#reece yates gavroche

[songforeddiemunson]

Joseph Quinn + Reece Yates dance-off

[bbclesmis]

Some behind the scenes fun with Reece Yates (Gavroche) and Joseph Quinn (Enjolras). #LesMisérables

[mitoposting]

Joseph/food is my new otp. bonus: OH MY GOD THAT ONE IS GAVROCHE

[moviestorian]

Les Mis BBC final thoughts

Alright, on monday I finished the 6th and last episode of the most recent, mini-series adaptation of Les Misérables. I was slightly hesitant about posting my thoughts (mostly because of the tag being largely dominated by negativity; any effort to post anything else seemed kind of pointless to me), but I eventually decided to go for it. I still wanted the entire show to sit in for a while (I also want to do a rewatch, because I can't guarantee that my feelings remain the same; I might just as well change my opinions completely). But let's begin!

Tldr; Also, unpopular opinion alert: I actually enjoyed it. A lot. I genuinely liked the miniseries. Yes, there were some choices and things I wasn't exactly fond of, but I have the same thing about literally every single adaptation I have seen so far (mostly thinking of the stage musical and 2012 film). Cause you know, you can like something and still see its flaws, and the other way round - you can dislike it and yet admit it is not inherently bad.

Now, the longer "review" comes in. It's gonna be reaaaally long. Also: spoilers.

The negatives/things I'm indifferent about/what could have been better:

- I'm following the popular trend of disliking that font. I care a lot about cinematography and visual parts of films and shows, so I wasn't satisfied with this particular choice. They could do better, honestly.

- For most of the time, the music was a bit meh. Nothing really striking or to hate, but compared to the War&Peace 2016 soundtrack (which was amazing!), this one was very undermining. There were some individual songs I liked a lot, though.

- The overall cinematography was ok. Again, nothing super special, but there were some pretty nice shots, too. I had some minor objections about cgi in a few scenes, but let's that the 2012 film wasn't exactly flawless in this aspect, too... If not worse.

- Ok, confession time & another unpopular opinion alert: I genuinely think the script is not half as bad as some people on this site try to tell everyone and the majority of their issues is either exaggerated to an enormous extent or comes from a huge prejudice. Or a general but pretty clear misinterpretation of certain scenes. Having said that, I had issues with the script, too. Davies did a waaay better job with his W&P, really. Although I actually like some of his changes or narrative choices, there is one thing I can't exactly ignore: how certain scenes were pure exposition. I think it got better in the later episodes, but I spotted at least two(!) examples just in episode one alone. Davies, being the experienced author as he is, should really know that it's not a good way to write scenes, especially in the first episode (which is supposed to encourage the viewers to keep watching). There's nothing more annoying to me than being treated, as a viewer, as a person who needs a straight-in-your-face explaination of what’s happening on screen.

- Another fairly popular trend: the brothel & the wet dream sequences. Even though I expected both of these to be A LOT worse, given what the fandom was saying (exaggerating again), and I don't think they are "out of character" or unrealistic in terms of the setting, I tried to cut these out from the episode (in my head ofc). And I think we could do without them; the brothel scene could remain in the final cut, but I would make it way shorter.

- What I REALLY disliked: a minor thing, but it bugged me a lot. I mean the main dialogue being in English, and the background dialogue in French. Christ, how I hate when they do such stuff in the movies...(thankfully the main characters didn't try to pull off their fake French accent, that would be even worse) Either you do it in French, or in English. One has to be consistent.

- The pissing scene in ep1 was...weird.

- Valjean being mean to Gavroche.

- The timeline was sometimes a bit odd, if not crazy, but could’ve been way worse (nothing can surpass P0ldark and its weirdly ageing children and even more weirdly, or not at all ageing adults)

- Valjean firing Fantine left me with very mixed feelings. On the one hand, I think it makes sense narratively, in this particular adaptation, it’s also not the first one who makes Valjean responsible for Fantine’s misery (to a smaller or bigger extent). On the other one, it’s not a choice I’m super happy about so...

Now, let's move on to the positives!

