Le Miserables

There are so many reasons we are looking forward to Boxing Day and the arrival on our screens of Le Miserables.  2 of the leads are being played by Aussie men which is always a good thing and the by all accounts Anne Hathaway's performance as Fantine is flawless.

Le Mis is the longest running musical in the history of London’s West End, having played continuously since October 1985.  the film is being directed by Tom Hooper, who won an Oscar this year for The King's Speech.

In a musical first, Hooper made the courageous decision to record all vocals live, instead of using the standard, safe option of pre-recording and having his actors mime. The actors, including Anne Hathaway as Fantine and Amanda Seyfried as Cosette, used hidden earpieces to the accompaniment of a live pianist, allowing them to set their own tempo and act while they sang.
"Singing live," says Crowe, "there is an emotional level to this that just can’t be created in the studio."
(Thanks to Herald Sun)

Hugh Jackman recalled one of the first scenes he shot high in mountains in the South of France.
"It was below zero, it was very windy, singing live, you can see the steam, you can hear the cold in my voice," he said. "I was literally freezing. To be doing that miming that is a whole different thing. It feels immediate. It feels real and I think that was a great decision."
One look at the trailer will convince you that this decision has lifted this film to emotional heights it would not have attained otherwise...