Blackfish Review: The Psychological Toll of Captivity

By: Heather Hardison, PhD.

This is more than a film review. This is A Call to Action

As a human being, I was outraged and heartbroken over this emotionally driven film. As a psychologist, I was horrified, but not entirely surprised, to see the psychological toll this animal entertainment industry has taken on these beautiful creatures. In my psychological private practice, I see firsthand the devastation that can be caused by depriving a being from their true nature. Humans and animals are not all that different in that regard. We all experience depression, a lack of enjoyment and a loss of joy when we are kept from our natural surroundings, our comfortable routines and the socialization of family and friends. Isolation turns in to severe depression, which leads to the loss of the will to live. This film, along with many other documentaries on animal captivity, show these Orcas and other captive animals are depressed, frustrated and lonely. It is not surprising that they give up and often end their own lives. In fact dolphins become so stressed out from the capture and prolonged captivity that they often develop ulcers and either die from the stress or commit suicide. In other animal documentaries trainers discuss frequent turnovers with dolphins in shows because they struggle to keep them alive.

Seeing the majestic male Orcas with collapsed dorsal fins is gut wrenching. In the wild they have beautifully straight fins but 100% of the males in captivity have the collapsed dorsal fin. This is indicative of the loss of joy and contentment in life that usually comes from living free in their natural environment. They are lost and depressed due to being stuck in chlorine filled pools and small holding pools where they can barely move. Even when performing in shows for audiences the larger pools are nothing compared to their natural environment. At best they only have enough room to swim short laps for the amusement of others. Orcas give up their vocal calls in captivity which are such a large part of their social life in the wild, and there is no joy in their jumps as they are only animals for hire now. Seeing an Orca swim in the open ocean holds no comparison to their demeanor in their "jail cells" at aquariums.

It is clear that we are killing these beings by depriving them of everything that makes them Orcas. We deprive them of all of the wonderful stimulation of the ocean that keep them interested and engaged. Instead we blast them with loud music, surround them with crowds of screaming kids and demand that they perform on cue for several shows a day, every day of their life until they succumb to the stress or depression. Orcas only live at most to 25-30 years in captivity while their free brethren live 50-70 years. Most captive Orcas die around 10 years in captivity according to stats gathered on this site  http://www.orcahome.de/lifeexpectancy.htm

The more we learn about dolphins and orcas the more we see how intelligent and empathetic they are. We can no longer sit back and tell ourselves that they don’t understand what is happening to them and that they don’t know what they are missing in the wild. These animals are extremely intelligent, and they grieve for their families even years after they are captured and separated. The orcas do not forget their traumatic captures, and they will never fully adapt to their new confining surroundings. In fact there is a high rate of animal suicide with captive dolphins and orcas. They have to take conscious breaths every minute, and once they lose the will to live, they can decide not to take that last breath. Cathy, the dolphin who played Flipper in the popular 1960’s television series died in her trainer’s arms when she held her last breath and then sank to the bottom of the sea aquarium she had been held in. She had deteriorated so much from captivity that she could no longer endure this treatment. This experience impacted her trainer so deeply that he was transformed into one of the biggest advocates for dolphins, as he felt guilty for starting this love affair with dolphins which spawned the emergence of the marine parks in the first place. The stress and trauma that these corporations are putting these animals through for greed is never worth the massive price these magnificent beings are paying. These highly intelligent animals easily grow bored of these mundane routines and grow frustrated and exhausted by this constant abusive environment. And yet we as the adoring public allow this to continue for the sake of our amusement.

Psychologically, when humans and animals are not allowed to fulfill their destiny or feel that their true purpose is not possible to achieve, they begin to shut down internally. Parts of ourselves die off and eventually we give up completely. This is true for humans and animals. This film effectively shows all of the consequences that occur when humans mess with the natural order of this planet. Not only are the animals paying a steep cost, but human lives are cut short due to this unnatural set up. Blackfish chronicles the loss of 3 human lives including a trainer in Sealand by Tilikum in 1991, a young male who snuck in to Tilikum’s holding pool at night, and Dawn Brancheau in 2010(shown above). Dawn was an experienced and charismatic SeaWorld trainer who gave over 15 years of her life training orcas and was pulled into the pool by Tilikum and drowned, scalped and had her arm ripped off and swallowed by the massive 13,000 lb captured orca. Most of the film follows Tilikum’s story from the time he was tragically captured in 1983 to the present time where he is still performing shows at SeaWorld even after these confirmed fatalities. He has also been bred countless times over the past 20 years and it is estimated that he has fathered 54% of the current SeaWorld captive orcas. Some experts expressed concern that his sperm continues to be used given his aggressive nature. Many believe that Tilikum is kept at SeaWorld despite his aggressiveness simply because his sperm is worth a great deal of money. 

One of the most powerful aspects of Blackfish is the fast that several former SeaWorld trainers emotionally deliver their personal stories and journeys with the whales they cared for. They also stand up for their fellow trainer, Dawn, whom they believe was not at fault for her death, despite SeaWorld’s insistence that she made a mistake, which they labelled trainer error. These trainers love the whales they care for and many stated that they stayed at SeaWorld despite the horrific conditions they witnessed simply because they feared what would happen to the whales if they were not there to look after them. One trainer stated that they learned to compartmentalize their feelings because “if I leave, who will take care of Tilly.” “I stayed because I felt sorry for Tilikum.”