- Excellent choice in casting. I think all of the actors did a solid job. Obviously they had some veteran, experienced or acclaimed actors like Bradley, Sumpter, Jacobi, Colman, West... You couldn't expect any less from them. BUT there were also some younger and fresh faces, who's interpretations of their characters I really loved - Lily Collins, Erin Kellyman, Reece Yates, Josh O'Connor. Liked Joseph Quinn and Ellie Bamber a lot, too, especially the former. Obviously, I cannot NOT mention David Oyelowo! He was particularly impressive in the last episode.

- You have no idea how grateful I am for the entire Pontmercy storyline, honestly. I have so many feelings about Georges Pontmercy it's not even funny. Also baby Marius!!! Huge props for the Marius/Guillenormand dynamics.

- Fantine's storyline. I love the focus on her in this adaptation, and instead of merely showing her "downfall", we got to see her entire background story and many faces of her character. From naivety and joyful innocent to her determination to survive, and, finally, her desperate attempts to feed her daughter. I love that we got to see a glimpse of her relationship with Cosette. I love that, heartbreaking as that scene was, we got to see the moment of her leaving her child with the Thénardiers. Loved that she was also outspoken at times. I really felt for her in this series. Naturally, I always do have tons of empathy for Fantine, she's one of my favourite characters in general, but I found Lily Collins' version to be particularly relatable.

- Btw: I disagree that Fantine and Cosette were overly "sexualized" or fetishized. And don't even get me started on the supposed "sexual undertones" between Cosette and Valjean, cause this is utter bullshit.

- I actually liked the relationship between Cosette and her Papa, especially when she was little!

- I loved Gavroche in this adaptation. I'm usually not a huge fan of his, but Reece was so charming and impossible to resist!

- All the side characters (good or bad) we finally got to see at least for a while! I already mentioned the Pontmercies, but I also mean: Petit Gervais, Tholomyès and his gang (+Favourite and Zephine), Azelma, Gavroche's little brothers, Mabeuf, even Victurnien. And Sister Simplice, I love that woman. And Rivette. 😁

- Huge thumbs up for portraying the Thénardiers as the evil/malicious people they were (but not one-dimensional, esp. Madame Th.) instead of as some comic relief only.

- Contrary to the popular opinion, I count Les Amis as the positives. I actually think that narrowing down the number of the students to focus on was a good choice (like, excuse me, but giving a few lines to a character in an ensemble song is not enough to give them personality. Even in the book some hardly had one). And guess what? I legit cared more about this Enjolras or this Courfeyrac than in other adaptations. I liked Quinn's version of Enjolras more than I like Hugo's original character. This is obviously a personal preference, but to me personally Quinn's slightly toned down version, sort of a hybrid of Enjolras and Combeferre was way more appealing (I also think Quinn had more innocence and wide-eyedness in his eyes and face than some most popular actors who have played the role. To me, the accurate hair colour is the least sygnificant thing, honestly. Especially that some of the fans' favourites hardly fit the book description in that aspect).

- The Enjolras/Grantaire execution scene.

- Small interactions between Enjolras and Courfeyrac. Especially the ones in the final moments of the resistance. Oh my...

- Overall, the barricade scenes were very good.

- I liked Marius a lot, which is quite a thing! I loved that we got the awkward, but still adorable side of his. I had seen Josh in The Riot Club and I remember him being good but not memorable; I was impressed with his performance in Les Mis, he was so different!

- Erin's Éponine broke my heart. Especially in episode 5, she was fantastic. So many expressions in her eyes; I loved her fidgety hand moves, too!

- I appreciate that they started the show with something other than the galleys/bishop Myriel. That was a nice and quite refreshing take.

