Universal has been going all out with the Oscar hype for Tom Hooper's Les Miserables, and in the process they've mostly put a spotlight on the incredible cast of Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Amanda Seyfried. While we can all attest to the power of Hathaway's performance of 'I Dreamed A Dream', it's unfortunate that some of the less recognizable names have been largely ignored, such as Eddie Redmayne and Samantha Barks. The irony of it is that, at least in my opinion, they arguably had the most impressive vocals of all.
It should come as no surprise that Barks would be great, as she played the role of Eponine on stage, and she slips back into the heartbreaking role comfortably here, as well. Now you can get a taste of how impressive she is in one of the five new clips which have been released, each featuring one of the film's most recognizable songs in key scenes. Hooper took the bold approach of recording the vocals live on set, which I found to be a double-edged sword. It works great for some, but exposed others whose voices are a bit shaky.
My review of Les Miserables will be up when the film opens on Christmas Day....
