scenes, the emotions are accurately conveyed to the audience, which is moving.
The music of "Les Miserables" was created by Schoenberg. As the current gold medal composers in the musical theatre industry, Schoenberg and Weber are equally divided (although his works are not as many as the latter), two in the history of musicals. The unsurpassed mountains are "Les Miserables" and "The Phantom of the Opera". Both of these works are my favorites. I personally canonize them as the pinnacles of realism and romanticism respectively (tapping...) . Compared with the romantic and gorgeous style displayed by Weber in "The Phantom of the Opera", Schoenberg's "Les Miserables" is more touching by simplicity and simplicity. The music in "Les Miserables" does not have a complicated arrangement, but uses simple tunes to achieve shocking effects. Not to mention the famous "Do you hear the people sing", it is only repeated repeatedly in the play. "Look down" arias can be described as simple and clear, but from the first appearance of the opening, they firmly grasp the hearts of the people. The atmosphere of the tragedy enveloped the earth is ready to come out, and it is shocking to the heavens. Through the simplification of the tune, the song is more powerful and penetrating. This composition style is perfectly combined with the realism style of "Les Miserables", and it can be said to be the most perfect way of musical expression.
In the creation of musicals, there is a customary technique, which is the multiplexing of tunes, or "Reprise", which means that the same piece of song, or a certain part of the song, is slightly adjusted, and the lyrics are refilled to become a new piece. Sometimes the chants are only used as background music to enhance the atmosphere. In this way, the audience can hear similar tunes repeated in the movie. This method generally appears in the creation of musicals. Generally speaking, a certain tune corresponds to a certain character, or a certain atmosphere or mood. For example, in "The Phantom of the Opera", almost every time the Phantom appears, it will Accompanied by the aggressive and oppressive tunes of "Phantom of the Opera", in "Wicked", all the love passages will sound "I was not that girl" to express the sad and sad emotions. A piece of music often It is a symbol. This kind of multiplexing is also very common in Les Misérables. For example, every psychological struggle of Jean-Valjean uses the tune of "Who am I" with a tight rhythm, and every time Javert speaks is short. The powerful "Answer to Javet" shows his ruthlessness and dedication, as well as the most beautiful passage "Come to me" in the whole show, which is accompanied by the repeated appearance of Fantine and Eponi, the two suffering women. Especially at the end of the whole play, Fantine and Eponi sang this piece together. This is also the creator’s hint to the audience, how similar the suffering of fate is to these two women, which is even deeper. The meaning of their suffering. Its mellow and sad tune complements the fate of these two characters. When watching this movie (or musical), pay more attention to the reuse of this tune, and you can experience some deep meaning beyond the plot.
Now let me introduce some arias of the main characters in the play.
Miliaier bishop
in the movie, the actor called the Miliaier Bishop Colm Wilkinson, rivers and lakes known as the "Kou Uncle" (although it is already "Kouye" a ......). This person is the actor of the debut version of Jean-Varjean in 1985, and is recognized as the best singer-songwriter of Jean-Varjean. Now that Uncle Kou is old, he does not need to put on makeup to show the bishop's old and kindly performance. I believe that friends who have watched the 10th anniversary will feel cordial when they see him (although I almost didn't recognize it at first).
This episode of the bishop in the movie does not have a name, it only appears as the epilogue of the prologue, but in my opinion it is one of the most beautiful episodes in the whole play. After the overture repressed the heavy prisoners' suite "Look down" and Javert’s parole of Jean-Valjean, Jean-Valjean was arrested again for theft. The whole atmosphere has been suppressed to the extreme. At this time, the bishop’s gentle, kind and thick voice intervened. Coming in gradually relieved the audience's emotions, and expressed the bishop's benevolence in the contrast. When the bishop retaliated against Jean-Valjean with virtue and respected his teachings, his singing was solemn and touching. When he sang the last sentence "God has raised you out of darkness, I have saved your soul for god", I believe that everyone will be convinced by Jean-Varjean's influence. It is rare that a chant can achieve such an effect.
Let - let Watt
let - let the soul of the tile as a story, with most of the aria in the play. In the movie, Jean-Vajant's actor is called Hugh Jackman, and the people in the arena are called "Uncle Hugh" (another uncle...). In general, Uncle Hugh’s singing skills are still okay. Basically, he completed Jean-Varjean’s singing tasks satisfactorily. Only the song "Bring me home" was not satisfactory. We will talk about this later. The biggest advantage of Uncle Hugh lies in his superb acting skills. In terms of some major psychological struggles of Jean-Valjean, Uncle Hugh can better express it, such as in the probation section (sing "What have I done"), His expressions and movements are very vivid, and in Fantine Togo, Javert's confrontation, and his death at the end, he is very accurate, which makes people believe that Jean-Valjean should be like this.
