Although Freda omitted pivotal scenes of the novel (the trial of innocent Champmathieu and the tempest in a skull,notably),his version of "les miserables " ranks among the best,;as far as the French movies are concerned it is second only to Raymond Bernard's (1933) and this Italian adaptation surpasses both Jean-Paul Le Chanois's (starring Gabin)(1958) and Robert Hossein's (starring Ventura ,who was outstripped by Michel Bouquet as Javert )efforts.(1982)
It was first released in France at a running time of 107 min , boiling down both parts to a mean digest ,but nowadays both parts were restored and one can see the director's cut.
This first part begins with the theft of the bread (which leads Valjean to hard labor )and ends when he takes refuge in Sister Sulpice's convent with Cosette .
The title chosen for this first part (= man hunt) is thoroughly justified because the movie enhances Javert's ruthless tracking ;Not really a wicked man ,but a man to whom duty is sacred : his icy look gives the jitters:Freda was also master of the thriller and it shows:the cop's shadow in Fantine's bedroom .Hans Hinrich gives the excellent Gino Cervi a run for his money .
Freda tells the story in very succint style ,but he always finds the pictures which impress the viewer : a starving Valjean looking at the window of the baker's shop, a close shot of the bread ; the shadow of the spit-roasted chickens in the inn where Valjean is not admitted : ex-convicts are pariahs for life ;the beaming face of Mgr Myriel (admirable Massimo Pianforini); the fall of the rose when Fantine dies; and last but not least , Cosette the battered child is the best I've ever seen,even outdoing Raymond Bernard's :Duccia Giraldi seems to carry on her shoulders all the trials ,all the poverty of the French ninetieth century ; the chase by Javert in the streets displays again Freda's flair for film noir and these scenes are the triumph of the cinema-in-the-studio .
