Les Miserables (BBC1) ****
BLOOD and corpses stain the cobbles as dawn rises on the series finale of Les Miserables. It was the morning after the insurrection before, and Enjolras the student was trying to rally what was left of the citizen army.
“Every man and woman who stays here and fights will die,” he declared in what has to be one of history’s worst pep talks. But noble men and women stayed, for this was the Paris of Les Miserables, and if death came it would be either drop dead romantic or jaw droppingly spectacular, never dull.
As in death, so for Andrew Davies’ adaptation of Victor Hugo’s tale as a whole. Going the straight dramatic route, sans songs, was a risk, but it has paid off handsomely in an adaptation that has had both sweep and depth, with great characters allowed room to breathe. If you really missed the songs, there was a burst or two of La Marseillaise.
Be it the book, the stage musical, the film, or the television adaptation, the closing of Hugo’s tale is a packed affair, offering spectacle aplenty. The scenes that worked best here were not the vast panoramas showing thousands of troops preparing an assault on the barricades; they had more than a whiff of computer generated imagery about them. The close quarters fighting on the barricades, in contrast, seemed only too real. If you ever wondered what a bayonet spearing flesh sounded like, this was as good an opportunity as you will get to find out.
Neil Cooper's review of stage musical
Given a 75-minute, Bodyguard-length final episode to work with, Davies went to town, picking up this strand of the tale and weaving it with that one; resolving questions and posing more. It could have been a complete guddle in the wrong hands, but the writer who previously served up War and Peace in six episodes, knows what he is doing. His Les Mis, like his War and Peace, Sense & Sensibility, Bleak House, and the rest, was built on solid, well-honed characters that viewers could care about. Of course we wanted to see how the cards finally fell for them.
It would not be Les Mis without Jean Valjean (Dominic West) undergoing another long, dark, night of the soul, and last night’s was a doozy as the former convict hauled young Marius (Josh O’Connor) through the relatively rat free sewers (perhaps there was no money left for more rodents at this point; too much spent on taming West’s mutton chops most likely).
Not everything was clear, including at what point Marius and Jean recognised each other, and the collar-fixing scene between Javert (David Oyelowo) and his sergeant was a puzzler. Finally, everything was wrapped up, save for a final scene that spoke volumes: two child beggars, going back to business as usual. Les Mis are always with us indeed. Magnifique.
Until the real awards come along, Les Mis 2019 will have to do with the following: Most travelled accent: Dominic West as Jean Valjean, who was ecky-thump Yorkshire one minute and RADA the next.
Best advertisement for regular dental check-ups: Poor Fantine (an excellent Lily Collins) having to sell her two front teeth to pay daughter Cosette’s keep was one of the grisliest scenes of the series.
Just Desserts Award: The awful Thenardiers, played wonderfully by Adeel Akhtar and Olivia Colman.
Now That’s What I Call Acting Award: In the bridge scene, David Oyelow, as Javert, gave a masterclass in showing, not telling.
Visit Paris Award: Wonderful recreations of 19th century Paris might have lead to more visitors to the French capital, but today’s rebels, the high-vis vest-wearing Yellow Jackets, have probably put paid to that.
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