Les Miserables Movie Analysis

Javert’s narrow mindedness is put to the test when Jean Valjean spares his life is and as a result changes Javert’s life that benefits society. Javert continuing on the only path he had known becomes a spy for the French National Guard during the June rebellion, however not a very good one. He gets captured by the leaders of the rebellion for being a spy and would have been shot dead instantly if it wasn't for more imminent matters that the ABC’s had to take care of. They leave him tied up waiting

The Breakfast Club was written, directed, and produced by John Hughes. The film was released February 15, 1985 which happened to be three days before his 35th birthday. The film stared the likes of Emilio Esteves (Andrew Clark), Anthony Michael Hall (Brian Johnson), Judd Nelson (John Bender), Molly Ringwald (Claire Standish), Ally Sheedy (Allison Reynolds), and Paul Gleason (Richard Vernon). The Breakfast Club is about five stereotypical high school students serving detention together, we have Andrew Clark, the athlete, Brian Johnson, the brain, John Bender, the criminal, Claire Standish, the princess, Allison Reynolds, the basket case, and Richard Vernon, the power abusing principal.

He saved his life from sin and gave it back to him. Valjean had been reformed, he no longer was the man the nineteen-years in prison had made him. He becomes successful and he becomes giving, but somehow Javert crawls his way back into Valjeans life. Javert’s new role as the chief inspector in Valjean’s town brings almost brings Valjean to his knees. Their encounters are short and brief yet Javert never forgot Valjean. His suspicions begin to grow about who this mayor really is. Javert speaks with Valjean saying, “Reform is a discarded fantasy” (IMBd, n.d. 1998). He is telling Valjean that once a criminal always a criminal. A wolf can dress in sheep’s clothing, but a wolf is still a wolf. Javert is speaking to Valjean at this point, not the man who everyone else thinks he is. Javet knows Mayor Madelien is Valjean and leaves him saying, “Those who follow the path of the righteous shall have their reward” (IMBd, n.d.). Javet knows so little, his narrow minded view doesn’t allow him to see more. He is so determined on what he sees as being right he cannot see the transformation that has taken place in Valjeans life. This again puts Valjean on the run, right back to where he began, and Javert will not rest, will not let it go. Justice must be met and Valjean must meet his maker. As the novel proceeds further Javert has Valjean cornered in alley. He

The Breakfast Club, produced in 1985, is a famous film about five strangers who at first glance, seem to all be extremely different. Commonly referred to as “the criminal, the princess, the brain, the athlete, and the basketcase,” the students all have distinct personas. However, as the movie progresses, they discover they all have much more in common than they had previously thought. As a former high school student, the concept of the movie is relatively familiar to me. Communicating between strangers, bonding with other students much different from yourself, and forming of new friendships are all situations I have witnessed firsthand. Throughout the movie, communication and the formation of relationships prove to be main focal points.

Jean reveals who he really is, when there is an accusation towards a man named Champmathieu claiming he is Jean Valjean. This proves that Valjean is brave because, he was hiding his identity for years and one day he had the courage to speak out and not be scared about the consequence. If Valjean kept silent, a innocent man would be sent to prison unjustly. In addition, “To live I stole a loaf of bread; today to live I will not steal a name” (386). Valjean admits to stealing a loaf of bread, and that was the reason why he went to prison. Being able to recognize the mistakes that once happened, because it relieves lies on top of other lies that pile up is really brave. Since Jean’s one event of stealing for his family turned his whole life around,

Meursault fully accepts his fate and understands his situation. In a truly absurdist fashion he rationalizes his position where no meaning can be found. He was condemned by his society because he was seen as a stranger. In the beginning Meursault is listening for footsteps, thinking of escape, what he will do after and what he should have done before. However, talking to the priest aggravates him with the talk of God and divine justice, when it is human justice that condemns him. Meursault’s outburst of anger causes him to lose hope in living. Unlike the priest who seems so sure of everything but as a human he cannot, Meursault is sure of himself and in the truth, as he always has been. (He is sure in the truth that he is going to die) In this

Throughout the entire musical, Javert has never wavered from the law. He thinks the law is just and right and there is no mercy for those who break the law. Javert only sees right and wrong, he has no sympathy for convicts and does what he must to remain just. Javert believes that he is doing the will of God by justifying his actions to what he believes is right. Javert dedicates himself to find Valjean and imprison him yet again. He is conflicted because Jean Valjean let him go free when he had the chance to kill him and Javert thinks that there is no room on this world for the both it is either Valjean or Javert.

