#quarryquest

[cometomecosette]

"Les Misérables" musical character interpretations: Fantine

As usual, these three characterizations are all based on performances I've seen, either in person or filmed. They can also be, and often are, combined with each other to create still more characterizations. For example, Anne Hathaway's Oscar-winning Fantine in the film version is basically "the Ingénue," but with a distinct undertone of "the Fighter." And none of them are precisely Hugo's Fantine. I'd say that they all represent aspects of the character as Hugo wrote her, and that the ideal Fantine would blend all three of them, as the occasional actress does.

I'd like to thank @quarryquest for sending me the Fantine chapter of her book on the stage history of Les Mis just as I was in the middle of writing this. It provided excellent insights.

The Lady

         This Fantine, in the words of Victor Hugo, displays “a serious and almost austere dignity.” At the beginning, her dress and hair are as neat, clean, and pretty as factory work allows, and her bearing is strikingly graceful and refined. She clearly once knew a better, more elegant life before her lover abandoned her. This sets her apart from the rough, uneducated factory folk who surround her, and at first, she might seem slightly cold and haughty in her distance from them, which no doubt contributes to how quickly they turn on her. But “I Dreamed a Dream” earns all our sympathy as she sings of her lost happiness, while in “Lovely Ladies” she moves us further by slowly sacrificing all her elegance for her daughter. Yet she never loses her core of pride and dignity. While this Fantine has as much raw anguish as any other, she tries to hide it from her oppressors under a brave face. Though she might reach the verge of tears several times, she’ll rarely let herself cry. When the moment of selling her body arrives, she’ll swallow her grief and fear with the drink she’s given, and offer a firm, resolute hand to her first customer. Her “Come on, captain…” is sultry, but not drunk or grotesque; instead, her hard, cold tone evokes Hugo’s description of the fallen Fantine as having “turned to marble.” Her rejection of Bamatabois will be calm and businesslike until he turns violent, and when “Monsieur Madeleine” approaches her, she’ll express her anger with head held high, making it clear that she sees him as no better than herself. This Fantine is a gemstone that’s thrown into the mud of the streets, but never breaks.

The Ingénue

         This is a warmer, softer Fantine than the Lady, and whether the actress is twenty-five or forty, she’ll probably seem younger too. This characterization keeps in mind that Fantine’s name means “childlike” and that her “tragic flaw” in her past was her naïveté. Despite being an abandoned mother, she hasn’t entirely lost that naïveté at first. Her air of gentle innocence is what sets her apart from the other, more worldly factory folk, and throughout the factory scene she’ll be frightened and brutally shocked by the cruelty she faces. Then “I Dreamed a Dream” will overflow with anguish, and likely with tears too. With just cause, this Fantine is more prone to tears than any other. More than the loss of her dignity, the tragedy of “Lovely Ladies” is the loss of her innocence, which dies once and for all when she accepts her first prostitution client, crying or trembling with fear as she does so. What comes next will depend on whether the director thinks the “Old men, young men…” verse contains a time skip or not. If not, then this Fantine will be awkward and nervous on “Come on, captain…” still all too new to her profession. But if so, then she’ll reenter heartbreakingly transformed: staggering drunk, crudely flaunting her body, utterly disheveled and broken. Either way, she rejects Bamatabois out of rash fear, then claws at his face in rash, animalistic rage. Abuse and misery reduce this vulnerable young woman to behaving like a cornered stray dog or cat. Yet through it all, there’s never a doubt that her heart remains pure and tender, because everything she endures is for the sake of her little girl.

The Fighter

           This is the grittiest Fantine. Her portrayal reminds us that Hugo’s Fantine was an orphan who grew up on the streets and that he describes her as having “fierce courage.” This is a passionate, determined woman who boldly stands up to her oppressors and who battles all obstacles to provide for her daughter. Like the Lady, she values and defends her dignity, but hers is a stolid, down-to-earth working-class dignity, not aristocratic grace. In “At the End of the Day,” she’ll protect her letter from the Factory Girl with the fierceness of a mother bear, and her self-defense to the Foreman will be firm and simmering with frustration. Her “I Dreamed a Dream” will also be angry as well as anguished and yearning, and in “Lovely Ladies,” the chief tragedy will be that despite her valiant efforts to stay “above the water,” poverty pulls her under anyway. Her prostitution sequence may or may not be drunken, but it will most definitely be hard, brash, and filled with biting rage. In her bitterness, this fallen Fantine will recall Jean Valjean as a convict before the Bishop’s mercy, and when she confronts him about her firing, she’ll stop just short of attacking him. None of this means she lacks vulnerability or deep, heartbreaking sadness; like any Fantine, she has them in spades. But the way she combines them with strength and anger make her a more complex figure than other Fantines, and arguably, it makes the gentleness of her deathbed scene especially poignant. There, for the first time, we fully see the motherly tenderness that lies beneath her fire, and which has motivated her struggles all along.

