Mumsnet Talk

did no one else get the tim henman thing then?

I agree that Cosette is a wet lettuce - but how did that happen? Her mother Fantine is wonderful and she was raised by Jean Valjean. I guess she got her feckless excuse for a father's genes!

DS1 aged 11 watched a school production of Les Mis and I was proud when he said he'd have married Eponine until that it he said that was because the girl playing Eponine was 'fit'

Don't forget, in Wet Cosette's defense, she grew up sheltered by Jean Valjean and kept safe from the horror that her mother endured.

Jean Valjean made Cosette what she was, by trying to protect her.

Marius, definitely a champagne socialist but the horror of the futility and waste of life makes him a better man (
we hope).

Eponine was dragged up by her parents and had to learn how to fend for herself from an early she, she therefore has more about her, character-wise.

That's what I reckon anyway.



The beat character in the entire musical is Javert, so complex and tortured!

On phone, apols for crap typos!

Javert is my favourite too.

That whole believing in morality and ethics even though it leads you to do the wrong thing.

As opposed to Thenardier who knows he's wrong but doesn't care.

Discuss.

Cosette was.. well cosseted from a young age so no wonder she is Drippy McDrip.

Eponine has feist but would never make Marius happy, he'd be off chasing the next thing time and again.

Javert is a fantastic character, I cried the most for him tbh!

I went with my DD (17, who loves it all anyway, i.e. the toons) and my DS (14).

My DS to my surprise was very moved and enthralled by the whole thing, especially Javert's character.

The trouble is, I didn't believe in Russell Crowe's Javert. The role was utterly wasted on him.

Valjean keeps it secret to the end because of.... old fashioned word and abandoned concept alert.... 'shame'. <sighs nostalgically>

I was touched when Javert put the medal on Gavroche. A real turning point.

Valjean had nothing to be ashamed of. And poor Eponine

The Javert I saw several times in the theatre was fantastic.

I thought Russell did well and did not deserve the critique he received.

Still not sure why he committed suicide though.

Val Jean gives Cosette his 'last confession' in a letter at the end, doesn't he? I understand why he wouldn't want to throw a spanner in the works of her marrying respectably, but if so, why reveal all at the end? And if he was going to do that anyway, why disappear? Was he still actually ashamed of stealing? I thought he realised it was morally justifiable because his sister's son was dying?

Ah, so many questions!

'Les Mis' was written in 1862 when concepts of shame and decency were very different to today. Javert tips himself off the bridge because Valjean's mercy, forces him to accept that his interpretation of justice is immoral

Yes, Cogito. Interesting discussion of it here.

This is turning into a film club

hang on - Cosette wasnt cossested from a young age.
she was brought up in her most formative years by the inn keepers - in a cinderella state watching the cossested Eponine getting the best of everthing, whist she dreams of her castle on a cloud, a song borne out of her misery.....

But what happened to Eponine after Cosette left? How did the Thenardiers end up in Paris?

I've read the book which probably explains it - but it was a long time ago.
How much did Cosette remember of those days or were they blanked out?

Cosette remained sweet and pure, dreaming of her mother's love, and was not corrupted by the cynicism of the Thénardiers. When Val Jean takes her into his care, she saves him too in a way because he learns to truly love. He is perhaps over-protective of her, and she is starting to rail against that by the time she meets Marius (when she feels her life has really begun). But in the end she remains true to the values of Val Jean and her pure love for and trust in Marius become her way of living out what Val Jean has taught her.

Eddie Redmayne went to Eton with Prince William and my BIL which is how I know

Eponine is my favourite character.

Marius and Cosette's love story detracts from the story I want to know more about, but that's just me personally. Whoever said on here that Marius essentially takes up where Valjean left off, by being a socialite, but tending to/aiding the poor and rousing sympathy for them makes me feel happier about it. Cosette is drippy, but I now have visions of her and Marius growing up together being a bit more behind the scenes revolutionary.

Eponine went to the barricade and encouraged Marius to go, too, with the intention of her and Marius dying together; she took the bullet in order to die first as was her master plan. I love her character, but that's pretty messed up. Poor Marius-the-pawn. In fact Marius pretty much gets manipulated by everyone but Cosette. Still, I love Empty Chairs... and I adored the version in the film. So heart wrenching

Redmayne troubled me, I couldn't take my eyes off his great big rubbery lips.

Eddie Redmayne is hot. Eponine is my favourite character too.

Marius was clearly a hopeless romantic and got a bit carried away by the idea of revolution, before getting completely distracted by the idea of love at first sight. But, to be fair to him, he went back and saw the rebellion through and would have died with the others if Valjean hadn't rescued him.

But never mind all that. He is so pretty that he needs to be shrunk down small and then he can ride around in my pocket all the time and I can take him out and pat his little head every now and again. My SIL agrees. My MIL thinks we have both lost our marbles.

I saw it last night and thought the crowd scenes were spectacular and the younger cast were good (except for the fact that they all seemed to have a recurring and infectious case of singing-through-the-nose-with-their-mouths-half-shut syndrome), but I was disappointed in the two main leads. I've seen it twice in the theatre and both times Javert got a standing ovation for his big solo. As soon as they opened their mouths you knew they weren't going to be able to carry off their respective massive numbers, and to be fair to them, they didn't try to belt them out.

I can see the logic for the casting of Russell Crowe because he does that whole "stick up his arse" thing well, but I don't see why they wanted Jackman who can't really sing that well - there are plenty of other people who could have played Jean Valjean who is a bit of a caricature really. Ewan McGregor for example - he did well in Moulin Rouge.

I now feel the need to download the original soundtrack and listen to "stars" being properly belted out!

Don't forget, in Wet Cosette's defense, she grew up sheltered by Jean Valjean and kept safe from the horror that her mother endured.

I suppose your right JVJ brought her up to be innocent and protected and -wet- so it is his fault she is a simpering fool I half expect her to be faffing herself with a fan as it is all too much for her