Movie Analysis

                                  

   

                                   
                                       Les Misérables

Genre: Novel, Epic, Historical fiction

Characters:




Jean Valjean- an ex-convict who suffers 19 years in prison by just stealing a bread. He has a adopted daughter name Cosette.

Cosette - Fantine’s daughter and Jean Valjean adopted daughter.  Her mother left her to the Thenardiers' while working but the Thenardiers' made her their servant.









Javert - A police inspector who called Jean Valjean 24601 and strictly believes in law and order and will stop at nothing to enforce France’s harsh penal codes. He nurses an especially strong desire to recapture Valjean, whose escapes and prosperity he sees as an affront to justice.








Fantine - Mother of Cosette. A working-class girl who leaves her hometown of Montreuil-sur-mer to seek her fortune in Paris to send money to her daughter.











Marius Pontmercy - A member of the Friends of the ABC who join the insurrection at the barricade and fell in love with Cosette.











M. Myriel - The bishop of Digne who helped Jean Valjean to start a new life and make him a honest man.










M. Thénardier - Father of Eponine. A cruel, wretched, money-obsessed man who first appears as Cosette’s keeper and tormentor.








Mme. Thénardier - M. Thénardier’s wife and Eponine mother. Just as evil as her husband and takes special pleasure in abusing Cosette.











Eponine - The Thénardiers’ daughter who helps her parents steal, but she is eventually redeemed by her love for Marius.










Gavroche - He is a happy-go-lucky child who is also fierce and brave, especially during the barricade.

Enjolras - The leader of the Friends of the ABC. Together with Courfeyrac and Marius, Enjolras leads the insurrection at the barricade.






Setting:

             France, Paris, Montreuil, Montfermeil

Plot:

         Jean Valjean also known as 24601 is released from a French prison after serving nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread and for subsequent attempts to escape from prison. Jean Valjean wants to start again after wasting how many years but he find hard to look for a job because he is an ex-convict and people judges him.. Jean Valjean find a place to stay outside the convent but M. Myriel, the kindly bishop of Digne saw Valjean and let him enter the convent. Myriel offer Valjean food and drink but Valjean repays the bishop by stealing his silverware. The police arrest Valjean but Myriel covers for him, claiming that the silverware was a gift. The police release Valjean and Myriel makes him promise to become an honest man. Eager to fulfill his promise, Valjean masks his identity and enters the town of Montreuil-sur-mer. Under the assumed name of Madeleine, Valjean invents an ingenious manufacturing process that brings the town prosperity. He eventually becomes the town’s mayor.

         In Montreuil, Fantine finds work in Madeleine’s factory. Fantine’s coworkers find out that Fantine has a daughter and Fantine lost her job. Desperate to have money for her daughter she resorts to prostitution. One night, Javert, Montreuil’s police chief, arrests Fantine. She is to be sent to prison, but Madeleine intervenes and told Javert that Fantine must send to a doctor not to the prison. Fantine has fallen ill, and when she longs to see Cosette, Madeleine promise her that he will find Cosette and will take good care of her and Fantine dies from the shock. However, Javert, discovered that Madeleine is the 24601 that he is searching for years. Javert shows up to arrest Valjean while Valjean is at Fantine’s bedside.

        Valjean escapes from Javert and heads to Montfermeil, where he find Cosette and be able to buy Cosette from the Thénardiers. The Thénardiers turn out to be a family of scoundrels who abuse Cosette while spoiling their own daughter, Eponine. Valjean and Cosette move to a run-down part of Paris to start a new life.

        One day, Marius sees Cosette at a public park. It is love at first sight and Marius ask Eponine to help him to find where Cosette lives. Eponine, who is in love with Marius, helps Marius discover Cosette’s whereabouts. Marius is finally able to make contact with Cosette, and the two declare their love for each other. But Valjean and Cosette move to England before Marius came back to their house because the Thenardier  finds their home.

        The uprising seems doomed, but Marius and his fellow students nonetheless stand their ground and vow to fight for freedom and democracy. The students discover Javert among their ranks, and, realizing that he is a spy, Enjolras ties him up. As the army launches its first attack against the students, Eponine throws herself in front of a rifle to save Marius’s life. As Eponine dies in Marius’s arms, she hands him a letter from Cosette. Marius quickly scribbles a reply and orders a boy, Gavroche, to deliver it to Cosette.