More comparisons to come!

[valjeans]

quarryquest replied to your post “kind of pretended it didn’t exist bc of obvious reasons but glad to...”

There was a bit of a scandal in Les Mis in the mid 1990s when Caird and Macintosh visited, thought the show was bad and called for a recast. It even got a name - they called it the Broadway Massacre.

ohhh really, i’ve never heard about this. did they literally just fire the cast??

[thecandlesticksfromlesmis]

quarryquest replied to your post “@cast of All That’s Left of Us—remember when we were filming the scene...”

In All That’s Left of Us how many original students survive?

Hey! it’s just Marius and Enjolras. You can watch all six episodes over at @allthatsleftofus :)

[hellenhighwater]

quarryquest replied to your post “I was doing some late night doodling, mostly because I rarely bother...”

Hi Hellen, can I please (please - with a cherry on top) borrow the picutre of Valjean tackling for my book? I really want my Valjeans and Javerts to laugh when I am talking about saving the poor inspector and this gets the atmosphere too perfeclty :-)

Yeah, sure! It’s kind of a mess, and the whole color palette might be a little dark for printing, so let me know if you need it corrected to be brighter. 

[nollimet]

@quarryquest I was able to get my hands on the *Cough* less then legal YouTube videos after a whole lot of digging and I’m watching it tonight with a friend. I litterally can not wait!!!!!!

Also bless you for that, if anything the actors really deserve to see what the audience sees. I’m glad they know the bootleg exist and it makes me feel less bad about watching it I’m not the most legal of ways...

[alicedrawslesmis]

quarryquest replied to your post “Sketching Chapter 1.5.12 - The Idleness Of M. Bamatabois 1. I’m...”

Ooh! I’m looking for some thing to add to my bit on Fantine versus Bamatabois in the book I’m writing. I got a lot from a performer in the show and who played the role and was horrified by it. I’m also going to put in something about 1980s sentiments and when the show was created. Could I borrow your comments (and possibly even your art) as they are so perceptive I think they need including.

Yes you can!

I'm gonna take this opportunity to talk more about Bamatabois because I think he is an interesting figure

IMO in the musical they turned B into a more palatable character that would be more easily read as "evil" for a regular audience. They gave Fantine's arc a lot more sexual harassment overall, and I understand why but ugh why.

In the description of the character in the book Bamatabois is just an annoying rich young man nibbling at his fortune with the same passion a rich parisian student might waste all their money extravagantly. The book even says if Tholomyes had stayed in the countryside he would've been just the same

He is a man that hates women. He treats them with the upmost arrogance. But that's as far as he goes, says Hugo. And I feel like, to the average theatre goer of the 1980s, this does not register as evil, that's just your average Joe. In fact, brick!Bamatabois is sort of what men were expected to aspire to be. With his mistresses and his allowance but his carefully crafted detachment. He even knows he did wrong by Fantine and slips away immediately to avoid confronting Javert, maybe to avoid some embarrassment, unlike musical!Bamatabois that stays confident in the protection granted by his social status.

Hugo also has, lets call them unresolved, issues with social class. Besides his contradictory opinions on peasants, and his overall hatred of the middle-classes, Hugo is kind of obsessed with this othering of people from the aute bourgeoisie. Bamatabois and co. are provincial and that makes them worse than their parisian counterparts because they lack a certain cosmopolitan finesse. Even tho the parisians do the same. But where B is evil and arrogant (and likes the English, ugh) parisians are carefree and oblivious. And he is ready to go at length about how bad the aute bourgeoisie is, compared to the "good" aute bourgeoisie. It's a kind of "not all rich people" that he keeps reverting back to.

