565 - Les Miserables, Part 3, France, 1934. Dir. Raymond Bernard.

Sunday, January 6, 2019

565 - Les Miserables, Part 3, France, 1934. Dir. Raymond Bernard.

LIBERTY, SWEET LIBERTY.

Time for the insurgency.  The Revolution.  The barricade.

With Raymond Bernard, it is not going to be romantic.  It is going to be truthful.  Painful.  Fighting leads to death.

Marius goes to fight.  Gavroche goes to fight.  Eponine disguises herself to cross lines to bring a letter to Marius.

Eponine reveals her love to Marius, as she gives Cosette's love letter to Marius.

Eponine dies.

Marius is wounded.

Gavroche dies.

Jean Valjean saves Marius' life.

Jean Valjean finds Inspector Javert and has the opportunity to kill him or take him prisoner.

Jean Valjean sets Inspector Javert free.

Javert cannot believe it.

He is going to arrest Valjean anyway.  His conscience gets to him.  He lets Valjean free.  He jumps in the river.

Jean Valjean brings Marius to his grandfather.  He is nursed, nurtured, healed, restored.  Marius and his grandfather are restored.

Marius and Cosette are married.

Jean Valjean is about to die.

He tells his son-in-law his story.  He is not Cosette's father.  He was a convict.  He rescued Cosette from the Thenardiers for her mother Fantine.  He gave his life to care for her.

Jean Valjean gives Marius and Cosette the candlesticks.  The two silver candlesticks.

Symbols of mercy.  Forgiveness.  Restoration.  Salvation.

Love.  Not feelings.  But forgiveness.  And a lifetime of looking out for the good of the other.


Raymond Bernard has created a major work.  Both in the history of Les Miserables adaptations and in the history of film.

His film is epic in scope and contemporary in execution.  With production design, compositions, lighting, and acting working together at a high level.

Harry Bauer plays Jean Valjean as a convict, as a poor man, as a town mayor, and as a gentleman, over the course of decades in his life.  He also plays the Jean Valjean lookalike Champmathieu.  In all, at least four characterizations, three of which are the same man in different phases and manifestations of his life.  He plays him with depth and power.

This is a film to watch.  And to watch again.


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My nose is running tears
O my friend Bugeaud
Lend me your gendarmes
I'll tell them what I know
In their blue coats
And feathered shako
Make way for the people
Cock-a-doodle-doo!

You know, Mr. Marius.  I think I was a bit in love with you.

I want you to have two silver candlesticks.

My Darling, your happiness has been the sole purpose of my life.