As mentioned earlier, a large part of Jean-Varjean’s arias expresses inner struggle, basically using the tunes of "Who am I" and "What I have done", especially "Who am I", in the back "One day more" also has a Reprise. In these two songs, Uncle Hugh's performance is still very satisfying.
Here it is necessary to talk about the episode of "What have I done". As the tightest tune and the most intense struggle in the whole play, this part of the emotional advancement is completed by short questions. Jean-Varjean’s vacillation, doubts, emotions, and regrets have gradually increased in the emotional confrontation again and again. It can be said that the music of this transcript is like a life-and-death contest. There can only be two results. The conflict is over. After the transformation or the escalation of the conflict, the beliefs cannot be reconciled until the end of the conflict is marked with a high-pitched tail, which marks the rebirth of Jean-Valjean, whose rendering power cannot be said to be weak. The melody of this song was used twice later, in Javet's suicide before his suicide, and the dispute with Eponi and Tenadière outside the door of Jean-Valjean. The former adopted a similar technique to "What have I done", and Javert’s beliefs began to waver. In the constant self-examination, the contradictions escalated. Unlike Jean-Varjean, his contradictions eventually reached the point where they could not be reconciled. I can only choose to end my life. The latter is a duet of Eponi and Tenadier. The melody of this song perfectly expresses the tit-for-tat match between the two. It is very enjoyable to listen to.
Another well-known passage is the confrontation between Jean-Varjean and Javert ("Confrontation"). In this two-person confrontation, Uncle Hugh has a very good grasp of the rhythm, especially since it was suppressed by Javert from the beginning. When it suddenly broke out in the back, the people who listened to it were enthusiastic. Of course, such excellent performance of Uncle Hugh may also be related to Javert's weak singing skills. (The slot of the movie version of Javert, we will spit out later...)
Excluding these few songs, it is Jean-Varjean's most famous and most popular song "Bring him home". This song was originally not in the original French version. It was specially written by Schoenberg for the English version. In this song, Jean-Varjean expressed to God his hope to sacrifice himself and save Marius. From the beginning, he expressed his feelings about Marius’s youth and his old age, and then sincerely hoped that Marius would return home. , Even at the expense of himself, showing the noble feelings of Jean-Valjean. This song has extremely high requirements for singing skills, especially the control of the final high pitch, which is a challenge for the singer. Musicals of the past dynasties have used this song to measure the singing skills of the "Jean-Varjean". However, it is obvious that Uncle Hugh still can't control the song well. In the high-pitched part of the back, the voice line is obviously narrow, even slightly harsh, and because of the limited singing ability, it also limits the emotional play of this song. , Make it not full enough. If the interpretation of this song is right, it is the uncle Kou mentioned earlier, I suggest that you can search the original version of this song on the Internet by yourself, there should be surprises.
Finally, I would like to talk about the new episode "Suddenly" added to the movie version for Jean-Valjean, which took place on the way that Jean-Valjean picked up Cosette and prepared to start a new life. This is a very beautiful and lyrical aria, and I think the addition is just right. In the original work, it has been repeatedly emphasized that the arrival of Cosette is the happiest time for Jean-Valente to live, and Jean-Valjean devoted all his love to Cosette. Because of this, Jean-Valcete’s later Rescuing Marius and voluntarily leaving Cosette are particularly great and moving. In the original musical, the feelings for the father and daughter are slightly laid out, and this song "Suddenly" fills this emotional gap very well. And the song itself is very beautiful (it seems that there is another Reprise at the end of the film, but I'm not sure...), combined with the tragic life experience of the father and daughter, it is quite moving.
Javert
Javert is the character with the most vocals in the whole play, except for Jean-Varjean, and it is not excessive to call it the second male number. The Javert actor in the movie version is called Russell Crowe, who has played "Gladiator" and "Beautiful Mind". It is said that for someone who has played such a tough guy, it should be no problem to control the role of Javert, who is such a majestic and aura, but Crowe did not express Javert’s loyal to the law and suppressed aura in the play. . In the play, Javert is the executor of social laws and the nemesis of Jean-Valjean’s life. Every time he appears, the background music immediately changes from high to low, from bright to dark, as if Javert appeared, all The environmental music crowd retreats and screams together, even Jean-Valjean flinches for it. This kind of self-respecting aura and rendering power is not well reflected in the movie version of Javert. If I don’t have the impression of Javert in my mind, then the image of Javert in the movie can be described as amiable, loyal and honest (囧) to me... I think he should play a simple rebel worker...
