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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Audience Rating: Unrated Binding: DVD Brand: Warner Brothers EAN: 0883929005949 Format: Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: BBC Warner Manufacturer: BBC Warner Number Of Items: 2 Publisher: BBC Warner Region Code: 1 Release Date: February 19, 2008 Running Time: 148 minutes Studio: BBC Warner Theatrical Release Date: 1995 Sales Rank: 2177 MPN: WARDE36352D
Description: A performance of Les Miserables by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, for a 10th Anniversary Concert celebration.
Amazon.com: The 10th anniversary concert video of the international musical sensation Les Misérables might be the best thing to appease fans until a full-fledged movie comes along. Or it might be even better, as feature films are often subject to extramusical casting considerations and this 1995 dream cast is superb. Reprising their roles from the original London company are Colm Wilkinson (Valjean), Michael Ball (Marius), and Alun Armstrong (Thenardier). From Broadway come Judy Kuhn (Cosette), Lea Salonga (Eponine), and Michael Maguire (Enjolras); from a later London production comes Ruthie Henshall (Fantine); and from Australia comes Philip Quast (Javert).
Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's score vividly captures the passion of Victor Hugo's epic tale of post-Revolutionary France, combining tear-jerking ballads ("I Dreamed a Dream," "Bring Him Home") and rousing anthems ("Do You Hear the People Sing"). The format of this concert is closer to that of a dramatic cantata rather than a fully staged production; the singers stand at their microphone stands with an orchestra and chorus behind them, but they do wear costumes and participate in some movement. At certain points such as the climax of the barricade scene, the video switches to action from a stage production. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra sounds great, and it can be thrilling when 200 choristers (dressed in logo T-shirts) rise to their feet for a full-company number such as "One Day More." Also, subtitles provide date and scene information and help move the story along.
The 147-minute video contains footage not seen when Les Mis was a PBS pledge-drive staple, most notably the encore in which a progression of 17 actors who have played Valjean around the world share "Do You Hear the People Sing?" Each sings a line in his native language, a testament to the enduring power of this show to audiences everywhere. --David Horiuchi
DVD features The 2008 two-disc edition presents the concert on a single-sided disc (the original DVD split the concert over two sides) with optional English subtitles. It's also in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1 aspect ratio) comparied to the original's 1.33 full-screen. The second disc has Stage by Stage: Les Miserables, the hourlong documentary from 1988. Unfortunately the sound is only Dolby Digital 2.0, and there's an odd omission (compared to the earlier Sony DVD): the first 10 seconds of Gavroche's "Little People" are missing ("Good evening, dear inspector, lovely evening, my dear..."). --David Horiuchi
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - En Francais?
This is a travesty and not worth buying if you already have the original CD. Even the first DVD is better. For a REAL treat, track down the original recording in French. If you know the dialogue, you will ... Read More
Rating: - No commercials... please!!!
I got the 10th Anniversary concert as a present for my dad, and although I have the same complaints as everyone else (pieces cut from the production), my main grievance is with the commercials at the beginning ... Read More
Rating: - Les Miserables: The Best
This concert with original singers is a piece of art: most excellent! A "must have" for serious lovers of Les Miserables.
Rating: - The best birthday present ever!
I've always loved Les Miserables as the music has been so invigorating and the storyline so challenging! If you loved the original musical when it came out in 1985 then you've got buy this as it has many of the ... Read More
Rating: - Les Miserables-10th anniversary DVD
It's a wonderful performance with a superb cast. All of the "extras" like the interviews and the international finale make it even more interesting and entertaining. I highly recommend it.
- En Francais?
- No commercials... please!!!
- Les Miserables: The Best