What else do I like about this adaptation? That it revived my passion for Les Mis; that it made me want to reread the book (or certain chapters at least), rewatch the 2012 film, listen to songs from the musical, check out other adaptations. That it’s gonna bring new people to the fandom. And, whether you like it or not, it DOES offer new interpretations of the characters and actually does give a fresh take. Every adaptations gives us something new to discuss, this one included. I also don’t believe it’s the worst thing that ever happened to Les Mis or whatever; I happen to think it actually is a good adaptation overall. Is it flawless or 100% accurate in everything? No, because it’s impossible to turn such a huge and detailed book into a 100% faithful adaptation; also it’s really not what the adaptations are for. I too would have added/cut out some stuff from various versions of Les Mis, but this is because it’s my interpretation; the fact that we imagine some things differently does not mean that other people’s interpretations are bad.

Since films and tv shows belong to the visual media, I think that Les Mis BBC could have done better in that aspect - I wasn’t exactly satisfied with it, as I wasn’t exactly over the moon about some choices in the script. It’s not a masterpiece, but I never expected it to be one; neither it is a “piece of shit”. Despite its flaws, I still found the miniseries to be very enjoyable and I will gladly rewatch it in the near future. I feel that it might even become one of my favourite adaptations(I will decide once I’ve seen them all, or most of them!), save for the interpretation of JVJ, which could’ve been better tbh. For me, it’s a nice 7,5/10

[esteliel]

In non-Valvert news, I really like Despiat, the voice of the workers, and I’m excited we’ll see him again in the final episode! I’m sure tumblr and Amis fandom will find a way to hate it, but they’ve done SUCH a good job with this! It’s just so nice to see the uprising depicted as something that’s NOT just a charismatic Enjolras surrounded by his handful friends, but that makes it very obvious that the students are just a very small part of it all.

I also hate most Gavroches but OMG, Reece Yates is SO GOOD!

And Eponine! This might just be my fave Eponine ever, she plays her with such nuance and sensitivity!

[bbclesmis]

Mabeuf (Donald Sumpter), Courfeyrac (Archie Madekwe) and Gavroche (Reece Yates) from episode 5.

[bbclesmis]

Further episode 6 stills.

[bbclesmis]

Gavroche played by Reece Yates

Who is Gavroche? The neglected youngest child of the Thénardier family, Gavroche has largely raised himself on the streets of Paris.

Where have I seen Reece Yates before? Yates has appeared in Michaela Coel film Been So Long. He’s soon to show up in Come Away, a Peter Pan prequel also starring Angelina Jolie, Michael Caine, David Oyelowo and Derek Jacobi.

[bbclesmis]

Episode 5 stills.

[bbclesmis]

This is how the iconic barricade scene was created in #LesMisérables. 🇫🇷💥 Go behind the scenes with @JoshOConnor15 (Marius), Reece Yates (Gavroche) and @_joe_quinn (Enjolras). (x)

[bbclesmis]

Gavroche singing La faute à Voltaire and his death

x

[bbclesmis]

The Telegraph: Les Misérables, episode 5 review: this adaptation continues to impress as younger cast take centre stage

Disappointment hung heavy over Les Misérables (BBC One) last night: romantic, political, financial, judicial, paternal, filial, grandfilial. By contrast, this adaptation continues to impress with the quality of its performances, breadth of its vision and the concision of a sprawling story down to its core elements without losing the richness of Hugo’s vision.

Where past episodes have been shared between the cast and writer, the spoils of the penultimate hour belonged to director Tom Shankland, who was given the final half-hour to cut loose with pitched battles, street sieges and grand sacrifices as the doomed Republican uprising commenced. Marshalling his forces with great aplomb, Shankland oversaw thrilling sequences which had more than enough going on to stir the spirit and hold the attention as the barricades were erected. Think Zulu, only with tight alleys and La Marseillaise in place of wide savannahs and Men of Harlech.

Here was Javert (David Oyelowo), prizing his own vendetta over the stability of the city, joining the revolt only to be exposed; there was Marius, driving the army back using only some gunpowder and his own lovelorn rage; Mabeuf (Donald Sumpter), meanwhile, took his stand and paid the price, only to be outdone by Erin Kellyman’s Eponine, whose sacrifice for the man who never loved her was worth the wait.