Victor Marie "Not Like the Other Rich People" Hugo.

anyway I'm not gonna go at length abt Hugo's politics because that's a whole other discussion, but Bamatabois is like the embodiment of the vices of the aute bourgeoisie in the countryside, with their rudeness and their bad fashion, and how they form their opinions around second-hand opinions of others. The Simón Bolívar hat is an example. And his charming nonexistent wit.

[javerttt]

I've not seen your stuff on here before (just met your wonderful Valvert art) and I'm interested why you like drawing them so much. I'm writing a book looking at why Les Mis is so popular, and talking to a lot of fans (and Valjeans and Javerts!) and I'm trying to listen to why they characters draw people to them so much. Can you help?

Hey, thanks for your ask! sorry i took time to reply, i took the time to really think about what these characters mean to me and why i love them so much! also sorry for the english mistakes since its not my first language lol. ill try to answer your question the best i can, i hope my answer wont be too long haha

i first got into les mis in like 2014/2015, but my deep love for jean valjean and javert is actually pretty recent although i liked them and shipped them as soon as i discovered les mis (but i didnt like them enough back then to dedicate an entire blog to them lol). i did draw some fanart of valjean and javert back then, but not a lot; i was more into characters like enjolras and grantaire (and their ship). when i first explored the les mis fandom on tumblr i was at a very low point of my life, really depressed and suicidal, and i happened to stumble on lots of posts about enjolras, grantaire, and especially people’s headcanons about enjolras being a trans man which led me to the biggest epiphany of my life. i got really invested into these characters, basically living vicarously through them. i projected all my repressed thoughts about gender identity on enjolras, and related to grantaire’s cynical attitude and kinda unrequited, hopeless love for enjolras. i feel like i owe my life to les mis, because had i not had this epiphany i dont know if id still be alive today (goddd that sounds so dramatic lol). Also les mis contributed to me getting interested in politics and social justice.

my interest faded a bit as i got into other things, but i still loved les mis a lot. recently i rewatched the 2012 movie, then browsed the valvert tag and oh boy i fell hard lol. i dont really know why but this time it was javert’s character who drew me (im sure there’s a better word for this but i cant find it rip). i listened to the musical on repeat, watching many clips on youtube, and i got really interested in javert and valjean’s dynamic. i also started reading the brick, and started drawing a lot of fanarts which led me to create this blog which im so happy i have now because god people are so nice to me and my art had never met such a positive response before that. i thought a lot about what drew me to javert’s character, and i think that on some levels i can kinda relate to him. i used to be sort of cynical, with very strict views on society and stuff like justice (thinking things like ‘criminals can never be forgiven’, ‘once you do something bad its because you’re inherently bad so there’s no hope for you’, shit like that. im really ashamed of it now lol). i was bullied for years when i was younger, which led me to resent people a lot, and with my crushing dysphoria (which i didnt know was actually dysphoria back then) i felt like i had no place in the world, i couldnt project myself into the future, i hated what and who i was. but unlike javert, who, knowing that he was born ‘out’ of society, decided to stay ‘out’ of it in his job (god my wording is so bad, i hope you see what i mean), i just wanted to die. when i finally came to terms with the fact that i might be trans, i felt really hopeless, and thought about all the years i had wasted, all those years i was depressed, hating myself, hurting myself, how i thought myself unloveable, and for a brief moment i wanted to die because there was no way i was going to be able to live as i wanted to, i felt like it was too late for me. eventually things got better as i moved further in accepting myself. i feel so sad for javert because, like me, his whole perception of the world was shattered, all his beliefs and values were questioned and he couldnt find a way to go on. im sad because if things had been different i might have done like him. i love aus where he survives, where valjean saves him. speaking of valjean, what i love in him is the kindness, radiant love that emanates from him. the fact that he has seen the worst of the world, the worst of men and of society, and still decides to go on and do good and dedicate his life to other.........the Big Heart energy........ i just love and admire him so much, and i know this will sound dumb but he kinda inspires me to do better, love myself and others better, be kinder to the world. 

basically i love les mis for all the political/social commentary, i think that it is a very important book in itself, and i also love it for its characters, some of which became really important to me. i hope my answer satisfies you, and that it doesnt sound like me talking annoyingly about myself too much rip......also im afraid i sound too dramatic....honeslty im always too self conscious when i have to talk about myself asqjfd but thanks for asking me this it was really interesting to reflect on these things!!! have a nice day :D

[dingelchen]

Sterne (“Stars” in German)

For the Lyrics Across Languages project: Below the cut are the German lyrics to Stars with a translation. (Link: German lyrics masterpost; multilingual lyrics masterpost.)

