'Les Misérables' poster harkens back to Broadway art with young Cosette
Tom Hooper's film is set for release on Christmas Day
Looks a little familiar, no?
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Someone asked me today what looks like a Best Picture winner in these early days, with many things seen, a few still to come. With so many having marks against them it's difficult to get a gauge on what could be "the one," and of course, it's silly to be mulling something like that over when the season has so many more secrets to tell. But my knee-jerk reaction was Tom Hooper's "Les Misérables."
Why? Well, it's in the enviable position of still being a bit of a mystery, for starters. Hooper, of course, is coming off his big win for "The King's Speech" in 2010, which made him a commodity in Hollywood. The campaign is taking flight, the early notes revolving around the live singing employed by the film (which, frankly, from a sound mixing standpoint, makes it immediately more interesting in the musical realm than most). But more to the point, there's a lot of tangible thematic resilience in the story that could find the right stride in today's world. Well, let's just say there's a case to be made on that score by a smart campaign, anyway.
In any case, we should be getting a new trailer soon enough, I'd imagine. And today, the first poster for the film has dropped, shrewdly calling back to the iconic Broadway poster featuring a nubile Cosette (played in youth by Isabelle Allen and older by Amanda Seyfried). It's such a defining image that it might have been a mistake not to call it out, and so Universal has.
The film was recently pushed back a few days to Christmas Day, not long before the Academy made its own announcement about key dates in the Oscar timeline (including an early January 10 date for nominations, which will put some strain on latter-year efforts like this and Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained"). But it felt like the right move as there is a family audience waiting to be tapped that week.
Check out the new poster below and tell us what you think in the comments section.
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2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupMatthew Starr
September 24, 2012 at 2:42PM EST Reply to CommentTypo - You wrote signing instead of singing.
Kristopher Tapley This is a new version where they sign autographs rather than sing-through.
September 24, 2012 at 2:50PM ESTMatthew Starr Can I bring Batman/Wolverine material for Hugh/Anne or are they signing strictly Les Mis stuff?
September 24, 2012 at 2:55PM ESTKristopher Tapley Ha
September 24, 2012 at 3:00PM ESTPrettok Jackman's presence is what sells this movie for me. He's an experienced musical star, as opposed to Day-Lewis in 9, or Streep, Colin Firth, and Pierce Brosnan playing around with the genre in Mamma Mia.
September 24, 2012 at 5:57PM ESTloyal_mehnert
September 24, 2012 at 3:02PM EST Reply to CommentThis year has been smelling like a BP/BD split for a while now. I can't imagine Hooper will be joining the ranks of Spielberg and Stone and Eastwood so soon, I guess that bodes well for the auteurs in the race.
DylanS I don't think they think about voting for Best Director in that way. I have a feeling, because of the new voting deadlines, that he's gonna get snubbed by the branch for a nomination, so they'll probably just look elsewhere BP because it's so rare that a film wins BP without a director nomination.
September 24, 2012 at 3:12PM ESTKristopher Tapley "This year has been smelling like a BP/BD split for a while now."
September 24, 2012 at 3:15PM ESTI never understand sentiments like this. How? Why? A split is inherently unpredictable. And certainly can't be sniffed out months in advance.
Matthew Starr If AMPAS is willing to reward Hooper over Fincher/Aronofsky/O. Russell then I have no doubt they would be okay with giving him a 2nd trophy if they love Les Mis.
September 24, 2012 at 3:33PM EST
September 24, 2012 at 4:33PM ESTKristopher Tapley They're unpredictable in the sense that you never can tell how close even a "close" race is. Soderbergh/Gladiator is probably the only year people were predicting a split, and most picked the DGA-winning Ang Lee, not Soderbergh. So...
September 24, 2012 at 5:08PM ESTIn any case, there's no rule that says someone like Hooper can't win again. Stephen Daldry sure keeps bringing the line of logic that says consistent recognition outside the "greats" into question.
September 24, 2012 at 5:49PM ESTBut who knows, maybe Hooper is the next William Wyler.
Dennis Loyal, in what world was the Polanski win NOT unpredictable?
September 24, 2012 at 8:10PM EST
September 24, 2012 at 8:29PM ESTDennis But were you predicting Polanski specifically? Most were thinking that any split would be Chicago/Scorsese. Nobody thought Polanski would happen. That, along with the predicted Gladiator/Lee split actually being Gladiator/Soderbergh, only proves Kris right in that splits are unpredictable. Let's not rewrite history.
September 24, 2012 at 8:38PM EST
September 24, 2012 at 8:47PM ESTThe side bar predictions don't even list Hooper as a nominee FYI. He's #10 on the Contenders list behind Juan Antonio Bayona and Benh Zeitlin.
Guy Lodge That's my doing. Kris includes Hooper in his own predictions.
