Les Miserables (1998)

"...an eager, earnest, broadly constructed pageant of ideas and characters whose greatest asset may be the service it pays to literature.   John Anderson, L.A. Times

Editor's Note Liam Neeson stars as Jean Valjean, a heartless convict who is transformed by a single act of mercy. Uma Thurman is Fantine, the vulnerable prostitute who begs Valjean to raise her only child, Cosette (Claire Danes). And Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush is an ambitious policeman determined to return Valjean to prison.

	Claire Danes
	Geoffrey Rush
	Hans Matheson
	Liam Neeson
	Peter Vaughan
	Uma Thurman
	Bille August - Director
	Sarah Radclyffe - Producer
	James Gorman - Producer
	Rafael Yglesias - Writer

Entertainment Weekly
"...A vivid saga....The film, thanks to [August and Yglesias], is nearly as compelling as the 1935 [version]....Neeson simmers..." -- Rating: B 11/06/1994 p.94

USA Today
"...Handsomely mounted, strikingly photographed in wide screen and exquisitely acted..." 05/01/1998 p.11E

New York Times
"...With a first-rate cast and a venerable storytelling style, it fluently condenses Victor Hugo's epic novel and retrieves some of its suspenseful momentum..." 05/01/1998 p.E22

Box Office
"...Rush's Javert is full of fascinating dimension....He is well matched by Neeson....[An] attractive, solid rendering of this popular classic..." 06/01/1998 p.76

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 8 of 10
Directed by Bille August, who was once hand-picked by Ingmar Bergman to helm The Best Intentions, Les Miserables is a gloriously rich, if flawed, drama. The two-plus hours fly by as we are captivated by the characters and their circumstances. Despite being condensed from a novel that would take 20 hours to present in its entirety, the film rarely has the feel of being rushed. It progresses briskly, but in such a manner that we never lose sight of the two-pronged emotional core of the story: Valjean's rivalry with Javert and his deep, abiding love for Cosette. - James Berardinelli