Posted on 12/26/2012 5:29:03 PM PST by SoFloFreeper
The Perfect Depiction of Christian Love in Victor Hugo's Jean Valjean
"Religions pass away but God remains..." Victor Hugo.
It should be no surprise that the great French novelist Victor Hugo was a passionate believer in God and in the power of prayer for this powerfully comes across in his wonderful and inspiring novel Les Miserables, now, of course, also a successful Broadway and West End musical, with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and music by Claude-Michel Schonberg (original French lyrics by Alain Boubil)...
Unfortunately, Victor Hugo has rarely been credited as being a Christian writer - partly because of his lifelong dislike of the Roman Catholic Church of France but also because of inconsistencies within his own life. Hugo certainly rejected religion, yet he firmly embraced belief in God and in the power of prayer throughout his life. He just did not see God's love fully reflected in the religion of Roman Catholicism. Many others have shared the same sentiment.
Do you want to read a powerfully inspiring story of the transforming power of Christian love? If you love reading, my advice is to get the original Victor Hugo novel (many, if not most libraries should hold a copy, or be able to locate a copy for you). Otherwise try to get to the musical version show (some great songs) or at the very least try to obtain the Les Miserables DVD.
(Excerpt) Read more at ukapologetics.net ...
aside from the Gospels, and actually the entirety of the Bible, i think Les Miserables is the greatest story ever told... we know this story inside out in our family... we’ve read the book, we’ve listened to the audio numerous times, we’ve watched every version of it, so it seems... (did not care for the Liam Neeson version)... if there ever comes a time in my lifetime where Fahrenheit 451 becomes a reality, Les Miserables would be the book i would choose to memorize... except that my 12-year old son already has that taken care of... he is a big Victor Hugo fan... at this very moment, Hunchback is his favorite piece of literature...
I’ll check it out. I everything of Victor Hugo’s that I’ve read is very moving.
BTW there was a made-for-TV movie starring Mandy Patinkin as Quasimodo that was quite good.
I love the book and the musical. I see the movie tomorrow night. In my opinion, the musical is the greatest musical ever written.
“Master of the house/Doling out the charm/Ready with a handshake and an open palm/Tells a saucy talk/Loves to make a stir/Everyone appreciates a...”
Saw the play. Couldn’t get the above out of my head....
From what I’ve read about Hugo, he was a Freethinker, a “Rationalist Deist” instead of a Christian, and very anti-Catholic. He participated in seances, was interested in Spiritism; he was also against the death penalty and fought for “social justice.”
Sorry. No more movies for our house. I am no longer donating to the Dimocrat Party through Hollywood.
He didn’t embrace the Catholic church of his day, but how one can write Les Miserables and not believe in the redemption of the soul through Christ is beyond me.
Is the song that Susan Boyle sang in their.
I Dreamed a Dream.
It seems to me that Hugo does not emphasize the redemption of Christ, rather the works of man.
That's the impression I get.
Saw it yesterday (Christmas Day) afternoon.
The theater was packed.
All throughout I was aware that this was a rare movie experience, to sit amongst an audience that sat in rapt
attention
for more than 2 1/2 hours.(And applauded at the end)
It was the PERFECT Christmas movie, because it brings us back to the roots of Christmas, whereas most “Christmas” movies merely celebrate the Holiday, not the Holy Day, and never go any deeper than the traditional Holiday traditions and practices: (Christmas dinner which turns dysfunctional,etc. etc., or on the other hand, hokily uplifting discoveries of “the Christmas spirit”.)
Needless to say, there was none of that in Les Miserables, because it is based on a deservedly Classical work of literature.There is more in this film that I could even begin to talk about, but one thing that remains indelible
is the way in which the “Uprising” is portrayed, and the transcendent way Jean Valjean joins the spirit of the Idealists in the end, to the backdrop of a enormous stylized funeral pyre/barricade, as if to suggest that what can’t be taken is our joy in doing good, and fighting for justice, and their lives (Inspector Javert commits suicide), like ours, “are forfeit in the end”.
See my post #11, which follows yours. I read yours after I posted mine. I think you are onto something about the message of Hugo.
“...was very anti-Catholic...against the death penalty and fought for “social justice.”
My how the church has changed.
I’ve not seen the movie, nor have I seen the whole stage show, but I have seen parts of it, and I LOVE that particular piece! The man and woman who performed it were mugging for the audience while singing, and they were fantastic!
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