—–

Sterne

JAVERT: Dort - draußen im Dunkel Ein sündiger Flüchtling Heillos und wild Heillos und wild Gott sei mein Zeuge Ich werde nicht ruh'n Bis sein Los sich erfüllt Bis sein Los sich erfüllt Im Schatten findet er Schutz Doch, mein ist der Weg unsres Herrn Dem, der folget dem Pfad der Gerechten Hilft der Herrgott gern Doch wer da fällt Wie Luzifer fiel Dem leuchtet kein Stern Klar, wie die Sterne steh'n Wer kann sie zählen Finsternis füll'n sie Mit Ordnung und Macht Hüten die Herden hier Schweigend und klar Halten Wacht in der Nacht Halten Wacht in der Nacht Noch eh' sein Wort uns gebar Und bis zum Jüngsten Gericht Gnadenlos glänzend Tut ihr eure Pflicht Und ihr ändert euch nicht Doch wenn ihr fallt Wie Luzifer fiel Verzehrt auch das Licht Und so soll es sein Denn so steht's geschrieben An den Pforten zur Seligkeit Dass die, die straucheln, dafür bezahl'n In Ewigkeit Lasst mich ihn finden Dass ich ihn bringe Wohin er gehört Ich geb' niemals auf So lang wie ich leb' Bei den Sternen Ich schwör's GAVROCHE: Der Inspektor glaubt, er wär' was Doch das Pack gehorcht nur mir Meine Schau hat stets geöffnet Ohne Vorhang, ohne Tür Gavroche weiß, was er tut Ich hab diese Stadt im Blut

—–

translation back to English: Stars

JAVERT: There - out in the dark A sinful fugitive Salvation-less and wild Salvation-less and wild God be my witness I will not rest Until his lot/fate fulfills itself Until his lot/fate fulfills itself

In shadow he finds shelter But mine is the way of our Lord Him who follows the path of the righteous The Lord God helps glady But who there falls Like Lucifer fell (For) him no star shines

Clear, as/like/how the stars stand Who can count them They fill (the) darkness With order and might Mind the herds here Silent and clear Keep watch in the night Keep watch in the night

Even before his word gave birth to us And to the Last Judgment/Judgement Day Mercilessly shining You do your duty And you do not change But when you fall Like Lucifer fell Consume the light too

And so it shall be Because so it is written On the doorways to bliss/salvation That those that stumble will pay for it For eternity

Let me find him So that I will bring him Where he belongs I never give up As long as I live By the stars I swear it GAVROCHE: The inspector thinks he's something But the rabble obeys only me My show is always open Without curtain, without door Gavroche knows what he is doing I have this city in my blood

—–

Footnotes/Trivia/Commentary:

–Translation for @quarryquest.

[bobcatmoran]

Hi! I came here via someone else posting about Manga Javert and I'm interested in how you say his speech bubbles change from square to round. I'm writing a book on Les Mis fandom (and the popularity of the show) and am looking into how we interact with the characters. Manga is an area I've not really looked into yet. Help?

Hi! I am not sure exactly what you’re looking for? I’ve been working ever-so-slowly on translating Takahiro Arai’s Les Mis manga into English [link here], if you want to read it (I very highly recommend it! One of the best adaptations ever made, IMO). I haven’t done a full translation of the chapter where Javert does the speech bubble thing, but there’s a sort of illustrated summary [here].

What I find interesting about it is how, even when he’s a little kid, Javert has these squared off speech bubbles, unlike any other character in the manga. I think it’s reflective of how he has this really rigid worldview, where anything that upholds societal order is good and anything that goes against that is bad (from revolutionaries on the barricades to the mayor of M-sur-M taking the side of a prostitute over a bourgeoise). Thus, he has these speech bubbles that are all unyielding corners instead of soft ovals. 

He almost breaks when Valjean lets him go at the barricade, the square corners being broken up as he wrestles with Valjean taking an action that goes against everything Valjean knows — or thinks he knows — about the order of the world. And then there’s the tragedy that, when he finally manages to break that rigidity, to look beyond the box he’s made for himself, it only comes at the moment of death, as he falls off the bridge. 

