``Les Misérables'' was a huge success because it ``recorded live singing while filming,'' which is unusual for a musical movie.

It is unique even in musicals that all lines are said in song.

Musical movies often transport us, the audience, to a space far removed from everyday life, but in ``Les Misérables,'' a thoroughly realistic world was pursued. Hugh Jackman not only lost weight to play Jean Valjean's prisoner role, but also went 36 hours without drinking water. In the opening scene where he is showered with a large amount of water, he licks the water off his face to quench his thirst.

Hugh was originally scheduled to be photographed shirtless for the opening, but his abs showed signs of having been toned even after losing weight, so it was decided he would wear a shirt. In addition, Hugh's costume was changed to make his so-called "six pack" less obvious. Anne Hathaway also lost 12kg to play the dying Fantine. In the scene where Fantine's hair is cut, he agreed to have his own hair cut short. The hair was cut by a female character, but the hair was actually cut by a male hairdresser, and his hands were photographed wearing the costume for the role.

"Les Misérables" (C) 2012 Universal Studios.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Why was reality pursued so much? There is also the reason that ``Les Misérables'' is a vivid human drama, unlike other popular musicals that feature monsters, cats, magic, etc. However, what sets it apart from other works is that almost all of the dialogue is sung. Even in musical productions that use many songs, the characters generally have normal conversations between songs. No matter how extraordinary the singing, dancing, etc., the scenes return to reality in the conversation scenes.

This feeling is especially noticeable in movies. Movies such as ` `West Side Story '' (61) have strong contrasts between the extraordinary and the everyday. It is extremely rare that all lines are sung, as in ``Les Misérables'', even in musical films such as `` The Umbrellas of Cherbourg '' (1964). The extraordinary sensation continues endlessly, so if you are not overly aware of reality, it may be difficult to empathize with it.

This production style of "Les Misérables" integrates the songs with everyday lines. It succeeded in making the viewers' hearts tremble violently. At the time of its release, it ranked first in box office revenue for musical movies in Japan (5.89 billion yen). It was later surpassed by Disney musicals such as " Frozen " (2013/25.5 billion yen), " Beauty and the Beast " (17/12.4 billion yen), and " Aladdin " (19/12.16 billion yen). , ``Les Misérables'' is a masterpiece that will go down in the history of musical movies because the power of the work itself and the challenges of director Tom Hooper and the cast collided at the highest point, bringing a soul-stirring emotion. It was.

Text: Hiroaki Saito

Became freelance in 1997, contributing movie reviews and interview articles to various media such as movie magazines, theater pamphlets, and movie sites. The column is constantly updated on Yahoo! News.

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