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Les Misérables (2000 miniseries)

Les Misérables (English: "Wretched") is a 2000 French television miniseries based on the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. It was broadcast in four ninety-minute parts. The adaptation makes large changes to the novel throughout, adding many subplots that were not present in the original story and radically altering characterizations. Some of the changes include adding a subplot where Javert "goes undercover" as a student in Marius's law school, and reimagining Cosette's maid Toussaint as a large mute male ex-convict manservant who eventually steals from Jean Valjean.

Les Misérables
Written byDidier Decoin
Directed byJosée Dayan
Starring
ComposerJean-Claude Petit
Country of originFrance
Original languageFrench
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
Producers
CinematographyWilly Stassen
Editors
  • Adeline Yoyotte
  • Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte
Running time360 minutes
Original release
ReleaseSeptember 4 (2000-09-04) –
September 25, 2000 (2000-09-25)

The original French language broadcast was critically acclaimed and is considered one of the best television adaptations, especially in its home country of France.[citation needed] However, the truncated three-hour English version was derided for bad acting and is considered very poor.[citation needed] The producers opted to co-film entire scenes in English, instead of using dubbing. The largely French ensemble struggled to deliver solid performances in English. The Italian dub, while considered great for the other characters, was strongly criticized for the very low quality dub of the character Marius, who was not dubbed by a professional dubber or voice-actor but by the same actor who, ironically, portrayed the character in the original version, and was never redubbed since then (what makes it even more ironic is the fact that the supposed actor, Enrico Lo Verso, not only was Italian but failed to dub even himself). [citation needed]

Episodes

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No.EpisodeDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1Episode 1Josée DayanDidier DecoinSeptember 4, 2000 (2000-09-04)
Jean Valjean is released from prison on parole and finds life unbearable until Monseigneur Bienvenu covers his theft of silver and gives him two silver candle sticks. Valjean breaks his parole and makes a new life as a business man and ends up being elected Mayor. His life is busy and he is unaware that Fantine, a young woman who worked in his factory, has been fired and her difficult life as an unwed mother has gotten even worse. When it does come to his attention it is too late for Fantine, but he vows to care for her daughter.
2Episode 2Josée DayanDidier DecoinSeptember 11, 2000 (2000-09-11)
The Thénardiers abuse Fantine's daughter Cosette and treat her like a servant. Valjean bargains with them for Cosette and they leave after he has paid for her. Valjean takes her to Paris to live in a convent where he takes on the role of the assistant gardener. They remain safely hidden until her schooling is finished. Valjean finds a residence in Paris, but before too long, runs into Thénardier and Javert, the inspector who has hunted him for years for breaking his parole.
3Episode 3Josée DayanDidier DecoinSeptember 18, 2000 (2000-09-18)
The events of their lives are drawn into a student uprising. Cosette meets and falls for a young student, Marius. Valjean fears for their safety and his freedom and decides to leave Paris and head for England, but that is the night that the student take up arms. Marius and the other students face a city unwilling to help and soon realize their cause will die with them. After intercepting a message to Cosette from Marius, Valjean joins the students and rescues Marius when he is injured. Javert intercepts them, but lets them go, committing suicide shortly after.
4Episode 4Josée DayanDidier DecoinSeptember 25, 2000 (2000-09-25)
As Marius and Cosette prepare for their wedding, Valjean tells Marius of his past and that he must leave. Marius does not stop him. Now alone, Valjean's health quickly deteriorates. But at the wedding, Thénardier shows up and tries sell Marius dirt on Valjean. Thénardier is convinced that Valjean killed a man the night the barricades fell, but the trinket he shows Marius belonged to Marius himself and he realizes that it was Valjean who rescued him. He and Cosette race to find Valjean, but by this time he is on his death bed. They arrive just in time to say their farewells. (The events of this part of the story are often omitted from theatrical versions of the story such as the 1935, 1952, and 1998 films.)

Cast

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Home media

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France
  • DVD release: November 8, 2000
  • Feature length: 360 minutes
  • Language: French, no subtitles
  • Discs: 2[1]
United Kingdom
  • DVD release: September 20, 2004[2]
  • Feature length: 171 minutes
  • Language: English
  • Discs: 1
United States
  • DVD release: June 29, 2011[3]
  • Feature length: 180 minutes
  • Language: English
  • Discs: 1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Les Misérables : L'intégrale". Amazon. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  2. ^ "Les Miserables [2000]". Amazon. 20 September 2004. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  3. ^ "Les Miserables". Amazon. 29 June 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
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