Les Misérables (1935) Director: Richard Boleslawski
“Free? When is a man free? I wish someone would tell me.”
★★★★☆
Despite taking some liberties from the original Victor Hugo novel, Richard Boleslawski interpretation of Les Misérables (this was the last movie produced by 20th Century Pictures before they merged with Fox to form 20th Century Fox). Starring Frederic March, Charles Laughton, and Cedric Hardwicke, 1935’s Les Misérables is a true delight. Notably, this was a big year for Charles Laughton as he also appeared as the venomous Captain Blight in the Best Picture-winning film Mutiny on the Bounty. The plot of the film loosely follows the original novel by Victor Hugo, with a few major differences. For example, Jean Valjean’s life is not told as a reflective flashback in the film as was the case in the novel, and his prison sentencing is said to be10 years instead of 5, but lastly at the end of the film Javert’s suicide concludes the film, while in the novel Valjean simply dies of grief.
The story takes place 19th century France during Napoleonic France as a Frenchman named Jean Valjean is arrested for stealing food as he cannot feed himself and the people he is taking care of. He is sentenced to the galleys where many prisoners die, and upon release, he looks for a place to stay out of the cold. He is only welcomed into the home of a priest, Bishop Myriel (Cedric Hardwicke). Sadly, as Jean Valjean steals the good bishop’s silver in the night and flees but he is quickly arrested by Inspector Émile Javert (Charles Laughton). However, Bishop Myriel does not accuse Jean Valjean, and instead claims he merely forgot the silver candlesticks –Bishop Myriel advises Jean Valjean that he should use these silver candlesticks to make an honest man of himself.
Thus, in shock, Jean Valjean departs and disguises himself and becomes a successful factory owner as Monsieur Madeleine who is later appointed mayor of his town. Monsieur Madeleine continues to garner public favor when he rescues a man crushed under a wagon wheel, but Inspector Javert becomes suspicious as he only knew one man who ever who ever had that kind of strength of that kind, a convict named Jean Valjean. Monsieur Madeleine then begins taking care of Fantine, a woman who was fired from Valjean’s factory for having a child out of wedlock. He also takes care of her daughter, Cosette (Rochelle Hudson), who is forced to work at an Inn by abusive owners. The next chapter in the novel is missing in the film, wherein Valjean escapes and rescues Cosette. They flee to Paris to live in a convent. After living there for years, Cosette falls in love with a revolutionary, Marius. As the film skips over great portions of the novel, Javert hunts down Valjean until his concluding decision to kill himself at the end of the film, as Valjean chases after him.
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Credits:
- Directed by: Richard Boleslawski
- Screenplay by: W. P. Lipscomb
- Based on: Les Misérables, the classic 1862 novel by Victor Hugo
- Produced by: Darryl F. Zanuck
- Starring:
- Fredric March…..Jean Valjean and Champmathieu
- Charles Laughton…..Inspector Émile Javert
- Cedric Hardwicke…..Bishop Myriel
- Rochelle Hudson…..Cosette
- Cinematography: Gregg Toland
- Edited by: Barbara McLean
- Music by: Alfred Newman
- Production Company: Twentieth Century Pictures
- Distributed by: United Artists