Will read the whole novel soon, but after checking more than 1 movie adaptation of les miserables, I dare say 1978 succeeded to draw the characters in the way meant by the director and created an aura of heroism, integrity and sweetness around the main character (Jean Valjean). On the other hand, this movie demonized Javert as a contrary to the goodness of Valjean, but it wasn't just that, he was pictured as someone who was destroyed from inside and deeply wounded from his past and how he was born and lived as a child; although he haunted Valjean's life all along the movie, he was shocked by how good and chivalrous Valjean was when he could have killed him but decided to set him free instead, he probably felt too small and trivial in front of Valjean's strength. The scene of Valjean carrying Marius fainting on his shoulder after fighting against the troops is just amazing, a man as old as Valjean at this point of the plot carrying a young man on his shoulder all along a ditch to keep him safe, a memorable scene!

each adaptation is a new lecture of book. and revelation. the revelation of this Les Miserables remains Richard Jordan. at first sigh, he does a great job. at the second , he creates a character who use the traits of Jean Valjean to remind the values of a profound metamorphosis. because the lead character of the novel is the bishop Myriel. he is the maker of the war new rules between Valjean and Javert. and Claude Dauphin has the science to give the precise portrait of the noble priest. Anthony Perkins choose a frozen Javert. not a bad idea but the character remains, in many scenes, only a sketch. the film has the virtue to be a nice introduction before reading of book. and this does it real good.

Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" is widely regarded as one of the greatest books of the 19th century. The reasons why literary critics consider it so is because the sprawling story covers a huge number of themes. Mans inhumanity to man, faith, redemption & just about every facet of human nature both good & evil. This 1978 television adaptation of the book is, for my money, the best. The central character is Jean Valjean who is superbly played by Richard Jordan. He is originally sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. His sentence is increased to life after several escape attempts. After serving 19 years he does succeed in escaping. Anthony Perkins is fantastic playing first a senior prison officer at Toulon where Valjean is incarcerated & later the cold-hearted policeman Inspector Javert. It was Alfred Hitchcock who cast him as Norman Bates in "Psycho" after he noted his ability to look shifty & suspicious as an actor. Those same acting qualities make him perfectly cast as Javert. He is not really evil but rather just ruthless about carrying out what he considers to be his duty. There are many overly-officious people like him around today usually referred to as "jobsworths". Really evil people are represented by the Thenardiers who maltreat a young girl Cosette put in their care by her poor prostitute mother Fantine, played by Angela Pleasance. She could hardly have chosen a worse couple.They eventually sell her off to Valjean after he changes his name to Mr Madeleine following his prison escape. He makes a solemn promise to her dying mother to take care of her daughter Cosette. She is not a prostitute out of choice, as the author makes clear, but because she is so poor & desperate she has nothing else to sell but her body. The Thenardiers realise how much Mr. Madeleine wants to take charge of Cosette & feigning their love & affection for her exact a huge price. The story is full of memorable characters like the kindly bishop Myriel who "buys" his soul after Valjean had escaped from prison & stole some of his silverware. After Valjean is caught he is taken back by soldiers under armed guard to the bishop who claims he gave them to him as a gift. He then gives him his two silver candlesticks telling him he forgot to take those as well. Valjean is deeply moved & from that moment becomes a changed man who resolves to do good in the world. He will treasure the candlesticks for the rest of his life as symbolic of his new-found faith in god. After changing his name to Mr. Madeleine, he becomes a successful respectable businessman in a small town. Javert later accepts a post as chief of police there. After witnessing an accident he sees Mr. Madeleine perform a feat of strength to free a man trapped under a wheel. He remembers that Valjean in Toulon prison had also shown great strength in releasing a man after a huge rock had fallen on him. He has noticed the similarity in looks between Mr Madeleine & Jean Valjean and begins to think that they may be one & the same person. The street-urchin boy Gavroche, a son of the Thenardiers, is another memorable character & a good sort. After an uprising in Paris he is killed by troops whilst bravely running around collecting ammunition from the dead bodies of some of the rioters for the use of those still fighting. Presumably, Victor Hugo is making a point that evil parents do not necessarily produce evil offspring. A great book was made into a great TV movie & I would recommend it to anyone.

This suffers because it was made for television in the 1970's and looks cheap by modern standards. Don't be put off: This is the version that is most true to the spirit and message of the book. It's not a romance; Hugo did not intend to write a love story, no matter how badly Hollywood wishes it were so.The incident with the clergyman is supremely important and Hollywood destroyed it by making Valjean into a desperate, fugitive, thug. All the other versions of this might be prettier, but they got it wrong.Also: You will never beat Anthony Perkins for silent, soul-gnawing, desperation. It just can't be done.