Oscars 2013: Supporting Actress

     The nominees for Supporting Actress for the Oscars this February are the following: Amy Adams (The Master), Helen Hunt (The Sessions), Sally Field (Lincoln), Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook). This week, we shall be discussing Anne Hathaway's performance as Fantine.

     Before we get on to discussing her acting, let us discuss Les Miz as a whole. It was pretty much an exact copy of the infamous musical. I give props for the actors' singing that they did actually pretty well. I actually thought it was going to be a mix of dialogue and music. Well, that went out the window. Although I'm glad the musical can be on film forever, I still wished that the movie would have taken advantage of its medium better and tell the story in a different way rather than replicating the musical.

    There were a couple moments I thought it would have been better if it had not followed the musical format because the sudden music sometimes ruined the moment; it might have been just me though and my inexperience with musicals on the big screen, it was a bit off-putting. I understand that the movie had close-ups of the actors in order to  bring intimacy that ordinary musicals could not but it doesn't help if a majority of the actors had trouble emoting while singing. 

     Overall, I just thought it might have been better if the movie did something original (ha!) with the book. The musical adapted from Victor Hugo's novel and made these lyrics. I'm just iffy about it that's all. But you know what I'm not iffy about? Anne friggin' Hathaway. That's right. You heard me. 

     Eddie Redmayne (for his empty chair solo, not for his head shaking) and Anne Hathaway stole the show for me. Not Hugh Jackman or Russel Crowe. Nonetheless, I thought Anne Hathaway utilized this role to the fullest. The musical part of this movie just blew me away and I never thought of myself as a musical person. 

     So Anne Hathaway plays Fantine, Cosette's mother. She was lovestricken at a young age and was left impregnated by her first love. In order to pay for Cosette's living expenses, Fantine ends up to resorting selling her hair and becoming a prostitute. Anne Hathaway's role as this character is done so well, Fantine is a credible character that we can connect with because - like many of us - she is broken. She is a devoted and self-less mother. The performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" was heartbreaking, there's simply no other way to describe it. Anne Hathaway's emotions were clearly delivered in her voice, but the minuscule actions she took just made it top notch for me. For example, when she was getting her teeth pulled out for forty francs, she struggled against the crowd but eventually whimpered in defeat knowing the money would go to support her daughter. 

     Overall, I believe Anne Hathaway's performance was lovely - as if you couldn't tell already. Her role was what gave the audience the emotional impact the film was aiming for. Without knowing Fantine's story, no one would necessarily care for Cosette and the rest of the story. Les Miserables did some right I believe because some songs clearly spoke to the audience, we were able to hear soliloquies that would have been cut off otherwise and not allow us to get inside our character's mind. 

    Anne Hathaway deserves to be 'awarded' this Oscar. I may be biased, but hey.