The latter epitomised a younger cast looking very comfortable at centre stage. Ellie Bamber and Josh O’Connor won my heart as they grew into the difficult roles of Cosette and Marius, Kellyman duly broke it, and Reece Yates made Gavroche an effortlessly appealing street urchin with shades of the Artful Dodger. For these bright stars, le jour de gloire hasn’t arrived yet, but it surely won’t be far away.

(x)

[bbclesmis]

The Independent: Les Misérables, episode five review: A violent revolution makes this episode come to life

There are spectacular aerial shots of rebels pouring through the streets of Paris, as the mounted cavalry, in scenes that echo last year’s Mike Leigh drama ‘Peterloo’, ride around slashing at protestors

In a West End musical, it’s easy enough to be charmed by the love of two people who’ve barely exchanged more than a dozen words. But in the context of a complex, slow-burning drama such as this, the BBC’s six-part adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables (BBC1), it’s a lot harder. Particularly when there’s a bloody revolution going on.

Said love birds are Cosette (Ellie Bamber) – the teenage ward of our escaped convict hero Jean Valjean (Dominic West) – and Marius (Josh O’Connor), the young royalist turned revolutionary. Blind to the affections of Éponine Thénardier (Erin Kellyman), Marius has been obsessed with Cosette since he first stalked her around the Luxembourg Gardens in last week’s episode. The feeling’s mutual. Having grown up in a female-only convent, this is basically the first man (aside from her adopted father) Cosette has met. When they meet again, a clandestine encounter away from Valjean’s fearful eye, she literally swoons.

In a series that so masterfully explores the concept of morality, redemption and rehabilitation, as well as the messy nuances of human relationships, Marius and Cosette’s “love” feels one-dimensional. They don’t have enough time together to muster up any chemistry, Bamber is hemmed in by a dainty, thinly-written role, and even Josh O’Connor – so brittle and brooding in God’s Own Country – can’t inject much life into their romance. Lines such as, “I’ve lost everything, my life is over”, pronounced by Marius after Valjean and Cosette flee, elicit little more than an eye roll.

Inspector Javert, meanwhile, is also a man obsessed – his obsession rapidly transforming into an all-consuming mania. Looking increasingly pallid and unwell, he is determined to catch Valjean, who he tortured in prison for 19 years and who has subsequently eluded capture for a decade. “We’ve got worker groups openly discussing violent revolution,” an officer tells him, exasperated. “Three illegal arms factories unearthed this week.” Javert, played with unravelling, paranoid desperation by David Oyelowo, barely hears him. “He is here. He has been in Paris all this time, laughing at us. Well this time, he will not get away.” 

He should have listened to his colleague. It’s not long before violent revolution erupts, at the funeral of politician Jean Maximillien Lamarque. It is here that the episode comes to life. There are spectacular aerial shots of rebels pouring through the streets of Paris, as the mounted cavalry, in scenes that echo last year’s Mike Leigh drama Peterloo, ride around slashing at protestors. Javert makes an unconvincing attempt to join the rebels in disguise, nonchalantly inquiring as to Valjean’s whereabouts, and quickly finds himself tied up.

Marius – whose life, if you’ll remember, is over – eventually turns up to lend a hand. He saves little Gavroche (Reece Yates), the neglected son of the Thénardiers, before he in turn is saved by Éponine. “What are you doing here?” he asks, after she jumps in front of a bullet for him. “Thank you” might have been more appropriate, but the dying Éponine doesn’t seem to mind. “I really did love you,” she says, handing him a letter from Cosette. This love, at least, we can believe in. Her death is all the more affecting for it.

As it heads towards its sixth and final episode, there is still plenty to admire in Les Misérables. But when an escaped convict and his pursuer share more chemistry than two star-crossed lovers, something’s gone awry.

(x)

[bbclesmis]

The Times: TV review

And, briefly, to our weekly dose of misery-joy, the splendid paradox that is Andrew Davies’s Les Misérables. This wasn’t the best episode so far, but it was gut-punchingly sad. Éponine, wonderfully played by Erin Kellyman, took a bullet for Marius at the barricades. A pauper child with a father who would happily see her throat slit, she asked in her death throes for one pitiful act of love. “Will you promise to kiss me on the forehead when I’m dead? I will feel it,” she asked Marius. A delightful, light-touch performance too from Reece Yates as Gavroche.

