Les Misérables (1934)

Harry Baur as Jean Valjean

Raymond Bernard's Les Misérables is, by leaps and bounds, the best adaptation of Victor Hugo's great novel. Part of the reason is that the nearly five hour length of the film enables Bernard to capture the breadth and depth of the work. There are numerous cuts, particularly Valjean and Cosette's stay in the convent, but they are slight compared to the versions that run under three hours.

Harry Baur's casting as Jean Valjean is another aspect in its favor. Most adaptations cast actors, as Valjean, who are more suited to the romantic role of Marius. I'm thinking of Fredric March and Michael Rennie in particular. Valjean, at the start of Les Misérables, is a rough-hewn brute and Baur captures this perfectly. He is also deft at portraying Valjean's moral regeneration after encountering true Christian charity in his travels. Bernard is able to exploit Baur's size. Whether he is raising a collapsed wagon or fighting off brigands at the Gorbeau house, Baur is convincing as a gargantuan force of nature.

The secondary roles are all superbly wrought. Charles Vanel, who hit his commercial stride in the 1950s, is a superb as Javert. He gives a fully rounded performance, devoid of the stock villainy employed by Charles Laughton and Robert Newton. Jean Servais captures the romantic intensity of Marius in what was only his fourth film. There are no glaringly bad performances, but I was particularly struck by the efforts of Orane Demazis (Pagnol's Fanny) in the thankless role of Eponine and Henry Krauss (who had played Valjean in a 1912 film adaptation) as the Bishop in his final role.

The technical aspects of the film are truly impressive. The sets by Lucien Carre and Jean Perrier are impressive, but have a lived in quality. The striking musical score is by Arthur Honegger. The cinematography by Jules Kruger is sterling. Kruger had collaborated with the director on Bernard's previous film, Wooden Crosses, a World War 1 film that outstrips either version of  All Quiet on the Western Front. As in that film, Kruger and Bernard employ a hand-held camera for the action sequences. In this case, this effect adds greatly in capturing the turmoil of the 1832 insurrection. One of the few directorial choices I didn't particularly care for was Bernard's use of tilted camera angels. This is appropriate in showing the scenes of injustice and strife, but I don't think it added anything to the dance sequence at Marius and Cosette's wedding. A former press photographer, Kruger had a long and fruitful career in film with such impressive credits as Pepe le Moko, Les Perles de la Couronne, and Abel Gance's Napoleon; in which a hand-held camera is also utilized during a childhood snowball fight.

Bernard is a neglected figure. Les Miserables and Wooden Crosses are his only films available on disc in the US. His presence on YouTube is slight and it seems very few film scholars outside France have seen many of his 34 films. Bernard's career suffered after the collapse of Pathe in 1936. A Jew, Bernard went into hiding during the Second World War and his post-war career never regained momentum.  Les Miserables and Wooden Crosses are available in a three disc set by Criterion. Highly recommended!