Just saw Les Miserables

[Baitball Blogger]

High marks overall, but there were issues: I realize that I'm prejudiced and didn't "hear" the American accents. I also recognize that everyone there was talented, but, please, the british accents gave it away. The young lad was brilliant but he sounded like the Artful Dodger. And Borat's accent was everywhere. Sometimes Spanish, sometimes British. The man is talented enough to stick to one of them. Helena Bonham Carter. Another one who could have stood to watch how the actresses have been handling that role on the off Broadway circuit. Love everything she does, but the british accent detracted.

It made me wonder why a movie about events that took place in France had no legitimate French actors.

Oh, and WHO were the actors who really came off broadway? Because there was some talent there that definitely had theatrical credits.

[MindMover]

1. and getting people who can sing might help also ....

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Was it that bad?

I thought they did alright.

[MindMover]

3. I got a flat in Brooklyn you might like ...

if you liked how flat Russell sang ...

[Baitball Blogger]

4. I'm seriously tone deaf. However, my ear does recognize the exceptionally phenomenal singer.

[WolverineDG]

5. Hugh Jackman & Eponine nt

[Baitball Blogger]

8. What about Maris?

He sounded like someone who came off Broadway.

[WolverineDG]

9. Looked him up online

I knew he was a classically trained actor. But his resume is quite extensive & does include Broadway & the West End.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Redmayne

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Thanks for looking that up.

Going on a tangent, my daughter and her friend has issues with Amanda Seyfried. Essentially, they are about the same age and they have followed her through her film career but they don't care for her. So, of course, they come up with a criticism that has nothing to do with the actress. They said it just seemed surreal how everyone was dying around her and she had nothing but love on her mind.

I guess, that's valid?

[onehandle]

6. We saw it on Wednesday. Better than we expected.

The musical really made it in the West End, and has been translated into dozens of languages performed all ovef the world. So multiple accents can be forgiven.

[WolverineDG]

7. It was originally performed in French

& translated into English when it opened in the West End.

[Honeycombe8]

11. Hugh Jackman is from Broadway. He's a singer-dancer-actor. As for the accents...

I've heard it explained before, as regards other movies, that "they" decided not to go with fake accents, because they would be fake. They would decide to go with the actors' normal accents, when the cast is basically all American or all British.

Even if they had French accents, it wouldn't be realistic. The real people would've been speaking French.

The Broadway cast actors of this famous play don't speak or sing with French accents, either.