Usually I find that book-screen adaptations are only mediocre, lacking the fire and the intrigue that made the novel so appealing. I saw this movie one lazy, Sunday afternoon, and was so enthralled that I stayed glued to the TV all day. The movie was stunning, complete with great script, incredibly well-acted and well-developed characters. Some say the thematic elements of love and revenge were downplayed, and not well done, but I beg to differ. I thought Geoffrey Rush’s character, Javert, the villain, was marvelous – evil and yet very human. I loved every bit about this movie! Uma Thurman and Claire Danes were suprisingly good, as well, and gave a lot of spark to characters that didn’t have much on the page.
Ah, the page. Right. Well, of course I had to read the book after watching the film, and so I purchased a handsome hardcover edition at my local bookshop. Even though it’s nice having hard-bound volumes of classic literature lying about (and I have quite a bit!), this particular one seems only to gather dust. It’s horrible. It’s like Victor Hugo is even more confused than the reader is, stumbling back and forth from character to character with no flow and very little interest. His characters are shallow and silly, even the men (it’s funny to note how the characters that Thurman and Daines play in the movies are so lively and willfull in the film, since their characters in the book are silly girls that run around giggling and using flowerly language to express their devotion to any and all male characters that seem to be lying about). The author Hugo also doesn’t seem to know what he wants his book to be about: a historical look at old Paris? or an adventure story, filled with exciting plot and strong heroes? I still don’t know. One minute, the villains are running through the sewers, playing a deadly game of chase… and the next, Hugo has launched into (yet another!) hundred page lecture, this time on the history of the sewers. If you manage to make it through that long, long, loooong chapter, you are so burnt out and confused and disallusioned that the rest of the story holds very little enjoyment. You want to take Hugo by the hand and kindly inform him that nobody really cares about the sewers. And, sadly, nobody really cares about his characters now, either.

Bottom line: watch the movie, it’s great. Check out the book from your local library if you want, but please don’t pull out of the parking lot until your very sure this book is going to be something that appeals to you. I’d hate to see you throw perfectly good gas money away.

But i really liked this movie…….I have also shared it with some friends and they liked it. It may not be totally like the play but it is still a worth while film.