BTW, for those who don’t know, the vocals in the film were performed LIVE ( not the usual way where they record the vocals first and then lip sync it ).
The Director Tom Hooper’s approach with Les Misérables may prove somewhat divisive for musical theater lovers. On the one hand, singing live does allow for more spontaneity in terms of performance; thus, the characters can behave in a more instinctive manner than they would striving to match pre-recorded vocals.
On the other hand, some hardcore Broadway fans prefer stage musicals that feature the talents of dedicated singers, rather than performers who are actors first and singers second. It’s for that reason that some music specialists take issue with films like Sweeney Todd and Mamma Mia!, where celebrities and acclaimed stars were cast over people with proven professional musician chops.
I hear you.
But when “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot” were filmed many years ago, they proved to be great disappointments because Julie Andrews was totally ignored in favor of well-known actresses who couldn’t sing. Marne Nixon sang behind Audrey Hepburn, and I think that Vanessa Redgrave(UNGH!) did her own “singing” in Camelot. Neither of these films are classified as “masterpieces” these days, while “The Sound of Music”, which starred Julie Andrews doing her own singing, is considered a film classic and was a box-office smash.
Is it possible to get the same effect on film that one has in the live theater? That’s debatable because they are two different media. I actually LOVE Franco Zeffirelli’s Outdoor “Carmen” with naturalistic sets and gritty realism. But, of course, it’s also Placido Domingo!
I have a free movie ticket (Christmas Gift from a student) and it WILL be Les Miz, of course! LOL!
Well, whether they are “perfect” or not, I’m always astounded by the talent level of these people-—Ewan McGregor, Russel Crow, Nichole Kidman, Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman. By MY standards these people are superior singers, and in my rock days, we would have turned cartwheels to have someone with a voice like most of these (Kidman is a little thin). It’s like Dudley Moore, a superior piano player who started his comedy career with the piano.