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Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I'm not an expert - I haven't read the book and don't expect to - but I have seen several of the filmed versions, and this is by far my least favourite. Having said that, I loved Antony Perkins' Javert: his tightly buttoned implacability was perfect. And I liked Caroline Langrishe's rather underwritten Cosette.But there was a lot I didn't like very much. The whole thing seemed terribly bright, colourful and clean and maybe, in those days, your life actually was bright colourful and clean - if you had money, that is. But the whole point of Hugo's writing was social commentary, and I didn't see very much of the disadvantaged underclass in this movie. I also didn't like Valjean meandering off at the end.But most of all, I didn't like Valjean. I'm not a Richard Jordan fan at the best of times - I always got the feeling that he thought he was rather better than I thought he was. Notwithstanding his increasingly grey (but no less unconvincing) wigs and sticky-on beards as he got older, he was far too lightweight an actor to play a character like Valjean.I was delighted and surprised to spot my late friend Michael Sheard in a small role.

Les Miserables (1978) *** (out of 4) Made-for-TV version of Victor Hugo's classic tale about Jean Valjean (Richard Jordon) who is sentenced to prison after stealing a loaf of bread for his sister and starving children. From this point Valjean's life goes through various ups and downs as he manages to escape prison and become an important figure but every step of the way he has to deal with police inspector Javert (Anthony Perkins). Over the past year I've been trying to watch a new version of LES MISERABLES every few months and it's become clear that it would really be bad if a director got a hold of this story and didn't make a good film. I mean, the story itself is so great that it would be really hard to mess that up and as long as you got two good actors in the main roles then there's really no point in delivering a bad film. This 1978 version is yet another good telling of the story and a lot of the credit must go to both Jordon and Perkins. I found Jordon to be extremely good in the part as he managed to handle every bit of development that the character goes through. I really enjoyed him early on as he slowly became a monster due to being abused in prison. Jordon did a remarkably good job playing this almost monster but he was also believable as the character slowly gets broken and turns into a respectable man. Perkins, who will always be remembered for playing Norman Bates, also delivers a fine performance. Obviously, the actor had no problem playing troubled people and I enjoyed the darker, more intense way he played Javert. John Gielgud, Ian Holm and Cyril Cusack have good supporting roles. Another major plus about this version are the costumes, set design and of course the sets. You have no problem feeling as if you're really in the days that the story takes place. The one negative thing I have to say about the movie really isn't the movie's fault at all. Originally this played over two nights on television and the total running time minus the commercials would have been somewhere around 150-minutes. The movie played theatrically in certain parts of the world with a variety of running times but sadly most VHS, DVD and cable versions out there now just run 123-minutes. That is the version I had to watch and it's obvious that some important parts of the story have been edited down. Obviously, the best way to view this film would to be getting a hold of an uncut version but if you must see the film and this shorter version is all that's available, it's still recommended.

This TV serial adaptation with Richard Jordan as the protagonist rises above the earlier version of 1952 and the latest release, as well.The great novel by Victor Hugo corresponding to the tumultuous times of the French Revolution, serves to underline the starkly moribund consequences that directly result when there exists a colossal disparity of moral and economic values between the privileged class and the commoners. The screenplay is vivid and emotional outpourings are soul wrenching, but above all, it is Richard Jordan as Jean Valjean who has portrayed the patriarchal and lofty character created by Hugo to its complete magnitude. The story is bred with great upheavals of the turbulent revolutionary era which add epic dimensions to this memorable novel.The novel is the crowning glory of Victor Hugo and the TV serial adaptation is the highest mark of Jordan's career who steals the show, many a times by his smoldering performance, while leaving Perkins (Javert) far behind.

Having never actually read the original, seen any other film adaptation or even watched it performed(due to a general lack of interest in the world of theater), I didn't know much about this before watching. What I did know has all been explained enthusiastically by a friend of mine who loves musicals and plays. As me and the rest of Philosophy class sat down to watch this, I quickly noticed several promising names in the opening credits - including that of Anthony Perkins - and I found myself even more interested in watching it. Though it is arguably less visually impressive than it could have been(and, I'm presuming, than the 1998 version), it's got fairly good direction and it goes into the themes of crime and punishment, dealing with what can cause crime... and what punishment may cause. It was interesting and involving throughout. Running at two and a half hours, it never loses neither momentum nor the audience's attention. The class-room was not always silent as the film's plot played out before us, but I didn't see anyone disinterested or not paying attention. The acting is quite good, though there are a few exceptions. I was surprised by, given that his name was in the credits and how skilled an actor he is, how small a part Ian Holm had. The man can't have been on-screen for more than a few minutes. Perkins is perfect as Javert, the embodiment of law, of order by discipline and punishment for misdeeds. His personal vendetta carries some of the film, alongside the good-hearted acts of Valjean. For anyone who knows the story, knows how the chase ends, I will say that I found the execution of it somewhat under-dramatized herein. My earlier mentioned friend, the theater aficionado, described how he had seen it achieved in a live performance, and I would choose that over the budgeted version we see here. Some of the cinematography also leaves a bit to be desired. However, all in all, I'd recommend this film to anyone interested in the themes it involves and/or a depiction of France leading up to the revolution. I recommend this to any fan of the original story and anyone interested in its well-delivered points about the traditional view on crime and punishment. 7/10