Les Misérables

[Anonymous No.6712242]

Anyone here read Les Misérables?

[Anonymous No.6712270]

>>6712242
>French people starving

No, but I could use a good comedy

[Anonymous No.6712275]

Yeah, it was miserable.

:^)

[Anonymous No.6712277]

hell frickin' yeah
gavroche was my favorite
i cried at the end
really a good book if you don't mind pleb shit and sincerity
idk if there's any difference between abridged and regular
i read one that was ~1200 pages
i want to see the musical now

[Anonymous No.6712294]

>>6712277
There are a lot of changes in the musical. Such as Javert being a religious fanatic and Éponine being mostly a girl friendzoned by Marius, who is actually her real close friend, unlike the book.
They skip the entire convent section too. Gavroche used to have his own solo song in the original french production, with lyrics taken straight from the book, but they completely changed the lyrics in the english version and shortened it. He also used to have an entire song about his death, but they shortened that so much it's pretty much nonexistent currently.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE6Ct4WBRow

[Anonymous No.6712340]

>>6712294
that sucks. gavroche was goat.

my favorite part of the whole book was the barricade. it was so sad and glorious and even humorous at the same time.

[Anonymous No.6712343]

DO YOU HEAR LE PEOPLE SING XD
VIVE LE FRANCE
lol gr8 movie OP

[Anonymous No.6712367]

>>6712343
>gr8 movie OP
which one?

[Anonymous No.6712375]

>>6712343
>tfw you've had to play the medley in three different bands in the past year

[Anonymous No.6712417]

>tfw no qt Sister Simplice to break her vows and lie to protect you

I literally balled when I read that scene.

[Anonymous No.6712440]

>>6712417
>tfw no Fauchelevent buddie to drink with and who would bury you alive so he could save you

[Anonymous No.6712447]

>>6712375
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz35pTMJOWM

[Anonymous No.6712513]

>>6712242
I tried but it was like 150 pages of some cardinal's daily routine and I was like "I'm out".

[Anonymous No.6712543]

>>6712513
There's a reason there's an abridged version, Les Miserables is fantastic,but these bloated sections only tangentially related to the plot show up periodically through the novel, mostly because it seems that Victor Hugo was trying to paint a picture of the feel of france as a whole at the time.
tl;dr.. give it another shot and read the abridged, or skim when he starts droning on about unimportant shit like that. The story is good enough that it is worth the read.
Also, fun fact, javert and Valjean are based on the same person, at different stages in his life.So it's really easy to see their story as allegory, and picture it as the personification of an inner struggle about the nature of good and suffering.

The musical butchers a bunch of stuff, but in its own capacity as a musical, compared with other musicals, it's great.

[Anonymous No.6713207]

>>6712513

First off, he's a bishop. This isn't the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Second off, if you didn't like reading about how great the Bishop is, then this might not be for you. He sets the stage for the entire story. His love for humanity is what inspires Valjean to be the man that he becomes.

>>6712440

I always felt bad for Fauchelevent. He seemed like he was alone, luckily Monsieur Madeleine came along and saved him from his spunk. He got to die happy, pleasing three people, Sister Innocent, Monsieur Madeleine, and the gravekeeper. He was basically the ultimate badass who didn't give a shit.

[Anonymous No.6713848]

>>6712513
he was paid at number of pages he write, that why his book is big with all the boring description.
watch the movie

[Anonymous No.6714622]

>>6713848
But the movie has fucking Russel Crowe as Javert.
Read the book.
Or watch the 1934 movie.

[Anonymous No.6714687]

>>6712367
the 1934 film is probably the best. 4 hours and 40 minutes.

[Anonymous No.6714694]

>>6714687
It's so fucking good hnnnng.
There's also a 7 hour long 1925 one, but you can only see it in a museum in Paris or rome shit.

[Anonymous No.6715854]

>tfw almost no one on /lit/ has read Les Mis

[Anonymous No.6715870]

>>6715854

It's my favorite book, friend.

Then again I am not a patrician who only reads philosophy.

The story of Jean Valjean melted my heart, and Victor Hugo has an amazing way of twisting threads together and tying them all up at the end.

[Anonymous No.6715877]

>>6712242
Yeah, I loved it.

[Anonymous No.6715891]

>>6712242
Yeah some but it was too masterful so sadly I had to go back to shitposting.

[Anonymous No.6715899]

>>6715870
>>6715877
What did you guys think of Hunchback? I'm a bigger fan of Les Mis, but Claude Frollo might be my favorite chatacter ever.

[Anonymous No.6715921]

>>6715899

Loved it as well. Same goes for Notre Dame as it does for Les Miserables. Hugo knows how to tell a story, he knows how to tell these plot lines that seem random in the beginning, but all tie up into a grand picture.

When Clopin was running up to the Cathedral announcing his intentions to save Esmeralda, and Hugo makes a note to say "It would have been great if Quasimodo would have heard this, but he was deaf" was fucking fantastic. He was basically trying to make a new Greek Tragedy, and he did. The death of Esmeralda literally lies on the shoulders of every single character in the book. Every one had at least one opportunity to save her, but they turned their back on her, either willingly or accidentally.