        Valjean manages to intercept the note and sets out to save the life of the man his daughter loves. Valjean arrives at the barricade and volunteers to execute Javert. When alone with Javert, instead of killing him Valjean secretly let him go free. As the army storms the barricade, Valjean grabs the wounded Marius and flees through the sewers. When Valjean emerges hours later, Javert immediately arrests him. Valjean pleads with Javert to let him take the dying Marius to Marius’s grandfather. Javert agrees. Javert feels tormented, torn between his duty to his profession and the debt he owes Valjean for saving his life. Ultimately, Javert lets Valjean go and throws himself into the river, where he drowns.

        Marius makes a full recovery and is reconciled with Gillenormand, who consents to Marius and Cosette’s marriage.Valjean confesses his criminal past to Marius and he told Marius to take good care of her daughter Cosette because he will go and left her daughter. During the wedding of Marius and Cosette, Thénardier told Marius that Valjean saves his life during the barricade.Marius and Cosette rush to Valjean’s side just in time for a final reconciliation. Happy to be reunited with his adopted daughter, Valjean dies in peace.


Theme:

The Importance of Love and Compassion

       The movie shows that love and compassion are the most important gifts one person can give another and that always displaying these qualities should be the most important goal in life. It shows how Valjean’s transformed from a hate-filled and hardened criminal into a loving father and a helpful man.

Social Injustice in Nineteenth-Century France

       The movie shows how the poor people struggle because of the social injustice during nineteenth-century in France. How the criminals suffers in the prison, just like Jean Valjean who steal a loaf of bread and suffers for 19 years.

The Long-Term Effects of the French Revolution on French Society

        The movie shows the social impact of the numerous revolutions, insurrections, and executions that took place in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century France. Similarly, the battle at the barricade is both heroic and futile, a few soldiers are killed, but the insurgents are slaughtered without achieving anything.


Symbolism:

Myriel’s Silver Candlesticks

        The candlesticks are the most prominent symbol of compassion, they shed a light that always brings love and hope.When Myriel gives Valjean his silver candlesticks, Myriel is literally passing on this light as he tells Valjean he must promise to become an honest man. The candlesticks reappear frequently in the movie to remind Valjean of his duty that he has to attain his goal of love and compassion.

Snakes, Insects, and Birds

         In the movie, each character represent something just like the orphaned figures of Cosette and Gavroche are frequently referred to as creatures of flight: Cosette as a lark and Gavroche as a fly. The Thénardiers, on the other hand, are described as snakes, and Cosette’s time among them is likened to living with beetles. These opposing symbols suggest that whereas Cosette and Gavroche can rise above their miserable circumstances, the Thénardiers are rooted in their immoral pursuits. They are creatures of the earth, which means that they are not as free as Cosette or Gavroche, who can fly wherever they please.

         The relation of the title of the film in the film as a whole is that, the les miserables in english means the miserable one or the poor ones and the films shows the struggle of the poor people, how people fight for their freedom and seek for justice. Among the characters I can relate with Cosette because despite of all her struggle as a kid, she never gave up and  became a strong and loving woman as she grow old. The part of the movie that struck me most is at the end when Jean Valjean and her adopted daughter Cosette met again and they talk and ask forgiveness before Jean Valjean died and Jean Valdean died happy and all the people who died for their freedom is happy in the other world because they died with honor.

        For me, the message of the movie is that we must stand for our right and fight for our freedom. It doesn't mean that you are poor you have no right to speak for your self and just look down. As long as we know that we are right and we are not doing anything wrong, we have to stand and fight for our country.  I really like the movie because it is an eye opener for us. You can get many lessons that you can apply in your life and also it is entertaining because it is a musical movie.

        I agree with the main theme/purpose because for me the purpose of the movie is to be the eye opener for all the people that the justice must be equal for the poor and rich. That we must fight for our freedom and for the justice. I specifically like the part were M. Myriel welcome Jean Valjean without judging him and offer him food and drink and a stay to sleep. M. Myriel gives Valjean a chance to start a new life and make him a promise to become an honest man.

        For me, there are no aspects of the theme which are left ambiguous because it shows clearly in the movie the importance of love and compassion, the Social Injustice in Nineteenth-Century France and the The Long-Term Effects of the French Revolution on French Society from the beginning until the end of
the movie.The film relate to the things that are happening in my life in the sense of fighting for my right especially if I know that I am right and also to be brave in facing all the struggle that I may encounter.