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Some thoughts on my viewing of Les Mis.
It was almost exactly what I expected, which is fine but never the best thing.
I am waaay too familiar with the score. I couldn't get caught up in it, because I was too busy cataloguing what was new, what was different, and so on.
I didn't mind the extended long takes in head-and-shoulders close-up as much as I feared I would.
Packed house. About two-thirds of the audience I saw it with applauded throughout, could be heard sniffling here and there, and gave a solid ovation at the end. But that other third? They HATED it!!! Quite a few walk-outs, and lots of post-movie comments such as "I was bored every effing millisecond!" and "Why didn't you tell me this was three hours of singing!?"
I think I will enjoy it more on a subsequent viewing, as I'll be more at ease with it. But I'm not in a hurry. (Alas, I'm a little burned out on the show, even though it is a long time major fave of mine.) I suspect I'll own it when it shows up on Blu-ray in a few months, and I'll be glad I have it, but it isn't going to be in heavy rotation.
Amanda Seyfried's warbly trill caused a lot of giggles.
Eddie Redmayne deserves award consideration as much as Anne Hathaway.
Overall, a marginal win, and I hope it grows on me a little more.
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