History in Vogue discussion

The DVR is set for Sunday and I will try to keep an open mind. Some parts of the book stand out strongly in my memory. There were parts removed from the stage adaptation that should have been there so we'll see how well Andrew Davies does in his adaptation. I DO like his Jane Austen adaptations, and also Wives and Daughters and Little Dorrit but War & Peace missed the mark.

Part 1 was OK but I missed the music, at least in the opening scene and with the Bishop. The music adds a lot of dramatic effect. My mom thought it was a little slow and my dad missed the singing. I had to stop right away and explain the French Revolution to them and still my dad didn't understand why Marius's grandfather was so angry with Marius's father. Pause-explain again. Fantine was really stupid and naive. Her lover, Felix, is an awful cad. I hate manipulative men.

I'll watch Part 2 at some point soon.

Part 2 Ooh that was dark! I did remember some of that from the novel. I still missing the singing for the most part and I really miss the captions telling the date. It seems to be following the novel so far. I'm doing quick searches on Gutenberg since our copy is not here. It looks like a minor difference
(view spoiler)[ "Certain persons are malicious solely through a necessity for talking. Their conversation, the chat of the drawing-room, gossip of the anteroom, is like those chimneys which consume wood rapidly; they need a great amount of combustibles; and their combustibles are furnished by their neighbors. So Fantine was watched.

In addition, many a one was jealous of her golden hair and of her white teeth. . . .

An old gossip was found, who made the trip to Montfermeil, talked to the Thénardiers, and said on her return: 'For my five and thirty francs I have freed my mind. I have seen the child.' The gossip who did this thing was a gorgon named Madame Victurnien, the guardian and door-keeper of every one’s virtue. . . . All this took time. Fantine had been at the factory for more than a year, when, one morning, the superintendent of the workroom handed her fifty francs from the mayor, told her that she was no longer employed in the shop, and requested her, in the mayor’s name, to leave the neighborhood. (hide spoiler)] I don't know if that's worse or better than the changes to the musical.

The barber/tooth drawer guy was really creepy. The novel just says "barber" so I guess they felt free to make it as wild as possible.

I think an adaptation can not do justice to this novel. It's missing Hugo's musings on morality, like this one
(view spoiler)[What is this history of Fantine? It is society purchasing a slave.

From whom? From misery.

From hunger, cold, isolation, destitution. A dolorous bargain. A soul for a morsel of bread. Misery offers; society accepts.

The sacred law of Jesus Christ governs our civilization, but it does not, as yet, permeate it; it is said that slavery has disappeared from European civilization. This is a mistake. It still exists; but it weighs only upon the woman, and it is called prostitution.

It weighs upon the woman, that is to say, upon grace, weakness, beauty, maternity. This is not one of the least of man’s disgraces.

At the point in this melancholy drama which we have now reached, nothing is left to Fantine of that which she had formerly been.

She has become marble in becoming mire. Whoever touches her feels cold. She passes; she endures you; she ignores you; she is the severe and dishonored figure. Life and the social order have said their last word for her. All has happened to her that will happen to her. She has felt everything, borne everything, experienced everything, suffered everything, lost everything, mourned everything. She is resigned, with that resignation which resembles indifference, as death resembles sleep. She no longer avoids anything. Let all the clouds fall upon her, and all the ocean sweep over her! What matters it to her? She is a sponge that is soaked.

At least, she believes it to be so; but it is an error to imagine that fate can be exhausted, and that one has reached the bottom of anything whatever.

Alas! What are all these fates, driven on pell-mell? Whither are they going? Why are they thus?

He who knows that sees the whole of the shadow.

He is alone. His name is God. (hide spoiler)]

It's well acted for the most part. I wasn't sure about Lily Collins but she did a great job during Fantine's darkest moments. David Oyelowo is too handsome and kind looking to be hard-nosed Javert.

The child they found for Cosette is really sweet looking. Thank goodness she's not singing. There's no worse singers in the show than 9 year old girls. Actually one time one of the Cosettes was the daughter of Jean Valjean. She was younger than 9 so her voice wasn't too horrible and she was cute.

I keep meaning to reread the novel one of these years but it's soooo long and wordy and dense. This adaptation is giving me an excuse to at least skim parts of it.

I think it’s up on Amazon Prime now, or is coming soon, maybe I’ll give it a try since you think it has some positives and I trust your opinions on it. I saw a thread on twitter where a woman- I think a professor of French literature- had done her dissertation on Les Mis, broke it down by episode. She said she liked some points, while others missed the mark, but that’s true of any adaptation.