Do you hear the people sing? Yes, they all sound like artful dodger cock-er-neys. They’re awful.
As a film it’s fine - it’s one of the best designed, best photographed, best directed costume dramas you’re ever likely to see and the performances are all round impressive. As a musical though it’s really poor. Painfully poor.
Now, I don’t have a problem with musicals, it’s not my favourite genre but I don’t mind a good tune and a good sing-a-long. This isn’t a sing- song musical though. This is a speak-song musical where every line is just stretched out exposition. It’s exactly like watching laymen spoof the operatic style, all - “Loookk, loook at meeee! For here I goooo To speeeaakk to a mannn who runnnsss the townnn!” for two and a half hours. Now I could cope with that if it had say maybe four really standout songs but for me it didn’t have any. In a two and a half hour musical that’s a bit of a letdown to say the least. It’s repetitive, it’s monotone and it’s leaden. Go watch The Umbrellas of Cherbourg to see how this style should be done.
The other stumbling block, and this is a problem I have with most literary 19th century ‘classics’ is that the story is all contrivances, coincidence and people falling in love at first glance. In short, nobody behaves like a sane adult and it just gets ridiculous.
Overall it’s a draining experience. Not without merit, but not one I’d want to repeat either.
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