We were sent the DVD of Les Miserables by some French friends. Unfortunately, however, there are no English subtitles, and our inadequate grasp of the French language is insufficient to be able to understand the story properly. Does anybody know where an English (or even French) transcript of the screenplay can be found?
"Keeps Troy together, not apart
Nor lets one tower fall down ..."
- T.H. White
This particular movie had english subtitles when I saw it. But there are english versions of the original novel by Victor Hugo that you can find on Amazon. Look there. Also there are versions of the movie in english too. Or english subtitles.
shareThanks for your reply, Alexia!
I am currently reading the English version of the novel (rather slowly though, as I always end up reading 3 or 4 books at once!) and have borrowed the 1998 English film version from the library (starring Liam Neeson, Claire Danes et al.) but have yet to watch it. I've also seen the musical version a couple of times at the theatre. So I'm familiar with the storyline. It's just dissappointing that my particular version of this French adaptation is subtitle-less.
"Keeps Troy together, not apart
Nor lets one tower fall down ..."
- T.H. White
Ach. I actually would not recommend the 1998 version of Les Misérables, it takes some heinous liberties.
The musical is pretty faithful though, and happy trails with the book. Unfortunately, the book will not be enough for you to really get the movie, as it's pretty convoluted and quite a loose adaptation. I'm very sorry I don't know where to find a screenplay, but I can summarize it for you (I won't spoil it, but I'll elucidate the trickier points). The characters in the film constantly shift with regard to what Les Mis character they're filling the role of (and the movie is self-aware about this; at one point Henri Fortin remarks "I was Cosette; now I'm Valjean!").
The movie opens on New Year's Eve, as 1900 begins. ("Du Vingtième Siècle.") Henri Fortin's father (also played by JP Belmondo) is in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets convicted for a murder he didn't commit. He's sent to prison for life, which represents the galleys, and fills the role of Jean Valjean for a time (although he actually really closely resembles Hugo's short story character Claude Gueux, since Valjean didn't have a wife and kid but Claude did, but that's neither here nor there). His wife, filling the role of Fantine, moves with her son, filling the role of Cosette, to Normandy and finds work at an inn run by a couple whose names I forget who fill the role of the Thénardiers. The mother does Fantine-like things and has a Fantine-like fate, although with several plot-specific wrinkles.
Henri grows up and becomes Jean Valjean. He actually gets the nickname Valjean, which is what spurs his interest in the book in the first place; he gets the nickname when he saves a guy trapped under a piano, just like Valjean lifting the cart off of Fauchelevent. He joins the Resistance. His path crosses a Jewish family, whose daughter later fills the role of Cosette. Some police officers in...was it the Milice?...get known as the Javerts. Fortin's Resistance activity starts to parallel that of Les Amis de L'ABC. A boy named Marius pops up, and he of course marries "Cosette" (although another meta-nod comes when Fortin tells the girl, "Salomé and Marius, that sounds much nicer than Cosette and Marius." Salomé teaches Fortin to read in return for him teaching her slang; argot plays a large part in Les Misérables, with Hugo devoting a whole expository chapter to it. Oh, and Marius has a brother named Gavroche. Marius and his family are the new proprietors of the "Thénardiers'" old inn. It's constantly in flux and rather cyclical, as towards the end of the movie Fortin is put in the same situation as his father...looking like he killed someone...and the someone he killed actually committed suicide...and the suicide was...you guessed it..."Javert"!
Anyway. It's convoluted. That's the basic plot...it's of course much richer and more detailed with many amazing moments, and such is the storytelling that I think that basic plot is all one needs to know to enjoy the movie, even without subtitles.
~^~Help! Babies ate my dingo!~^~
Thank you so much, dachshundweaver, for that wonderful summary! I've only been able to watch half the film so far and can recognise some of the plot elements you mentioned, but your synopsis will make everything so much easier to understand! The French just goes so fast that we found it difficult to pick everything up ... especially with such a complicated (and unexpected) method of telling the "Les Miserables" story.
When we started watching it, it took us about half an hour to recognise that the film wasn't simply an adaptation of the book, but once we'd figured that out it was much easier to pick which characters were fulfilling which roles!
But thank you so much again for your synopsis! I'll definately watch it again, (the whole way through!), soon. :-)
"Keeps Troy together, not apart
Nor lets one tower fall down ..."
- T.H. White
No problem, I'm glad you found it useful! I was afraid I might've spoiled something. Sorry my post came about a month too late.
Yes the French goes really fast, I can barely catch a word of it even going in knowing the gist of what they're saying!
~^~Help! Babies ate my dingo!~^~
You can get a subtitle here
http://www.divxsubtitles.net/page_subtitleinformation.php?ID=109470
You will just need an .srt file reader/editer (which I am sure will be available online so you can print the subtitles off onto paper.....if that is what you want to do....if you are more technically skilled on computers I'm sure you already know what your other option will be.