These trainers truly love their whales. Their hands are tied by a larger more powerful corporation that controls and dictates the conditions the whales are kept in. The trainers who spoke on camera in Blackfish were brave to speak out on what they experienced over the years, and their emotional attachments to these orcas was apparent. One trainer stated “I’ve been with this whale 17 years, I’ve seen her have all four babies. We grew up together.”

Several trainers witnessed acts of aggression by other whales, which could also lead to further frustration and learned helplessness. This bullying from other whales most likely contributed to future acts of aggression towards their human trainers. The whales can only take so much bullying and mistreatment before they break psychologically and start to act in ways that are far removed from their natural temperament in the wild. Trainers witnessed Tilikum being attacked viciously when he arrived at SeaWorld. He was ganged up on and attacked by the established dominant females at the park. The trainers explained that the whales are all “squeezed in close proximity.” They stated that Tilikum had no where to escape to when he was being attacked. SeaWorld responded by keeping him in constant isolation “for his own protection.” He is kept in the back pool and brought out for the end of show for “the big splash.” Then he has to return to his “jail cell” as stated by his former trainer. Tilikum had to be isolated much of the time as the females would not tolerate him in the pool with them. 

Female orcas are the dominant whales in the ocean. In the wild this isn’t a problem as they have plenty of room to spread out even when traveling together in their large pods. However, in captivity they are all confined to such small spaces and this creates a very hostile environment, especially for male whales. This aggression often leads to the deaths of whales by other whales. The whales also have a practice called “raking” where the whales scrape their massive and sharp 48 teeth along the backs of other whales, which is a painful and traumatizing experience for the orca. Photo below shows raking up close.

It is not hard to understand how these human deaths could have occurred after you explore how traumatized these whales are. The film reveals how the baby orcas are targeted and chased down by hunters to be snatched away from their mothers and their pods forever. The disturbing images of bombs being dropped by aircraft to frighten and disorient the whales and the speed boats pursing these babies was immensely upsetting. The orca mothers did everything they could to save their babies, and they even devised an intelligent plan to break from the rest of the pod to keep the babies safe, hoping that the boats would follow the rest of the pod. Unfortunately, the aircrafts spotted the detour from the air and they notified the speedboats to swoop into the cove and corner the mothers and offspring. It was a lost cause for the orcas at this point. Nets were cast, babies were ripped from their mother’s sides and airlifted to aquariums across the globe. One particularly heart wrenching scene filmed the mothers hovering close to the boats calling out to their babies even after they were airlifted out of the water. It is truly heartbreaking! 

One of the hunters spoke on camera describing this as “the worst thing I have ever done.” He stated that it felt like kidnapping a child from their loving family. He revealed that this has haunted him since. He was choking back tears as he explained that he was instructed to cut open the babies that died due to the stress of the capture and he was ordered to fill them with rocks to sink them as hunting orcas was illegal and the evidence must be destroyed. Animal behaviorists and marine biologists interviewed for this film pointed to this type of traumatic capture as the first psychological trauma suffered by the whales and went on to explain the further trauma that they suffer once they are housed in the aquariums. Former trainers at Sealand reported that the orcas, including Tilikum, were stored in a module only 20 feet across 30 feet deep. They were locked in this dark, metal pool for two-thirds of their life. Trainers tearfully admitted that they were ordered to lock them up from 5pm til 7am. “It didn’t feel good. It was just wrong.” Food deprivation was also used for training purposes as holding back food would create starvation and that was strong motivation to get them to enter the training pool and to cooperate in training sessions. When the new whales would resist or not cooperate, the trainers were told to use the whales against each other and would punish both whales until the cooperative whale realized they would not receive a reward until the new whale started cooperating. This caused the whales to become aggressive with the uncooperative whale until they broke down and submitted to the trainer’s will. This breaks an animal’s spirit and creates what we call learned helplessness. This is when the animals begin to give up and realize that there is no escape and that they are stuck in this situation no matter what their efforts are. This is psychologically scarring and leads to depression and hopelessness. Some experts in the film spoke about a psychosis that the orcas may be experiencing due to this mistreatment. They believe it may lead to their aggressiveness with humans. Photo below shows an orca pulling this trainer down to the bottom of the pool and keeping him there for a minute at a time. This continued for several minutes until the trainer got away and swam over a net to pull himself out of the pool. 

The mistreatment of the orcas is precisely why it is not surprising that whales would turn aggressive out of frustration. This is when human casualties will occur. There are no known instances of orcas harming a human in the wild. SeaWorld likes to publically state that Tilikum is not dangerous; however, former employees have spoken in news stories about the “Tilly talk” that they are given during their first week at work. They are told not to enter the water with Tilikum because “if you get in the water with him you will come out a corpse.” SeaWorld also tries to down play his involvement in the murder of the trainer at Sealand before they acquired him. They officially state that he was not involved; however, eye witnesses positively identified him as the whale that pursued her and held her down. SeaWorld purchased Tilikum from Sealand after this very public death, and they did not warn their trainers and employees at that time. This put hundreds of people in danger daily and ultimately ended in 2 further deaths by Tilikum that could have been avoided.

