The actors and crew talk about what will make this version different from the others. The movie will include no prerecorded songs, a rarity for musicals these days.
The much-anticipated film version of Les Miserables is only a few months from hitting theaters, and today, Regal Cinemas released an “Extended First Look” at the film. The preview goes into different aspects of the film, the story and the process.
One major departure this film takes from past movie musicals is its avoidance of the use of prerecorded music. According to actor Eddie Redmayne, in many musicals the actors go into the recording studio to record their songs, and months later they act to that music. But in this case, the singing becomes part of the acting. “We have found an amazing group of actors who are completely at home acting through music,” said Cameron Mackintosh, a producer with the movie. “The only way you can make that work is by capturing it in the moment.”
For many of the actors, the thought of singing on camera was scary at first, but they found that it made the movie a much more intense process as well as a better final product. “The idea of singing live is daunting, but what it gives you is this freedom,” said Hugh Jackman.
“Every single person is seeing every take live,” said Russell Crowe. The process isn’t done completely acapella though. While singing on camera, each actor gets musical cues through an earpiece, and when filming is complete, the vocal tracks will be backed by a full orchestra.
The Extended First Look is full of goodies like Hugh Jackman singing during his interview, and there are other interviews with stars Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried.
According to Universal Pictures, Les Miserables has been seen by more than 60 million people in 42 countries and has been performed in 21 languages. “Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Miserables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption — a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit,” said the film company.
Les Miserables is set to be released on Christmas Day, 2012.
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