By now you'd probably have to have been living under a rock not to know the well-worn story of hapless Jean Valjean, who had the misfortune to need to feed himself and his hungry relatives, thereby stealing a loaf of bread, which brought him into first two decades of imprisonment and, even after, nonstop harassment by the evil policeman Javert. But Valjean's troubles are only part of the toll of human misery that makes up Les Mis; we also have Fantine, who, in order to support her daughter Cosette, becomes a prostitute and The Thenardiers, despicable innkeepers who delight in child abuse and cheating their customers. Not exactly the stuff of your usual musical, in other words.

No one would ever accuse this adaptation, which has thrilled millions in countless countries, of any subtlety. The score alternates between bombast and simple, if effective, melodies (including the lovely "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Send Him Home," ascerbically parodied in Forbidden Broadway as "It's Too High--This Song's Too High"). Herbert Kretzmer's English lyrics (the show was originally written in French) are not exactly models of Sondheimian brilliance, but they usually do their job with a minimum of embarrassment, and occasionally (such as in "The End of the Day") rise to levels of relative excellence.

What this show has going for it is an overabundance of heart and, suitably, a feel for the common man and what the hoi polloi will enjoy in musical theater these days. This 10th anniversary concert, filmed in 1995 and long out of print (fetching some sums on eBay that Javert himself might want to look into), features a "staged reading" format with the singers front and center doing their stuff in front of microphones and a full orchestra (actually much bigger than the standard pit band), then taking their seats while others play their scenes. Some of the big production numbers feature stills from various productions, but it's largely a minimally staged affair, more of a celebration than a performance, highlighted by the appearance of 17 worldwide Valjeans for a rousing encore.

The show belongs largely to Colm Wilkinson as Valjean, Ruthie Henshall as Fantine, and Judy Kuhn as Cosette, though this concert DVD has acquired the soubriquet "The Dream Cast," as virtually everyone in it starred in either the London or Broadway versions.

The presentation itself is first-rate, with some good camera coverage (including, strangely, lots of straight-down overhead shots), if perhaps too frequent coverage of the conductor. Purists also lament the exclusion of two (admittedly minor) scenes from the original production, but they likely won't be missed by any but the most rabid fans. Where this concert is most sorely lacking, and simply because of the format itself, is in the absence of the stunning sets which contributed so much to the success of the original productions.

While Les Mis may not be the masterpiece its most ardent admirers claim it is, it is certainly an ambitious, if overly popularized, treatment of its source material. This concert DVD gives an excellent representation of at least the score, if not the staggering physical production that accompanied its London and Broadway runs, and will be scooped up willingly by Mis-heads worldwide.

The DVD

Video:
A nice, enhanced 1.78:1 image is clear, if a bit on the dark side. Colors and saturation are fine.

Sound:
The standard stereo soundtrack crackles with energy, and provides excellent reproduction of the bombastic Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Some of the ensemble numbers are a bit hard to decipher, but there is a "lyrics on" subtitle option for those who want to know what all the hub-bub is about.

Extras:
A second disc contains a 1988 television retrospective of the genesis of the show and its many productions up to that point. It starts out with a perhaps overly smug roll detailing how most critics lambasted the production and predicted it would never go anywhere. Guess what? Critics are sometimes wrong (though never here at DVD Talk).

Final Thoughts:
Les Miserables is, quite simply, a phenomenon of modern musical theater, for better or worse. It certainly is not as turgid as Lloyd Webber at his worst, and has many moments of brilliance, and it is aided in this presentation by stellar work by the stars who helped guide it to its initial success. It may be a yawner for the public at large, but this re-released concert DVD, with the bonus disc, is recommended for all fans of the musical, and there are a lot of them.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet