Les Miserables

[Gusteau]

Originally Posted by ADPiEE

OK am I the only one that thinks Hathaway was less than stellar in her singing?? I really felt they should have chosen someone else for that singing part--I was so disappointed. Her acting was great but I just didn't like her singing. Having said that, I've seen the Broadway version and I think the movie would be a let down to anyone who's seen it live.

I think this is a conflict between theater expectations vs. film expectations. When you go to a Broadway show the expectation of the actors is to be able to sing perfectly and belt it to the cheap seats. In film it's a little bit different. In this clip (on YouTube) where they talk about the decision to sing live, Hathaway talks about how she felt it was selfish to sing pretty when Fantine has lost everything. The film expectation is for acting rather than perfect singing. She acted the song realistically, which is what we expect from film.

Originally Posted by indygphib

Speaking of Eponine, I was BEYOND PISSED that they cut her part from the finale. Note to Hollywood: the part of the ending before the company starts singing is sung by Eponine, Fantine, and Valjean and not just Fantine and Valjean only. That actually ruined the movie for me.

I actually liked that they cut Eponine (even though it would have sounded lovely with Sam Bark's voice in the mix). I always thought it was strange that Eponine was there with Fantine to welcome Valjean to heaven - what connection did they have in life?