Let’s talk about singing. , Crowe's singing ability may be acceptable as a movie star, but he is stretched out in the expression of musicals. Someone complained on the Internet that Crowe's singing method is "rock and rap", his singing lacks a sense of hierarchy, the range is not wide, and the intensity is insufficient. To be honest, as far as the song is concerned, his sings are quite satisfactory, and it can be seen that he is trying very hard to sing well... But for those who have been exposed to musicals before, there are some who "have been in trouble. "It feels like.
In the play, Javet’s main chants are two, "Stars" and "Javet's Suicide". These are Javet’s only two inner monologues. The former expresses respect and vows to the law and order, while the latter is The suspicion of social laws and the wavering of their beliefs. In Hugo's writing, Javert is not a bad person. In fact, he is a person who is dedicated and disciplined, and even has a tragic heroic plot. In the musical, Javert’s image and his values are mainly expressed through the song "Stars". I think it was the first time I listened to the musical OST of "Les Miserables". I didn’t know the plot and characters of the story. When I heard the song "Stars", I fell in love at first sight. Not only was it magnificent and beautiful. Moved by the melody, and impressed by the sense of justice and heroism it reveals, I always mistakenly thought that this song was sung by the protagonist. After I learned the truth, I was in awe of the character of Javert, that is Hate and pity. It can be said that the audience's complex mood for Javert is formed through this song. Unfortunately, Crowe's singing ability is really unable to control this song. It is recommended that interested students can search for the original "Stars". In addition, although the movie version of the song is not brilliant, the corresponding scene in the movie is very good. Under the night of Paris, the stars are shrouded, and Javert swears under the gaze of the stars. The whole scene is solemn and makes people feel the sand. Wei's loyalty to his inner beliefs.
As for "Javet's Suicide", I have already talked about it when I introduced "What have I done". This song has the same problem in singing, so I won't say more. At the end of this song, with Javet's Death, the main theme of "Stars" sounded, magnificent and emotional, it can be described as a magical touch.
Fantine & Aiboni
put these two female characters together and said that it is because their backgrounds are similar and miserable. Their singing has a lot of the same tunes. It can be seen that the creators intended to make them one echoing each other. Control group. They were responsible for the saddest and most tearful passages of the whole show.
I don’t need to say more about Fantine’s actor, Anne Hathaway, a goddess-like figure in many people’s hearts, and many people are probably fooled by her tearful "I dreamed a dream" in the trailer. cinematique. The actor of Eponi is Samantha. She also played the role of Eponi in "Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert". She is not a musical actor, but she interprets the character of Eponi to the fullest. The two characters I am most satisfied with in the movie version are Fantine and Eponi. They have perfectly reached my understanding of these two roles in terms of image and singing ability.
These two characters can be said to be "bound" a lot in the musical. Eponi’s famous song "On my own" is the revision of Fantine’s poignant "Come to me" at the time of his death, and "On my The song "own" was originally Fantine's aria in the original French version, and at the end of the story, in the scene where Jean-Valjean died, the finale who sang Finale with Fantine's soul was also Ebony. She would let- Varangan is led to heaven (modified as a bishop in the movie), and Finale's tune is also a re-enactment of "Come to Me".
So much involvement between these two characters is related to their tragic fate. Both of them live at the bottom of the society, they have nothing, they are also abandoned by love, and they also have a person who is willing to give everything for it. To Fantine, it is Cosette, but she can't see herself until death. The daughter of Ebony; it is Marius for Eponi, but she can only see him go away. Besides, they also die tragically. The former died of social persecution and the latter died of social The killing. When people hear the tune of "Come to me" turned into "On my own" and sing in Eponi's mouth, or hear the singing of Fantine from heaven echoing with Eponi, they will be deeply moved. Fantine’s destiny went around in a circle, through many years of time, and repeated itself in Eponi’s body. The many years that passed did not dilute the misery and darkness in this world, but the two souls shared the same suffering. . How could such a plot not be touching.
