Idea I had for how to make a better les mis movie
If I were to describe the singing in the movie in one word, it would be: DRY. And I think part of that reason is because the directors wanted the actors to be only half singing. I know they had them film for 8 hours straight but the fact that the takes in the film are the officially decided ones it goes to show that they want it to be like that, where the actors are holding back and not going all out with their vocal skills. This I believe is likely because it’s sung the whole way through. For the stage musical it works well. However, while i disagree, I can understand how one may find it annoying if they sing the ENTIRE TIME for a theatrical movie. So as a result the directors just had every line be half sung half spoken.
My solution: Do the same thing Wicked did. Split the movie into 2 parts, and add more dialogue scenes to stretch a single act into 2-3 hours. This way, you can appeal to casual viewers and diehard fans of the show. A first time viewer will see it as a normal musical that alternates between dialogue scenes and music numbers and won’t be annoyed with every line being sung. And a lifelong les mis fan won’t be disappointed about one of their favorite clips is changed to a spoken line. (that was me when the final attack was RUINED!) No need to cut down half of The Bargain and Attack on Rue Plumet or completely remove Dog Eats Dog. And they also get to see the characters they know and love be expanded upon further!
With the extra runtime, they could also add more songs. The movie did that with the inclusion of Suddenly. They could bring back I Saw Him Once or give Enjolros his own solo!
What do you guys think of this?