Les Misérables

It begins with Jean Valjean.  The first of him is a man at the bottom, a man desperate enough to steal from the only person who has shown him kindness.  And he is forgiven, and that act is the beginning of change.

I watched the film version of Les Misérables without any prior experience with the musical.  It was a gift, not knowing every plot turn, to be able to respond honestly to the humanity of the story and of the music.  The strength of the story is in the music, in the characters who reveal thoughts and emotions through song.  There are some things that can only be communicated in music.  Les Misérables is not just a story – it is the story.  It is the story of human experience, of all the pain and hope that every man experiences, and the struggle of the imperfect trying to be righteous.     

It ends with Jean Valjean – a fallen man who has been redeemed.

The music is all wonderful, but this was my favorite.