LES MISÉRABLES IN THE MEDIA: AN ESSAY IN FOUR PARTS. Part I. Very Successful Performances: from Kitsch to artistic potential

Abstract

Famous Italian scientist Sergio Miceli examines the phenomenon of adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel in audio and audiovisual media, from radio theater productions of O.Welles and French "classic" films of the 1930s, for example, directed by R.Bernard and music composed by A .Honegger, to the modern on-screen interpretations of C.Lelouch and B.August, miniseries of director J.Dayan and animated films: VHS – TV – DVD. The researcher proposes to consider the video-recording of live performance in theater like a reproductive medium adaptation. Author stops especially on music of the Italian composer A.Cicognini in the second post-war Italian film of R.Freda, on work of the Hollywood composer A.North in L.Milestone’s movie, on the one of the first television version directed by J.-P. le Chanois with music of J. van Parys, and on the biggest Les Misérables TV version (3 hours and 40 minutes) directed by R.Hossein, 1983 (composer M.Magne). In addition, unprecedented in the history and hyper-mass case of adaptation of a literary opus is confirmed via many musicals, musical shows, flash mobs, comics, shows staged in colleges, "interpretations" on YouTube, etc. (Part III). The last Part (IV) is entirely dedicated to Les Misérables on stage and in movie musicals.

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