[hellyescharlesedwards]

quarryquest replied to your photoset “Charlie with Robyn Nevin and Anna O’Byrne in the Ascot scene of My...”

Interesting who is playing Henry Higgins in that. I didn't know that Charles Edwards could sing. Or does he speak-sing like Rex Harrison?

He did a bit of both. He mainly spoke-sung, but as he got more comfortable and confident, he let his natural baritone slip through, to much appraisal. At a young age, you see, he was told he wasn’t very good at singing, so it had knocked his confidence a fair bit and prevented him from trying out musicals for many years, and MFL was his first since the early-90s. Charles surprised even himself by how much of it he actually ended up singing.

Yeah, so he does have a good singing voice. He’s not classically trained or anything, but from the clips I’ve heard, he's capable of belting out the notes if needed. Some of the reviews of the show can attest to that, too.

[pilferingapples]

@quarryquest reblogged your post:I think it’s somewhat lost now just how really...

I’m keeping this for future reference. Can I quote you?

Sure! :D

[cometomecosette]

In Brick Club and Les Mis Letters posts, various people have written about the parallels Hugo creates between Fantine and Enjolras. Both are beautiful blue-eyed blondes. Both are likened to Greek deities and mythical figures in their looks and demeanor. Both are described at first as epitomes of chasteness and purity (though Enjolras is obviously the more virginal of the two). Both are likened to marble at certain points (Fantine in her hardness and coldness after she becomes a prostitute, Enjolras in general). Despite their delicate appearance, both have fierce courage. Both die in their mid-to-late 20s. Both sacrifice everything for love (Fantine for love of her daughter, Enjolras for love of his country and his ideals). And both are crushed by society and the law.

I don't know if anyone involved in the earlier productions of the musical thought of these parallels. But I've noticed a certain minor detail in videos of productions from the '90s and early 2000s:

In several of these performances – especially from the US tours – at the end of "Fantine's Arrest," Fantine faints as the constables are picking her up to carry her to the hospital. As they carry her upstage to exit, her limp head and arms hang over their shoulders in almost the exact same position that Enjolras's lifeless body will later hang from the barricade in Act II.

It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, but I still wonder if that could have been an intentional parallel between the two martyrs.

@quarryquest

[oeleo]

340:365 | @ilovetimezone // Found this new machine at Timezone Trinoma, Quarry Quest, and decided to try it even though I don't know how it works. It's a coin-pusher game with chips of different characters with different values (I guess those values corresponds to the number of tickets you get) and also a diamond-clam hybrid chip that goes directly to the "Super Bonus" game when you drop it. I won 2 ticket bonus worth 850 and 865, I think, and 1 Super Bonus worth 2400+ tickets. It was pure luck that I was able to stop it on the Super Bonus because I was casually talking to someone and explaining how to play it, in my own way, when I pressed STOP and landed on the super bonus. LOL. 😂 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #2019leo365 #QuarryQuest #CoinPusherGame #CoinPusherGamePH #CoinPusher #CoinPusherPH #ArcadeGames #ArcadesPH #ArcadeGamesPH #ArcadePrizes #Timezone #TimezoneArcade #TimezoneArcadePH #TicketWins #HappyKid #Destress https://www.instagram.com/p/B5xktBHFrwG/?igshid=hzuwqf5p8ef1

[fulane-de-tal]

If I may, I would like to borrow your Fantine as the 3 of swords for my chapter on her and her daughter in my book. I'm curious what the different handles to the swords mean? I'd like to include this in my description of the illustration if I am allowed to use it :-)

of course!! also, in regards to the swords: the snake is tholomyes and generally just his privilege as a rich man etc etc, the scales are the Law (tm), and the star thingy one is javert because why not !!

[hellenhighwater]

quarryquest replied to your photo: The valvert tarot. Sixteen done, six to go....

Could the lovers be Marius and Cosette in the garden at Rue Plumet - deadly gate included?

I'm trying to stick to JVJ and Javert, or at least interactions that involve them, otherwise that would be perfect.

[its-not-a-pen]

~A Checkered History~ Alternative title: Noir ou blanc 

Once a thief, always a thief...Valjean and Javert grow old and play chess together. 

For @quarryquest  (sorry it wouldn’t let me tag you???)