Will Les Miserables make you Miserable?

Fight. Dream. Hope. Love.



Not everyone loves a touching drama, musical or a romantic movie, let alone all of them wrapped up in one movie. I personally love musicals because of my musical background. For someone to actually enjoy a musical, they don’t need a musical or theatrical background but rather the movie(s) has to be really good!

A reason someone will like a movie like Les Miserables is because of past movies like it. Some examples are The King and I and The Sound of Music. The King and I is a musical by Oscar Hammerstein about a girl named Anna coming to the king to teach his daughters. Once she gets there she is shocked that the king won't give her their own house and turns a deaf ear to her complaints. Once the King is on his death bed Anna disregards her idea to return back to England and stay by his side. The Sound of Music is by Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay about Trapp Family Singers. Maria goes to Salzburg, Austria to help a Naval Commander raise his seven kids. Maria teaches them how to sing and have proper manners during the Nazi occupation.
Les Miserables is about a man, Jean Valjean, who escapes his parole and tries to right his wrongs. After a few years Jean Valjean changes his name and becomes the mayor for a small town. A few years after being mayor his old parole officer, Javert, shows up to his house because he suspects that he is really Jean Valjean. Because Jean Valjean was upstairs with Javert, his absence caused one of his workers, Fantine, to get fired because her co-workers found out that she has a child. Jean goes and adopts her daughter named Cosette and thinks he will live a normal life, but Javert has quickly learned that the mayor is really Jean Valjean and is now searching all over france for him.
After a few years they now are living a normal life, Cosette has grown older and Jean is taking care of her. One day a man who is leading the French Revolution named Marius, falls in love with Cosette. When Marius tries to meet Cosette in person, he has to leave abruptly because he has now angered the French army and they will attack his home. Marius then gets his makeshift army together and creates a barricade around his town. Once most of their hope is lost Marius sends a letter to Cosette saying that he loves her and he might not make it out alive. Jean Valjean then intervenes by going to the barricade with the intention of saving Marius from death. Once Jean gets there he notices the rebels captured Javert and plan on killing him. They let Jean Valjean have the honors but instead of killing Javert, Jean sets him free. Once the French army show up to finish off the barricade Jean quickly picks up unconscious Marius and escapes through the sewers. Once Marius heals from his injuries, Marius asks Jean Valjean for Cosette’s hand in marriage. Unfortunately Jean Valjean passes away shortly after the wedding from old age but gets to sing one last song with everyone who has fallen throughout the movie. I highly recommend seeing Les Miserables even if you don’t like musicals that much because the story will tug at your heart strings.