There were vicious fighting scenes, although the obsessive and rather annoying Javert still seemed to think the saintly Valjean was more of a threat than hundreds of gun-wielding revolutionaries. Wouldn’t the police have exchanged knowing looks and quietly sacked him by now?

(x)

[bbclesmis]

The Independent: Les Miserables episode 6 review: Dominic West plays Valjean with care and intricacy in BBC series finale

It is far quicker to list the show’s central characters who aren’t dead than those who are

Speaking last year of the indiscriminate bloodlust of his hit BBC drama Bodyguard, Jed Mercurio insisted that there is no such thing as a “can’t-die character”. It is an ethos, it seems, that he inherited from French author Victor Hugo. By tonight’s final episode of Les Misérables (BBC1), adapted from Hugo’s 1862 novel, it is far quicker to list which of the show’s central characters aren’t dead.

The episode begins at the barricades, with the revolutionaries fighting in favour of a French Republic. That’s about as far as the explanation goes – for the most part, the series doesn’t dwell on the intricacies of the fight. Instead, its revolutionaries speak in vague truisms: they are “building a better world”, and “fighting to the last man” to do it.

Not quite to the last man, in fact. As they become increasingly outnumbered, rebel leader Enjolras (Joseph Quinn) instructs all those with wives, husbands or children to leave. “For you,” he says, “it is a braver thing to live.” It is one of a multitude of potent moments in the series’ swansong – though I have to question why no one seems to have a problem with a literal child cheerfully signing up to die. That child, Gavroche Thénardier (a mischievous Reece Yates), is quickly shot down on a bullet run, and laid to rest alongside his sister Éponine, who saved Marius’ life last episode.

Soon, Valjean (Dominic West) turns up, with “half a mind to kill” Marius (Josh O’Connor) for the crime of loving his adopted daughter Cosette (Ellie Bamber, struggling to tread water in a sea of world-class actors). He quickly changes his mind, though, when he witnesses Marius’ bravery, and saves his life instead. 

But not before he has spared that of Inspector Javert (David Oyelowo), who in his obsessive, vengeful quest to track down Valjean, has found himself tied up in a back room. Still, Valjean shows him mercy – a mercy his decades-long foe doesn’t know what to do with. “Do you wish to die?” asks Valjean, incredulous. “It would make a hell of a lot more sense than this,” says Javert, equally so. “Then you’ll have to arrange it yourself.”

And so he does just that. In one perplexing act of mercy, Valjean has won the moral debate that has been raging on since episode one: whether a person commits crimes because they are “degenerate”, or simply because of the way the world has treated them. “Everything I’ve ever believed to be true, everything I lived my life by…” says Javert to a fellow officer, “and he… he…” There’s that look again: that mix of puzzlement, anger, sorrow and respect that Oyelowo broadcasts so subtly, yet so precisely. His mind is made up. With his faith so shaken it may never settle, he jumps off a bridge to his death.

If only Valjean had trusted Cosette to land on his side of that moral quagmire. Convinced that she won’t love him if she knows of his past crimes, he exiles himself to the countryside after her marriage to Marius. (Mercifully, that romance takes a backseat in tonight’s episode, so the problem of their distinct lack of discernible chemistry is only a minor one.)

When Cosette tracks Valjean down, his hair has gone grey, and his hands are cold: apparently, a sure-fire sign that death is just around the corner. “I’m not worthy of your love,” he insists, before dying happily surrounded by it anyway. West believes Valjean to be “the greatest hero in all literature”, and he plays the part with all the care and intricacy such a character deserves.

The final shot, though, is not one of love. It is of two poverty-stricken children – children we’ve only briefly seen before, and who have little bearing on the story – begging to indifferent passers-by. It is an unkind, but necessary, reminder that the cycle has not been broken. Les Misérables indeed. (x)