Jean Valjean's initial character, found in Victor Hugo's turn of the century novel Les Miserables, is the result of a poor and broken society; he saw no other option but to steal bread to support his family. He went to prison as a kind, thoughtful, and devoted man, but left full of hopelessness, anger, and fear, becoming accustomed to only doing what was necessary to survive, leaving him with virtually no self-respect. After his encounter with the bishop, he developed into a sage and altruistic man. There are many examples of Valjean's heroism, perhaps spurred subconsciously by love and a sense of personal debt. Several of his selfless acts are highlighted with tragedy, conceivably accentuating the reader's connection with the storyline. The

Javert has been tailing Jean Valjean ever since he left the galleys a free man. I found myself asking questions along the lines of “What does Javert do all day?” “Doesn’t this guy have anything else to do except chase a former convict all over France?” This frustrated me throughout the novel because instead of examining the problems with the prison system, we have people wasting years and lots of time and money pursing a convict that was unfairly sentenced in the first place for a petty crime, and ended up on “death row” for something that should have been a fine and maybe one year of jail time at the maximum. Javert sums this up in his dialogue with Valjean in the movie. “Now prisoner 24601, your time is up and your parole’s begun. You know what that means?” “Yes, it means I’m free.” “No. Follow to the letter your itinerary, this badge of shame you wear until you die. It warns that you’re a dangerous man.” (Les Miserables Movie-Musical). Javert has no clue that what he is working on is a total waste of

In Les Miserables, the watcher can establish a change in a character by contemplating traits seen when first meeting a specific character, and at another point of change for that character. Watchers pinpoint a dramatic change in the character Eponine, who the author introduced as a child, to when she drew her last breath. When watchers first meet Eponine, she portrays someone spoiled, bratty, and a kiss-up. By the end of her story, moreover, she has switched roles with Cosette, and dies not getting anything she wants, including the man of her dreams. The movie depicts a scene where a young Cosette, the daughter of a poor woman who works a long ways away from home, leaving Cosette with a greedy family, watches Eponine getting pampered with gifts

“When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law”, (Bastiat). In Victor Hugo’s novel, Les Misérables, a multitudinous of contrasts are used. The contrast of law vs morality is illustrated by Javert’s veneration to the law, Jean’s unjust imprisonment, Jean’s choice to save Champmathieu, and Jean’s change of moral values to show that true justice lies in mercy. To begin with, Javert’s veneration to the law is an example of when the law surmounts morality illustrating how true justice lies in mercy.

This shows how he was a very hard-sat man, and that he was terrifying to come across. He felt his one personal mission was to put the ex-convict, Valjean into prison. In the novel, Javert always knew Valjean was around, but since Valjean was a changed man, Javert didn’t recognize him through the kindness and compassion disposed to him. During the fight in the barricades, Javert made his final contact with Jean. He had sought throughout the entire novel to find him, and after seeing him and realizing who he was, he was devastated.

In both the 1998 film directed by Bille August and the 2012 musical directed by Tom Hooper, Valjean stole bread to help feed his starving sister’s children. With issues such as high bread prices and poor harvests, it was no wonder why Valjean had to steal bread (“French Revolution”). Although this action was completely selfless, he was still forced to work at a prison for nineteen years and was labeled as a criminal for the rest of his life. This punishment he was given did not fit the crime. It is also notable that when Valjean stole the bread, he did not have any malicious intent. All he was thinking about was how only a thin sheet of glass separated him and his family from being hungry. Valjean was punished for a crime that was caused by a selfless need to help his sister, and that punishment, if it continued, would have taken a bigger than necessary toll on him because as a convict, he would have had to live on the streets without a job or any money. By letting Valjean go, Javert made the right choice because, originally, Valjean’s crime was fueled by his

He had accused Valjean of being the convict that he was, to a higher authority from a memory that he had seen. You can see on Valjean’s face that he is troubled, then Javert goes on to say that he was wrong and that they caught the “real” Valjean, but he knows the truth. We see Valjean struggle with what to do, tell the truth and go back to prison or let an innocent man take the blame for his crime. Javert tells Valjean that he has to fire him because he falsely accused him and resigning is too respectful for his “act of slander’ which shows you how seriously he took his career, but Valjean refuses. The next day, he goes to court to watch the trial, we see how guilty and troubled he feels. As he is watching everyone speak against this innocent man, calling him Valjean, he intervenes and confesses his true identity, “ I know these men, Monsieur le President, and they know me. I am the man you want. I am Jean

Jean Valjean leaves Digne and eventually finds his way to the town of Montreuil-sur-mer, under the alias of Father Madeleine. Here he invents a new way of casting beads which quickly made him extremely rich. He uses that wealth throughout the rest of his life to help the poor. He constantly makes rounds