Lewis Milestone 's main merit here was to make a 105 min film out of a mammoth novel.This is the shortest version I know,and ,being French,I have seen plenty of them.This is the only version which does not feature the Thenardier family,which is a bit infuriating (like filming "David Copperfield" without the Murdstone brother and sister).For instance,the most famous scene in the whole novel,this scene every French pupil has studied once in his life where Cosette is given a doll by Valjean.
Apart from being "shortened" the plot has undergone some changes :Fantine meets Cosette for instance ,and of course Valjean survives (like in the more recent version featuring Liam Neeson).Gavroche is given very little time and the scene of his death,another strong moment of the novel is not on the screen:but as Gavroche is Thenadier's son,it makes sense.
Nevertheless,the story is well told and it is a wonder,considering the "adaptation" ,that the plot retains a certain coherence,focusing on the Valjean/Javert chase.Generally the actors shine in this part and Robert Newton is no exception.He gives the best performance in the movie.Debra Paget is the prettiest Cosette I know.Good support come s from Robertson Justice as Robert and Edmund Gwenn as Mgr Myriel the bishop(Courbet (?) in the movie).Sylvia Sidney ,an actress extraordinaire in Lang's movies,does not find one of her best parts with Fantine though.
This is not a version I would recommend to someone who has read the book however.
Like this?try these....
French versions Raymond Bernard 1933: the best version and the best Valjean (Baur) Jean Paul Le Chanois 1958 :starring Jean Gabin as Valjean but ,like in Milestone's film,Bernard Blier's Javert steals the show.
Robert Hossein 1982:Although praised by the critics at time of release (and spawning a musical which was played on every stage of the world),it's not an improvement on the 1933 version
Apart from being "shortened" the plot has undergone some changes :Fantine meets Cosette for instance ,and of course Valjean survives (like in the more recent version featuring Liam Neeson).Gavroche is given very little time and the scene of his death,another strong moment of the novel is not on the screen:but as Gavroche is Thenadier's son,it makes sense.
Nevertheless,the story is well told and it is a wonder,considering the "adaptation" ,that the plot retains a certain coherence,focusing on the Valjean/Javert chase.Generally the actors shine in this part and Robert Newton is no exception.He gives the best performance in the movie.Debra Paget is the prettiest Cosette I know.Good support come s from Robertson Justice as Robert and Edmund Gwenn as Mgr Myriel the bishop(Courbet (?) in the movie).Sylvia Sidney ,an actress extraordinaire in Lang's movies,does not find one of her best parts with Fantine though.
This is not a version I would recommend to someone who has read the book however.
Like this?try these....
French versions Raymond Bernard 1933: the best version and the best Valjean (Baur) Jean Paul Le Chanois 1958 :starring Jean Gabin as Valjean but ,like in Milestone's film,Bernard Blier's Javert steals the show.
Robert Hossein 1982:Although praised by the critics at time of release (and spawning a musical which was played on every stage of the world),it's not an improvement on the 1933 version