An Exhaustive Review of BBC Les Mis (Part 1)
So this review ended up being long. Like ABSURDLY long. So long that I had to split it up into multiple posts. But after 5 years of bad faith superiority I finally got around to watching the 2016 BBC Les Mis miniseries! I have…a lot of thoughts.
This post is going to go through the things I liked about the series, because believe it or not there is actually quite a bit that I liked. Then the next post will go over the things I didn’t like, and the final one will be a sort of “what did I think/what did I learn” thing. Without further ado:
My favorite thing about this whole series was Jean Valjean. I LOVE Dominic West’s performance and I love the way he’s written. Turns out this is an unpopular opinion, because the fandom tends to perceive Valjean as this innocent, bread loving, do-no-wrong grandpa type which is not in keeping with his character in the book at all. Remember, Valjean is a person who tries very hard to be good, not a person to whom goodness comes innately. He has a huge heart, is incredibly charitable, and is always ready to help those who need him. He also steals, lies, acts selfishly, has violent thoughts, and is not above making threats. I really appreciate that this series allowed Valjean to struggle, and be brutal, and do morally dubious things without undercutting any of his goodness. This is the most nuanced portrayal of Valjean I’ve ever seen.
Every scene between Valjean and Bishop Myriel was GOLD. I’m very fond of this firmer, more authoritative Myriel and the way he bounces off of Valjean’s hostility. The final scene with the candlesticks is particularly fantastic.
This is the first iteration of Les Mis I’ve seen in any medium in which representation is integrated consistently. Tokenism is not an issue here; BIPOC people are everywhere at all times. There is definitely an implications issue, but we’ll discuss that later in the second post.
OLIVIA COLMAN AS MADAME THÉNARDIER AND NO ONE TOLD ME?!??!! It’s so nice to see her in her element doing the kind of character work she’s known for in the UK, especially for western viewers who have a very fixed perception of her as a dramatic awards show darling.
Gavroche is a Thénardier! I am a little miffed that his name is Gavroche, because in the book the Thénardiers cared about him so little that they never even gave him a name, but that is very nitpicky.
I didn’t love the sequence of Fantine losing her teeth and hair, but I DID love the man who did it. It was nice when he sat Fantine down and said “you don’t have to do this.” A single moment of kindness before the enaction of violating and commodifying a body. Very Brechtian. Fantine’s relationship with the man at the post office was also a nice touch for the same reasons. We’re lured into a false sense of security where we see him as an ally, but then he turns on her the moment he perceives her as having lost her value. VERY powerful stuff.
Some of the hair and costumes are really well done, key word being SOME but still, credit where credit is due. It’s great to see women in bonnets and men with lace up back vests and high society hard top wigs. My favorite thing: Black hair that looks good!!! Holy hell it is so common for Black hair to look horrendous on film because white people don’t know how to properly care for or style it (filmmakers PLEASE start hiring Black stylists,) but here the hair looks awesome! We have locs, we have afros, we have kinky curls, and everything looks natural. A+.
Every time there’s an allusion made to Valjean’s past it hits hard, especially when Cosette enters the picture. That moment when Cosette says “this place is like a prison” and Valjean responds with “you don’t know what a prison is…” OOF just twist that knife a little harder why don’t you.
I don’t mind this Grantaire. Just because he’s not George Blagden doesn’t mean he’s not good. It’s kind of a nice change to see a Grantaire who’s crass and bumbling and not at ease on the battlefield. Also, there is definitely ExR present in the series, you just have to pay attention. In general I’m pretty neutral on the depiction of all of Les Amis. They don’t have a lot to them, but they’re very minor characters who appear in less than a third of the source material; it makes sense that they would be kind of glossed over. (Remember guys, the actual story of Les Mis does not revolve around Les Amis just because you made it so.)
Marius threatening to light the barricade on fire is awesome, it’s great to see him be a badass for once. Love that for him.
This rebellion is BRUTAL. People are getting stabbed with bayonets left and right, bullets flying everywhere, bodies in the street, people have bits of shrapnel stuck in their face, someone starts swinging on soldiers with an axe. I love it. I love that we get to see how UGLY and THANKLESS this moment was. It heightens the tragedy of the moment and the reality of the history.
The died holding hands scene is GREAT.
Javert’s suicide is quite well done. It was an interesting choice to have him resign from his position and leave behind a list of prison reforms, and I like that we got to see him break down and cry, especially since Javert is usually played in a very closed off, unemotional way.
So those are the things I liked! It’s not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but things I like I REALLY like, to the point that some of them have become my favorite adaptational moments. See y’all in part 2 for the negativity! Hooray!
