I’m not terribly familiar with source material but found this PBS mini-series has wonderful performances from Dominic West and David Oyelowo along with some rich production and costume designs.
Les Misérables
(2018)
Genre(s): Drama
PBS | NR – 360 min. – $49.99 | May 21, 2019
Date Published: 07/05/2019 | Author: The Movieman
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PBS provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 4.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Against the backdrop of France at a time of civil unrest, Les Misérables is the story of Jean Valjean (DOMINIC WEST), a former convict unable to escape the shadow of his past life. His future is threatened by his nemesis, the chilling police officer and former prison guard Javert (DAVID OYELOWO), who is determined to bring him to justice. Meanwhile, Fantine (LILY COLLINS), a working-class woman abandoned by her rich lover, is driven to increasingly desperate measures to provide for her young daughter. Their stories collide and as revolutionary violence ignites on the streets of Paris, Jean begins an epic journey towards self-acceptance, redemption and love. Quick Hit Review: A richly produced PBS mini-series from Tom Shankland (The Children), Les Misérables featuring not only top-notch production and costume designs and respectable enough visual effects, the performances from the ensemble cast, led way by Dominic West and David Oyelowo (who also served as executive producers) with some nice scenes from the lovely Lily Collins. I’m not overly familiar with the source material so don’t know how this compares, but it seems to be a solid mini-series which, unlike the film adaptations, allows it to breathe more and give the characters their dues. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5 |
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This two-disc set is housed in a standard Blu-ray case. Features include Les Misérables: An Introduction (3:41) where we get intros for the various characters and plot; The Battle of Waterloo (3:07) explores the filming of the aftermath of the battle that opens the series; The Look of Les Misérables (4:32) covers the locations, costumes and more; and Behind the Barricade (3:25) goes into the culminating sequence of the mini-series. |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| PBS releases Les Misérables onto Blu-ray presented with a 1080p high-definition transfer and shown with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio as it originally aired on television. Detail on this mini-series is relatively sharp and colors are in keeping with the time period. The only minor downside is there was some banding was apparent but otherwise it’s a fine transfer. |
AUDIO – 3.75/5 |
| The included DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track outputs good dialogue levels and some decent depth, especially noticeable during the protest scenes or, for ambient noises, just general town audio. Nothing incredible but certainly adequate enough. |
OVERALL – 3.75/5 |
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Overall, I’m not terribly familiar with source material but found this PBS mini-series has wonderful performances from Dominic West and David Oyelowo along with some rich production and costume designs. The Blu-ray release offers up good video/audio transfers and a okay selection of bonus features. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.