Jean Valjean (Richard Jordan), convicted of stealing bread, is hounded for several decades by the relentless and cruel Policeman Javert (Anthony Perkins).Jean Valjean (Richard Jordan), convicted of stealing bread, is hounded for several decades by the relentless and cruel Policeman Javert (Anthony Perkins).Jean Valjean (Richard Jordan), convicted of stealing bread, is hounded for several decades by the relentless and cruel Policeman Javert (Anthony Perkins).
- Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
- 2 nominations total
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the novel upon which this film is based, Jean Valjean was sentenced to 5 years for theft, a sentence extended by increments of 3 years for 4 escape attempts, plus 2 years for resisting on one of his captures, for a total of 19 years. Here, he is sentenced to 5 years for theft, then is given an additional 5 years for his first escape attempt and 10 years for his second, bringing his total sentence up to 20 years. A third escape attempt is successful, so he only serves 19 of his 20 years. A successful escape somewhat misses one of the points of the original story, that even former convicts who lawfully served their sentences and paid their debt to society were still not given the opportunity to become productive members of it.
- GoofsThe prison where Valjean is sentenced is identified as Toulon. It is depicted as a fortress used as a mill. The actual Toulon prison was a dockyard.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 31st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1979)
Featured review
This is a great story and for me this is the best screen adaptation of it. Although Geoffrey Rush puts in a decent performance in the newer film release (1998), Anthony Perkins' Javert simply cannot be bettered with his steely, cold personality and determination. Jordon also does well with the Valjean character, emitting a personality of pride and restraint in the face of adversity. The story moves on at a decent pace and provides good characterisation without too much lagging.
Overall this is a fine production and I personally find it vastly superior to the latest film incarnation with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush where I didn't particularly like either of the portrayals of the leading characters, even though they were well-acted. This version may have the obligatory TV Movie feel to it, but it still manages to rise above its Big-screen counterpart.
Overall this is a fine production and I personally find it vastly superior to the latest film incarnation with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush where I didn't particularly like either of the portrayals of the leading characters, even though they were well-acted. This version may have the obligatory TV Movie feel to it, but it still manages to rise above its Big-screen counterpart.
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- Also known as
- Los miserables
- Filming locations
- Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK(as Shepperton Studio Centre, Shepperton, Middlesex, England)
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