I have read the book and I think this film is absolutely stunning. Only to be avoided if you are a purist who thinks that novels should be adapted to the letter of how they're written (I'm on board for some changes if it's still a good film, and my God this one was!).
I have watched this masterpiece three times and it has improved every single time. Liam Neeson is superb as Jean Valjean, as is Geoffrey Rush who gives one of the best Javert-performances I have ever seen. Uma Thurman and Claire Danes were both wonderful too: any deviations from the novels that their character development did make were only to make them more three-dimensional, well-rounded, and likeable.
And as I've said, this film as a whole is stunning. The music is stunning. The shots and scenery are stunning. It also stays fundamentally true to Victor Hugo's message from the source material: the value of love, compassion, and mercy.
Bravo to everyone involved in this!
I have watched this masterpiece three times and it has improved every single time. Liam Neeson is superb as Jean Valjean, as is Geoffrey Rush who gives one of the best Javert-performances I have ever seen. Uma Thurman and Claire Danes were both wonderful too: any deviations from the novels that their character development did make were only to make them more three-dimensional, well-rounded, and likeable.
And as I've said, this film as a whole is stunning. The music is stunning. The shots and scenery are stunning. It also stays fundamentally true to Victor Hugo's message from the source material: the value of love, compassion, and mercy.
Bravo to everyone involved in this!