Claude Frollo was really well written, but I think I like both Quasimodo and Paquette more. Maybe I just like their completely tragic flaws that make for amazing story telling, I don't know.

[Anonymous No.6715953]

i read like 50 pages today and it's repeatedly going over the bishop as being a selfless jesus

i guess there needs to be an abridged abridged version

[Anonymous No.6715971]

>>6715953

If you're already bored, you're really not going to like some of the other parts of the book.

Battle of Waterloo is literally 50 pages of a history lesson. There's a 30 page lecture on the ins and outs of convents. There's a solid 20 pages on slang. There's like at least 70 pages interspread of Hugo talking about revolution as an idea. Another 20 page lecture on the sewers of Paris. That's all I can think of now, but the Bishop is by far the most interesting tangent.

Also, 50 pages in is when Valjean shows up, and in my opinion, the section "The Fall" is the best part of the book. Although there are several other amazing parts in this book.

Stick with it, friend. It's worth it in the end.

[Anonymous No.6715972]

>>6715953
I want to be like that bishop. Dude's the fucking best.

[Anonymous No.6715996]

>>6715921
The one thing I didn't like the most about the Disney version was esmeralda surviving. I was even okay with Frollo being a judge.
Apparently there's a german musical based on the disney movie, with new songs and closer to the book (Esmeralda dies, they mention Frollo was a priest in the past...), but I've never seen it.

[Anonymous No.6716013]

>>6715996

Honestly, the book had no business being turned into a Disney movie, I really don't know what they were thinking.

It's one of the most grimdark, adult oriented novels I've ever read.

Fate plays a very prominent, negative role in the book, which is in my opinion what was most lacking (understandably) in the Disney movie.

Also, this song makes zero sense in context of the film. I watched this movie before reading the book, and knew that Claude Frollo wasn't a judge, he was some sort of a priest. Not really sure what they were going for. Also this is a kids movie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3NoDEu7kpg

That being said, Hellfire is my favorite Disney Song

[Anonymous No.6716020]

>>6715971

i'm not sure if i'm bored, i had spent a few hours reading a book already so i tired out a bit. it's just that it seemed redundant to say he's selfless with 40 different examples which don't seem particularly meaningful from one another.

i might be beyond my scope tho im a noob

[Anonymous No.6716034]

>>6716020

Well Hugo was a poet, so he loved giving examples, and loved repetition. I kind of wish I knew French, because I'm sure some of the more boring English sections of the book flowed beautifully in French.

[Anonymous No.6716042]

>>6716020
I don't think it's beyond anyone's scope. It was the first "big book" I read when I was 14. Took me about half an year tho.

[Anonymous No.6716074]

>>6716042

i have a difficult time finishing/sticking with most things

[Anonymous No.6716083]

>>6712277
I cried when Marius reunited with his grandpa. It was very tender how the old man just melted and dropped his facade when he knew he was alive.

[Anonymous No.6716087]

>>6716013

I think I might have liked the movie more if they kept Frollo as a judge, but made it an obvious point that he had a wife. That would help explain the whole Esmeralda thing a little more.

I don't know if Disney would have wanted to dive into infidelity, though.

Like I said, I really don't know what they were trying to do by making this book into a kid's movie.

[Anonymous No.6716093]

>>6716083

I didn't cry then, but I did shred a single tear when Marius comes to his house to ask for permission to marry Cosette.

He makes a dumb remark and Marius storms out of there saying he will never ask of his grandfather for anything ever again, and Gillenormand just collapses and cries about how Marius is not coming back this time, and he will never see his grandson again.

That was some heavy fucking shit, dude. I'm choking up just thinking about it now.

[Anonymous No.6716100]

>>6716093
Yeah, I wanted to punch Marius then.

[Anonymous No.6716101]

>>6716074
Oh that can be a problem, yeah. If you're interested in the story I'd recomend the 1934 film like some other anons did. It's almost 5 hours long, but it's divided in 3 normal lenght movies. It's one of the best films I've ever seen (definitely my favorite film).

[Anonymous No.6716106]

A girl in one of my classes at uni asked if this book was written in the late middle ages...

[Anonymous No.6716116]

>>6716106

Well Notre Dame de Paris was based in the middle ages. And if you knew nothing about the book other than it was by the author who wrote the story for the Hunchback of Notre Dame, it's a pretty reasonable assumption I suppose.

[Anonymous No.6716139]

>>6716116
It's kinda funny because the entire point of Mis is the fact Hugo is criticising the modern world; like, what's going on at this moment (back then, that is. France probably isn't as bad nowdays, but a lot of countries are).
Not that bad of a mistake if you really don't know anything about it though.

[Anonymous No.6716143]

>>6716116
>>6716139
We weren't talking about the book though, she brought it up herself which I assume means she was at least a little familiar with it.

[Anonymous No.6716147]

>>6716143

Oh, well then she's retarded. I'm assuming she watched the musical because the book explicitly states the dates when things take place.

