Sometimes when you are married you have to do things to make you wife happy. Now, anyone who has been in a relationship for more than 2 years will know this is impossible. The best you can hope for is to stop her moaning about one thing and get her to moan about something else, this resets the moaning cycle and buys you some time. Several years ago I attempted to divert the complaints by taking her to see a musical in London. This seemed like a reasonable idea at the time, other people go and see musicals and apparently some people are able to enjoy it. Part of me thinks that these are posh people and are only pretending to enjoy it so that they can wear tuxedos and therefore highlight they are posh - its a kind of Frazer syndrome. The really hardcore ones that really want to show how rich they are, are even able to watch opera - this is mental
It was not a reasonable idea, it was terrible idea. We saw Grease, it was worse than the movie, something I did not think was possible. Einstein said that if you keep doing the same stuff you are insane so there was no way I was going back to the theatre, divorce would come first. The only reason I would go to Soho again was for a massage and a happy ending. So when the Mrs wanted to see Les Miserables, I was sceptical. However somehow I found myself in the cinema and bear has made me review it, so here it is.
Part 1 - The First Six Hours
Now before I start reviewing this, there are some things you need to know about Les Miserables and this review:
1) This does not take place on earth, this takes place on some planet where people are unable to speak, they are only able to communicate by singing. During this review, if I ever say someone said something what I really mean is that they sung it. Even when reading letters, getting boned by sailors (more on this in part 2) and feeling up co-workers, they sing it. I don't remember seeing anyone on the bog but if they were taking a sh!t, they would sing about it.
2) Nothing makes much sense in this film. If you don't get it, don't ask me cause I didn't get it either.
3) It is unlikely I will finish this review. If you don't get bored reading it, I will. Also, as it went on for several days, it is unlikely I will be able to remember everything.
4) Although this is a musical as far as I can tell there are two actual songs - the one Susan Boyle sung when the metal ***** got rich and another one borat sings, which isn't bad actually. The rest is just people singing to a general melody.
The film starts with quiet a dramatic scene, loads of people are trying to pull a boat into a dry dock. The scene is pretty epic looking and is obviously high budget. At this point I am thinking this might be bearable - I was wrong. Then they start singing and I am thinking they ain't messing around with this musical, straight into the first song (this is before I knew about the speak singing thing). The camera focuses into one of the people pulling the boat, it's Wolverine. It is hard to see that it is him as he looks like he has had a skinhead from super cuts and has a beard but it is definitely him. So he is singing about stuff and moaning about pulling this boat then the camera moves up to above the people pulling the boat and maximus from gladiator is looking down at them and telling (singing) to pull the boat or whatever. This goes on for a bit and then for some reason they stop pulling the boat and suddenly maximus is down on their level. The boat isnt in the dock, i assume they gave up as it did seem like a rediculous idea. He start giving wolverine some **** through song (strange I think), they are obviously enemies. It turns out that wolverine and all the people pulling the boat are prisoners and maximus is the prison guard. Out of all the prisoners he hates wolverine the most, not enough to not sing a song with him but enough to make him pick up some big bit of boat on his own.
It turns out that wolverine has been pulling boats in boat prison for 19 years. I immediately think rapist! but it turns out he nicked some bread to feed a starving child or some other cliché. This sentence seems hard but maximus doesn't think so and really has it in for him. Anyway, they are still singing and maximus tells (sings to) wolverine that he is getting out today. Wolverine seems slightly happy about this but nearly as much as you would expect after 19 years of boat pulling. maximus says to him that he will be back and keeps saying his number instead of his name. This ****es off wolverine and he keeps saying his name - something French like Jean Pierre I wasn't really listening as I was starting to get worried that the singing would never stop - it never did!
2nd scene and wolverine is out. He still has his **** hair cut and is wandering around France looking for work up mountains - he obviously isn't too bright, worse than that though, he is still singing. Anyway after about 2 hours (real time) of going around singing for jobs he sleeps homeless in some doorway. This doorway turns out to be a church, when the priest shows up he lets him in, gives him some food and does all the stuff you have seen a million times before when someone helps out a tramp only he sings all the way through - I am starting to realise what's going on with the singing here...
After food and some more singing they go to bed. After a bit wolverine gets up and starts sneaking about. He decides to steal loads of the silver and starts putting it into a sack. He is singing all the way through and I am concluding he is definitely simple. So he steals all the stuff but because he was probably singing while running away with his stolen silver, the police catch him in a few seconds and he is back at the church. The priest lets him off probably a life time of boat pulling (by song of course) and the police are a bit annoyed at this (they also let us know this by song). So wolverine stays with the church for a bit but is feeling really guilty about ripping off the old man. He sings about sorting himself out and feels a bit sorry for himself. There must be a rocky montage bit in the directors cut where he sorts himself out because the next scene is 8 years later and he is rich. I am thinking he must have gotten a job as a singer or something.
part 2 tomorrow