September 25, 2012 at 2:46AM ESTDylanS
September 24, 2012 at 3:09PM EST Reply to CommentIn spite of my general dislike of musicals (though there are exceptions), the literary basis of this film, as well as the emphasis on a more bleak aesthetic and tone than is typical of musicals (which tend to be more campy), I'm really looking forward to this film. I don't think he deserved to be nominated for Best Director 2 years back, let alone win, but Tom Hooper is a talented director and I'm interested to see what he can bring to this genre. I like that this film has been casted with consideration that the talent must be able to both sing AND act. I like Hugh Jackman a lot and hope this can be the first film since "The Prestige" where I like the film as much as I like his performance (He's great as wolverine, but the X men films just don't do it for me), and he seems flawlessly cast here. I also really liked that featurette about the live singing and I don't think it's just bells and whistles, I really think there's an intimacy lacking in the singing of most movie musicals (often due to vocal overdubs but still noticeable with lip-synching) and I think this is the solution.
David D.
September 24, 2012 at 4:17PM EST Reply to CommentWell, in answer to your question, it's a beautiful poster, and a really, really smart approach to its iconic origins.
gregel
September 24, 2012 at 5:06PM EST Reply to CommentI want to like it, but it makes it look a little bit too much like a horror movie to me.
Guy Lodge
September 24, 2012 at 5:08PM EST Reply to CommentThe image is pretty enough, and a clever update of the iconic original concept -- so perhaps they should have done some similar tweaking to the typography. Design-wise, it looks a bit perfunctory.
chris
September 24, 2012 at 5:22PM EST Reply to CommentLove it, brought tears to my eyes. Can't wait for the movie, i have seen the stage show 30 times in 3 capital citys in Australia.
Alex L.
September 24, 2012 at 5:42PM EST Reply to CommentNice job of incorporating the words "Django Unchained" in the piece just to appease the people constantly asking for something about it Kris.
jo
September 24, 2012 at 6:44PM EST Reply to CommentKris -
You say your knee-jerk prediction for Best Picture is Les Miserables. I suspect because the signs are beginning to point that way ( the teaser, the extended look video, the provenance of LesMiserables). Yet there is no love lost for the direction, acting honors for Jackman and Crowe ( who are the main protagonists, not Hathaway) and even writing (Nicholson for adapted screenplay)? Re Jackman - he is going to be an acting frontrunner not only because of his excellent musical theatre gifts but also from his unrecognized dramatic skills ( The Fountain, The Prestige, and A Steady Rain from Broadway). Crowe is an excellent candidate for Javert, no matter how he sings the role. Hope your final predictions will reflect the quality of this movie musical, once it is seen!
Guy Lodge "Yet there is no love lost for the direction..."
September 24, 2012 at 7:23PM ESTI don't think you mean "no love lost" in this context. Anyway, you seem to be unaware that the sidebar predictions are not Kris's alone.
Guy Lodge Incidentally, the reason I'm not predicting it for a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination is that, being an entirely sung piece, I'm not sure how much flexibility Nicholson has with the libretto -- or, more to the point, how much flexibility the writers will think he's had.
September 24, 2012 at 7:32PM ESTJJ1 I think a nom for Jackman is a strong possibilty at this point, but no sure bet.
September 24, 2012 at 7:41PM ESTDitto for Crowe in Supporting.
Samantha Barks is a wild card because Hathaway has so much pre-buzz, yet, Eponine is a bigger part and with an arguably stronger emotional impact.
Eh, it's early. I like the early days before the craziness. :)
DylanS I think both Barks and Hathaway could get in (I'm predicting both sight-unseen). Hathaway because she's the big star and gets a big emotional scene (the trailer) and Barks because she's a shiny new face (or at least will be) and the reasons JJ mentioned above.
September 25, 2012 at 12:20AM ESTGuy Lodge I'm currently predicting nods for both Barks and Hathaway:
September 25, 2012 at 2:48AM ESThttp://www.hitfix.com/blogs/in-contention/posts/guy-lodge-predicts
DylanS Thank you, Guy. And I'm glad somebody else is seeing the possibility in both of them get nominated. Does Kris have a similar page? I've been dying to get the predictions of whoever isn't making predictions for a given category in the sidebar.
September 25, 2012 at 11:39AM ESTGuy Lodge Here you go:
September 25, 2012 at 12:21PM ESThttp://www.hitfix.com/blogs/in-contention/posts/kristopher-tapley-predicts
DylanS thanks
September 25, 2012 at 1:49PM ESTJJ1
September 24, 2012 at 7:30PM EST Reply to CommentI know it's earrrrly, but Les Miserables feels like one of the one's to beat (the others being Argo, Silver Linings, etc.). I don't know. I guess I am not as skeptical as one would be because Tom Hooper - who has yet to truly blow anything - is at the helm. I don't believe, at this early point, that he'll give us something embarrassing.
September 24, 2012 at 7:49PM ESTLaura Stewart
September 24, 2012 at 9:15PM EST Reply to CommentI already hate this film and I haven't even seen it.
CaptainCanada Congratulations.
September 24, 2012 at 9:44PM ESTCaptainCanada
September 24, 2012 at 9:46PM EST Reply to Comment"Nubile"?
Nice poster, though. It's something I wasn't expecting but which makes total sense.
Pam The image actually goes back to one of Emile Bayard's illustrations for Hugo's novel (an illustration that was adapted for the musical's advertising, and I think they even used the unaltered piece to promote the musical before it first opened).
September 25, 2012 at 11:33AM ESTCaptainCanada I know. I've been noting that elsewhere (though not in this thread). It's a nice thread to connect the various works.
September 25, 2012 at 1:23PM EST