Bitch they were using rifles and talking about how the French Revolution failed.

[Anonymous No.6716205]

>>6716147
You know, the famous french revolutio of the middle ages?

[Anonymous No.6716332]

"Even the dankest night will end and the sun will rise" - Victor Hugo

[Anonymous No.6718294]

>>6715854
I've tried a few times, I get a little further with each re-read but I've still never gotten further than the first 1/3. I've read and finished a bunch of Hugo's other stuff though.

[Anonymous No.6718574]

>>6712242
yes, 3 times.

I just want to focus on the film, none of you have noticed as well recite the sister of bishop despite having no lines? She seem torn out of the book. (especially from 2:10)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhpwV4cwB4o

[Anonymous No.6718584]

>>6716332
Even the dankest memes will end

[Anonymous No.6718622]

>>6718574
> none of you have noticed as well recite the sister of bishop despite having no lines?
I don't really understand what you're trying to say there, buddy.

[Anonymous No.6718664]

>>6718622
that imho the sister of the bishop has read the book before doing her role, and transmits the feeling of her chara, unlike for example Javert (if you see that scene in good a quality you can agree). Work so well for a such tiny role imho is laudable for an actress. her expression (in the background) and his eyes in the foreground at the time that I indicated earlier contains all pages of description that the book devotes to her chara.

[Anonymous No.6718782]

Why does Javert look so fucking stupid in the 2012 film?

[Anonymous No.6719065]

>>6718782
>>6718664 here. because imho he used the musical javert as example for learning the role instead of reading the book. If you watch the original brit musical you can see where crowe/javert has come.

[Anonymous No.6719517]

>>6714622
>But the movie has fucking Russel Crowe as Javert.

I mean the movie made in 2000 with Depardieu. It was made for tv, 4 part of 90 min each, it's really the best movie of this book.
Can't find with english dubbed or subbed, here in french.

http://www.zone-telechargement.com/series/vf/23023-les-miserables-saison-01-complete.html

[Anonymous No.6719585]

>>6719517
Oh okay I know that one.
I've seen it, but not really a fan of that version, it kinda bored me. 1934 version is the best IMO. It's sorter than the 2000 one but still, 5 hours. Has a lot of the book in it (the main thing cut from it is the scene with Thénardier in the sewers). Speaking of Thénardier, I think the main thing I disliked in the 2000 movie was him. He didn't seen as much of a bastard or as fun as he usually does.

[Anonymous No.6719622]

>>6719585
I didn't watch the 1934 version. I will watch it.
The 2012 and 1983 version are shit.

>Speaking of Thénardier, I think the main thing I disliked in the 2000 movie was him. He didn't seen as much of a bastard or as fun as he usually does.

Yes i don't like Christian Clavier too, his acting.

[Anonymous No.6719645]

>>6719622
If you watch it soon, and this thread is somehow still alive by then, tell me what you think.
>1983 version
Never seen it. What's bad about it?

[Anonymous No.6719698]

>>6719645
>If you watch it soon, and this thread is somehow still alive by then, tell me what you think.

I will.

>Never seen it. What's bad about it?
I've seen it long time ago, but i remember that it was really boring and painful to watch. Not the greatest version. But Lino Ventura was good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti6YOskbSvI

[Anonymous No.6719721]

>>6719622
>Speaking of Thénardier
"Do you know," went on the father, "that it's beastly cold in this devil's garret! What if that man should not come! Oh! See there, you! He makes us wait! He says to himself: 'Well! they will wait for me! That's what they're there for.' Oh! how I hate them, and with what joy, jubilation, enthusiasm, and satisfaction I could strangle all those rich folks! all those rich folks! These men who pretend to be charitable, who put on airs, who go to mass, who make presents to the priesthood, preachy, preachy, in their skullcaps, and who think themselves above us, and who come for the purpose of humiliating us, and to bring us 'clothes,' as they say! old duds that are not worth four sous! And bread! That's not what I want, pack of rascals that they are, it's money! Ah! money! Never! Because they say that we would go off and drink it up, and that we are drunkards and idlers! And they! What are they, then, and what have they been in their time! Thieves! They never could have become rich otherwise! Oh! Society ought to be grasped by the four corners of the cloth and tossed into the air, all of it! It would all be smashed, very likely, but at least, no one would have anything, and there would be that much gained! But what is that blockhead of a benevolent gentleman doing? Will he come? Perhaps the animal has forgotten the address! I'll bet that that old beast—"
]...[
"Thunder! It was not so very long ago that I was a parishioner of the parish of die-of-hunger-if-you-have-a-fire,-die-of-cold-if-you-have-bread! I have had enough of misery! my share and other people's share! I am not joking any longer, I don't find it comic any more, I've had enough of puns, good God! no more farces, Eternal Father! I want to eat till I am full, I want to drink my fill! to gormandize! to sleep! to do nothing! I want to have my turn, so I do, come now! before I die! I want to be a bit of a millionnaire!"

[Anonymous No.6720509]

>>6719721
Thénardier was a dick.