Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Reflections on watching Les Miserables in Indonesia


This was my first time seeing Les Mis in any capacity. Warning: very minor spoilers below.

- First of all, Indonesians are known for starting everything late. Apparently not so with movies. I bought the ticket about two hours in advance, for a 16:30 (4:30pm) screening. Got there at 4:25, and the film had already started, past the credits and everything! My only guess is that the theater owners suddenly realized it was at 2 hours 37 minutes, and decided they’d better just start it now.

- Had to chuckle to myself when one of the guards asks Jean Valjean “Where are you traveling?” and the Indonesian subtitles were “Mau ke mana?” This is the question I am asked almost every time I go outside. For Indonesians, this is a common question to ask strangers; it’s similar to “How are you?” for Americans.

- Vive la France! = Hidup Perancis! Kind of loses something in translation….

- The scene where Jean Valjean is speaking in whispers to a gravedigger (I think?) because Javert is about to find him, and suddenly starts singing in a normal voice. The whole audience cracked up, and I couldn’t blame them.  The realism of a film makes it that much harder to suspend your disbelief.

- Main takeaway: Hugh Jackman’s haggard, extremely close-up FACE. Honestly, that’s the only image I can still clearly recall from the film. Oh, and I guess Eddie Redmayne’s annoying fish-mouth. Sorry, Eddie, that was harsh. 

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