Lelouch's version of Les Miserables really isn't a retelling of the oft told story. Instead, the Hugo story is part of the background, while we see it applied to more current times -- in this case, 20th Century France, including the German occupation. Les Miserables keeps playing itself out in the lives of everyday people. That is part of what makes Hugo's story so powerful, that we are there -- or perhaps it's more accurate to say Valjean, Javert, Colette, and even the Bishop are in us.
Review of Les Misérables