In my opinion, "Come to me" can be called the most beautiful aria in "Les Miserables", not one of them. This song is a duet between Fantine and Jean-Varjean before his death. You can listen to it carefully. Fantine's deathbed maternal love, mournful, and helpless, is vividly expressed in this song. And "On my own" only adapted the second half of the song, and it has become a well-known song. Regrettably, part of this song in the movie was cut off, and due to Fantine's dying faint and incoherent breath, the beauty of this song was weakened (I have a lot of criticism on this).
Corresponding to this song is its "adapted version", Eponi's "On my own", on the street in the cold and rainy night, the girl sings of her hopeless love alone, the artistic conception of this song is in the movie It was rendered perfectly. Samantha's "On my own" can be said to be a perfect interpretation of this song. Needless to say about this song, I believe that the beautiful arias and poignant scenes in the movie are enough to touch everyone.
In addition to this famous song, Eponi also has an equally beautiful two-person aria "A little fall of rain" that is not more famous than the former. This duet, known as "The Tears", is the deathbed of Eponi and Marius. Last words. Regarding the unrequited love between Eponi and Marius, it is described in the original book as abusive (also very abusive in the movie). Marius knows the personality of Eponi’s father (that is, Tenadier). ), has always maintained a estranged relationship with Eponi, but poor Eponi has been doing his best to help Marius, and even help him find Cosette. On the barricade, Marius embraced the injured Aiboni. It was the happiest moment for Aiboni. Her humble happiness was heartbreaking. In the novel, Eponi asked Marius to kiss her on the forehead after she died, and then closed her eyes. Just when Marius thought she was dead, "She slowly opened her eyes again. Then he said gently to Marius, "Furthermore, Mr. Marius, I believe I am in love with you a little bit." She wanted to smile, but died." This description is the most sadistic confession in the history of literature. , People have the urge to cover up tears after reading it. In the original French version, the ending sentence of this song can be used as the best interpretation dedicated to Eponi. The original French version of this song is called "Ce n'est rien". At the end of the song, Marius holds The dead Eponi sang, "L'amour qu'elle n'a pas eu, elle me l'offre." translated into Chinese is, "The love she never had, but she gave it to me "Faced with such a sentence, I don't know what else to say besides feeling.
Marius
The actor of Marius in the play is Eddie Redmayne, who is called "little freckles" (don't ask me why the rivers and lakes are so cruel...). First of all, I have to confess. After watching the movie, I posted on Weibo saying that the past "Les Miserables" were tirelessly ruining Marius, but I later reflected that the singing of the little freckles is really good, it is the image distance. The beautiful men in my mind are quite different. As far as singing ability is concerned, the small freckles are enough to get rid of the cheating Nick Jong 18th Street on the 25th anniversary. Freckles’ voice is unexpectedly strong and powerful. Although it’s not as strong as the original Michael Ball that premiered (known as "Uncle Ball" in the rivers and lakes, everyone tells you not to ask...), it ranks among the best in the version I've heard. It was an unexpected gain to discover an excellent Marius in this movie.
Most of Marius’s repertoire is sung with others, such as "In my life /A heart full of love" with Cosette, "Red and Black" with Friends of ABC, and the aforementioned " A little fall of rain. In the play, "A heart full of love" is integrated with the previous "In my life", depicting the mutual complaints between Marius and Cosette. It is a key track to show the development of their love. As mentioned above, the students of Freckles performed well here, and they cooperated very well with Cosette. Cosette’s actor Amanda’s singing ability is actually average, with a slightly sharper voice and not too soft, but in the duet with Marius, because of the latter’s vigorous voice, Cosette’s singing has a reverberation. The characteristics of being contained in Marius’ voice, it seems very harmonious. I think this piece of music is also a very good part of the movie.
In addition, Marius also has a song to read and sing, which is "Empty table empty chairs", which is emphasized in the movie. This song uses the melody of the previous bishop's aria, which is very suitable for expressing this kind of soothing and distant feelings. In this song, Marius escaped from the dead, and revisited the old place, lamenting that the friends who were in the same way in the past have been separated from the yin and yang, and the sadness in his heart can't help it. The small freckles in the movie version are also very good for this song, especially the last few lyrics, full of emotions, accompanied by a drop of tears, people also feel a sense of sadness of the dead. In the musical performance of this song, Marius’s dead friends all appeared on the stage, walking slowly from the darkness to the table, and then as the music disappeared, they gradually disappeared into the darkness, using this technique. Expressing Marius’s longing for his friends can resonate with people. I was expecting a montage of friends of ABC’s pre-death activit
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