LES MISÉRABLES

France | 1995 | DCP | 167 min. | French with English subtitles
Director: Claude Lelouch
Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Marais, Micheline Presle

In the most innovative of all big-screen adaptations of Victor Hugo’s canonized novel, Lelouch resets the story in the early 20th century. International superstar Belmondo stars as the orphaned Henri Fortin, whose life of pre-WWII destitution takes a turn through the Occupation and Resistance while paralleling the narrative trajectory of Hugo’s hero, Jean Valjean. “Lelouch’s modern parable/adaptation emphasizes the impact that one good man can have on the lives of people around him; the result is absolutely riveting. Great, humanistic storytelling” (Leonard Maltin).