My Most Anticipated Film of 2012

Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables

          Les Miserables is easily one of my favorite stories of all time.  The musical is all the more profound.  When I heard that the director of The King's Speech was heading the musical movie adaptation, I grew excited.  The first trailer, featuring the battered Anne Hathaway beautifully crying and singing through "I Dreamed I Dream", I became more excited about the film than I am about The Hobbit.  The story is so epic in scope yet intimate in human heart and details.
           What I am most excited about is how Les Mes was filmed.  Apparently, instead of recording in a studio and then pantomiming singing, the actors and actresses actually sang for each shot with tiny earphones playing their music into their ears.  While the actors still got to play with voice and performance, they were able to adapt and react to the story, making it all the more authentic and like the real stage play, only more intimate.   I am really excited about the live singing, which makes it remarkably ground breaking and different than other film musicals.  Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, and a plethora of other players can cut their acting and singing chops with authenticity and truth.  I am beyond inspired and excited about the results.  Check out the behind the scene feature on live singing here.  In the clip, Eddie Redmayne (Marius) expresses  what live singing accomplishes.  It achieves fragility, forcing the listener to hear the music anew.  Anne Hathaway argues that it would have been selfish to sing a tragic song the pretty way.  I agree with them both.  All I know is, it is easily the movie I am most excited about this year.