Name: Maria Andrea Nell S.

Reyes Date: January 29, 2018

Section: 10-Kapatiran

FILM ANALYSIS
Les Misérables (The Miserable Ones)

1. INTERESTING FACTS/IDEAS ABOUT THE FILM

The movie has historical undertones, with the June Rebellion as its backdrop. The movie
was based on the novel written by Victor Hugo which was published on 1862 but focuses on an
event that occurred during the Fifth and Sixth of June 1832. Naturally, this movie brings to mind
actual events in history which Hugo incorporated in his fictional story. The public funeral of General
Jean Maximilien Lamarque on June 5, 1832 signaled the June Rebellion or Paris Uprising of 1832 to
commence and the movie also showed that the fictional Enjolras and his fellow rebels plan an
upheaval the night before the funeral of General Lemarque.

In the film, the rebels built a barricade which was actually inspired by real-life historical
events in which the Parisian revolutionaries formed barricades surrounding the rue Saint-Martin
and rue Saint-Danis. It’s highly interesting that Victor Hugo chose an event that trailed the wake of
the French Revolution, which more people are familiar with. In that way, he was able to give
recognition to a moment in history that most people have forgotten to notice.

2. BASIC ARGUMENT OF THE MOVIE’S PLOT

The film mostly revolves on the morals of justice, liberty and equality. Jean Valjean, the
story’s protagonist, is on the receiving end of many injustices. It started with the abuse he went
through as a slave for almost twenty years. Valjean had always been a kind man and the crime he
committed was stealing some food for a child dying out of hunger. Still, the law is merciless and
the army officers, Inspector Javert in particular, were even more ruthless. Society then shunned
him completely, making his freedom pointless because him being on parole made everyone wary
of him without knowing his complete story.

It wasn’t only Valjean, but almost all of the French people at that time, who experienced
the lack of justice. That is why they fought for equality even if they were doomed to fail. The movie
conveys every crisp emotion of anger and grief which almost all the characters fuel on to achieve
what they want: freedom.

3. ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THEIR VALUES IN THIS HISTORICAL PERIOD

The nineteenth century was a decidedly difficult period to live in for the French people.
Inequality between the rich and the poor was perceptible by anyone and uprisings following the
French Revolution were rampant. At this period of history, the common people yearned for nothing
 else but liberation from the oppressive French monarchy, abusive authorities and bigoted
aristocrats.

In the film, especially during the “At The End Of The Day” and “Look Down” segments, the
viewer could feel the struggles of the common mass and the helplessness that weighs them down
during these trying times. It shows that they value freedom and stability above anything else
because they are the major privileges that they have been deprived of. Some of them have found
liberty in death which the film depicts in its last scene with the spirits of the deceased proudly
singing, “Do You Hear The People Sing?”

4. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS

Jean Valjean who is the main protagonist, started as a prisoner who endured slavery, then
became a redeemed man who eventually became the mayor in small town. He transformed from
a discriminated man to one whom people looked up to. He then became a fugitive from the law
when Javert discovers his true identity but he stays true to his promise to Fantine that he would
find Cosette. He becomes his adoptive father and he strived to escape from Javert by staying
incognito over the years and finally taking up the role of a philanthropist. He then helped the
student revolutionaries, with the purpose of making sure that the man that Cosette loves survived.
Valjean dies a happy man in the end when he is assured that his daughter is loved.
Inspector Javert was the ruthless chief of police who was always in pursuit of Valjean. He
had a distorted sense of justice, always eager to punish a commoner for committing the littlest of
crimes but doesn’t even berate the people with higher statuses who were clearly more sinful. He
has a black and white view of the world and he never believed that a former criminal like Jean
Valjean could possibly change for the better. When he is met by the baffling decision of Valjean to
let him go when he could have killed him, he commits suicide. He was unable to live in a world he
no longer understood.
Cosette, the daughter of Fantine and a negligible father, was once in poor living conditions
with the Thénardiers who only paid attention to their daughter Éponine. She gets rescued by Jean
Valjean and becomes a student at a convent. She became protected and loved by her adoptive
father. As a woman, she falls in love with Marius Pontmercy and her whole world changes. She still
loves her father dearly and is devastated with Valjean’s death.
Marius Pontmercy, is a student revolutionary. He was introduced as a determined young
man who wanted to achieve equality between the rich and the poor. He meets Cosette and he falls
in love with her, almost changing his decision to join the rebellion. When Cosette leaves with her
father, he resolves to die fighting for what was right. He becomes weighed down with grief when
he discovered that he was the only one to survive the rebellion. His reunion with Cosette, however,
brings him hope and they get married with Valjean’s blessing.
Éponine was first seen as the daughter of the Thénardiers, who didn’t find alarm in the
immoral ways of her parents. When she grew up, however, her character has developed vastly and
she is discovered to have harbored love for Marius. She was a kind and brave woman, defending
Valjean and Cosette from her father who wanted to rob them, joining the student uprising to be
with Marius and sacrificing her life when she caught a bullet for the man she loved.

5. What is the role of cultural, social, political and economic history in the movie’s meaning?
 In cultural and social history, the nineteenth century is when romanticism blossomed. This
means that they abandoned the standards of neoclassicism and set their own. Before, people who
had high social statuses were celebrated, but now the attention turned to the common people.
This explains why the main characters in Les Misérables are not monarchs, aristocrats or nobilities
but are instead commoners and fugitives. People at this time did not care about the outward
appearance of a person, but the inner beauty that could be found.

In political history, monarchy is still an issue during this century. Too much power went to
close-minded people who neglected those who they deemed underneath them. At the film’s
opening, it revealed that it was set in 1815, 26 years after the French Revolution, right after the
new king of France claims his throne. That is why the film which was based on the novel had many
jabs at monarchy and exalted anti-monarchism.

In economic history, the Industrial Revolution took place in the nineteenth century. This
was when Europe was slowly leaning into industrialization and France wasn’t an exception. The
country, however, had limited resources of coal and iron so achieving a highly industrialized
economy was a hard feat. As seen in the movie, Fantine and the other workers don’t have
particularly high wages from the small factory because at that time, there wasn’t enough wealth in
France that could be extended to everyone. In summary, Lés Mis incorporates truth into its
meaning by using historical moments that marked change in the thriving country of France.