Rotten
The family reads the Hugo novel aloud to him while they travel together, and apparently they all come to realize how much their lives are like great literature.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Les Miserables
In a time of chaos, in a world of change, he was moved by a book he could not read to become a hero he never imagined.
1995 · 2h 55m · R
Drama, History
Directed by
Claude Lelouch
Overview
In WWII France, poor and illiterate Henri Fortin is introduced to Victor Hugo's classic novel Les Misérables and begins to see parallels between the book and his own life.
Director and cast
- Claude Lelouch Director
- Jean-Paul Belmondo as Henri Fortin / Jean Valjean
- Michel Boujenah as André Ziman
- Alessandra Martines as Elise Ziman
- Salomé Lelouch as La fille Ziman (as Salome)
- Annie Girardot as Thénardière 1942
- Philippe Léotard as Thénardier 1942
- Philippe Khorsand as Le policier / Javert
- Ticky Holgado as Le gentil voyou / Kind Hoodlum
- Rufus Cast
- Nicole Croisille Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
81%
Tomatometer
Fresh
It's part of the magic Lelouch has worked that his story-of-all-stories theme matches the catch-all inclusiveness of his old-fashioned celluloid showmanship.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Fresh
Aspectacular-looking film with those great settings and costumes that are a hallmark of French period films.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Rotten
If it were shorter, we wouldn't know what misery really feels like.
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
Rotten
Lelouch overworks this narrative scheme terribly: By reiterating his point and leaving nothing to our imagination, his cross-referencing shtick turns dull and belabored.
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
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