In the musical film, because of the use of close ups, we are given the chance to be fully immersed in the story and be swept away by the performances of the actors. Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables gives us a view that the actual musical cannot, regardless of whether you are sitting in the front row of the musical or not. That is the first thing that struck me when I was comparing Tom Hooper’s film with the musical I watched years ago. And this suited me just fine because I’ve watched the musical before, twice in fact, so I know the plot and don’t need any wide shots or sweeping views to understand the setting of the story.
A scene from the musical Les Misérables.
Now in order to explain the other differences between the film and the musical, I cannot avoid going into specifics and details, so if you have not seen the film and don’t like spoilers, well, you have been warned.
New Song
In the musical adaptation, Hugh Jackman’s Jean Valjean sings a new song titled ‘Suddenly’. The song is sung when Jean Valjean successfully rescues Cosette from the Thénardiers played by Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. And the song is about Jean Valjean discovering a new meaning to his life now that he has Cosette by his side. While I am not really a fan of this new song, I do understand why it was introduced to the film. The song gives the audience another chance to get to know Jean Valjean, especially since he’s supposedly a changed man. It also serves to inform the audience of Cosette’s importance to him.
Missing Song
The other songs sung in the film remain mostly the same. But the song ‘Dog Eats Dog’ sung by Thénardier does not appear in the film at all. Although, when Thénardier is searching dead bodies for valuables in the sewers, the tune of ‘Dog Eats Dog’ is still used. In fact, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Thénardier actually says the line – “Here’s a pretty ring”. And when he does, it sounds awfully similar to the version sung in the musical which goes “Here’s a tasty ring, pretty little thing…”.
Edited Songs
Some of the music is tweaked, with new lyrics added, to help advance the narrative. But the edited songs follow the same tunes used in the musical. So if you don’t closely examine both the musical and the film, you will not likely be able to tell the difference. For example when Gavroche introduces himself, singing to the tune of ‘Look Down’ in the film, his lyrics are slightly different from the one sung in the musical. In the musical he sings about the Thénardiers and Éponine. But in the film, he explains the situation in France instead.
The first interaction we see between Éponine and Marius in the film is also different from the one they have in the musical. In the musical, Éponine warns Marius to stay away as her parents and their gang get ready to con people of their money. But in the film, Éponine reveals in song that she knows Marius is only pretending to be poor and that his grandfather is rich. And in turn, Marius tells her that he has walked away from that life and the association with his grandfather. In my opinion, this change is for the better; it reveals more about Marius and of the relationship between Marius and Éponine to the audience than it does in the musical. It also makes our heart go out to Éponine even more when she sings the song ‘On My Own’ later in the film.
Song Sequence
Another difference is that a few songs in the film are shortened and appears at a different part of the plot as it does in the musical. In the musical, the song ‘Little People’, which is sung by Gavroche, lasts for nearly 2 minutes and 30 seconds. However, in the film, the song is greatly shortened and split into two parts. First when he exposes Javert, and later again when he goes out to get gunpowder. The song ‘On My Own’ also appears out of sequence. In the film, Éponine sings it after she warns Jean Valjean and Cosette about her father’s presence. In the musical, Éponine sings it after she delivers Marius’ letter to Cosette’s house.
Notable Differences
In the musical, it is Éponine who delivers Marius’ letter to Cosette. But in the film, Marius gets Gavroche to deliver the letter. The difference doesn’t just end there. In the musical, Éponine is offered money for delivering the letter and she later sings “I did not want your money Sir, I came out here cos I was told to…”. However, in the film, before Gavroche hands over the letter to Jean Valjean, he demands money from him. But this difference serves another purpose in the film. When Jean Valjean goes to the barricade, because it was Gavroche who delivered Marius’ letter, he recognises Jean Valjean and stops the revolutionaries from harming him.
The circumstances that resulted in Éponine getting shot is also different. In the musical, she is shot when she returns to the barricade after delivering Marius’ letter. But in the film, she saves Marius and takes a bullet meant for him.