SeaWorld has responded to the release Blackfish and tried to save face by stating that they have not captured their orcas in 35 years and that they treat their animals with the best care. However, they are missing the point that any whale in captivity is being mistreated and abused by the very fact that they are lonely, isolated, deprived of food, separated from their family and controlled in every way. Orcas are extremely social and they only bond with members of their own pods. Mixing members from different pods, as SeaWorld does, is unnatural to them and they never adapt. The experts explain that all pods speak their own language with very unique dialects, and it is like they are from 2 different nations with different languages that they do not understand when they are thrown together. SeaWorld calls them their collection. Orcas are so social that their sense of self is considered to be wrapped up entirely in social roles. Thus, removing them from their social world basically destroys them.

What this film does beautifully is to show us how majestic these animals are, especially in the wild. The film educates us on what it means to be an orca. They are designed to roam free and travel great distances. They are highly verbal and social. They interact with their pods more than humans do on a daily basis. They only thrive when they are surrounded by their family. They grow depressed and lonely when isolated as they are in captivity. The isolation quickly breaks them down psychologically. One animal behaviorist in the film stated that 100% of the captured whales are traumatized and psychologically damaged from this mistreatment.

SeaWorld states that they are playing a vital role in marine biology by educating young children about wildlife. Their position is that allowing children to see these animals up close fosters an interest and admiration in these younger generations that will lead to a desire to help protect marine life in the future. While that may be so, the price of captivity is too high. We should love and admire these animals from afar in the wild as nature intended. If you want to view orcas up close then spend the $100 you would have spent on a SeaWorld ticket and take a chartered boat excursion off of Vancouver Island to see them in their natural habitat as they were truly meant to live. Seeing animals in captivity whether at SeaWorld, aquariums or local zoos should make us feel uncomfortable. No matter how well the trainers take care of them, nothing can compare to their natural environment. Anything less is robbing them of what it truly means to be an animal in the animal kingdom.

If a 2 year old child was kidnapped from their family, held captive for the rest of their lives and forced to perform for their abductor’s entertainment, then society would be outraged. When the abductor was found, they would be shunned from society, locked up in prison for life and the abused child would be reunited with their family. Until now most people did not give the slightest thought to how the orcas are captured and how that separation from their family negatively impacts them and their pod. Thanks to this thought provoking film we see just how devastating this is for all involved. For decades, society was oblivious to the animal’s suffering and their true emotional and physical condition in captivity and now we cannot sit in denial anymore. It is time to make a change and that will have to come about through the work of the general public. It looks as if SeaWorld will not make these changes on their own since there is a multibillion dollar industry at stake. If you have ever enjoyed a day at the parks and enjoyed the orca and dolphin shows, then now is the time to pay them back that appreciation by helping to free them from this life of torture and isolation.

Times have already started to change as the government will not allow trainers in water with the orcas anymore. It has been deemed too dangerous and too unpredictable for the humans. On May 30, 2012 a judge ruled that during shows, SeaWorld trainers must now remain behind barriers, separated from the orcas. The film not only covered deaths at the parks but documented numerous encounters with whales pulling trainers under water and holding them underwater for minutes at a time, nearly drowning them. The orcas are seen grabbing, pushing and slamming into trainers aggressively, often injuring them. The film states that there are 70 plus killer whale/trainer accidents/encounters officially on record. By the looks of these documented encounters, many of these trainers are very lucky to be alive.

In a recent interview, the filmmaker, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, stated that it was not her goal to shut SeaWorld down. She wants SeaWorld front and center of the evolution of the animal entertainment industry. She stated that she would like to see SeaWorld step up and build sea aquariums for the whales still in captivity. It is often too dangerous to release them back in to the wild as they have become too conditioned to receive food from their trainers for tricks and they might not be able to hunt and feed themselves. Also, they might not be able to reunite with their pod of origin, and orcas rely on the pod for food and survival. They work as a team for hunting, traveling and protection from other dangers. It seems the most humane thing to do for them now is to retire them from work and from the chorine pools into larger restricted areas within the sea. This way they are still protected and allowed to swim in their natural environment for the last years of their life. The idea is to let these captive orcas and dolphins rest and not have to perform for their food anymore. The goal that activists have in mind is to phase out the captive animals from the entertainment industry. This will take years and would involve not continuing to breed orcas in captivity and not to capture them from the wild anymore. As concerned members of society, we need to make sure this is the last generation of captive whales. 

Change will start with us. We have to unite and make our voices heard. Let SeaWorld know that this is not acceptable and that we will not continue to visit their parks and fork over our money to continue this treatment any longer. We owe it to the whales as they have no voice in this. We need to release them from this obligation of having to perform to entertain us. They do not deserve this treatment and they never did. If we refuse to buy tickets then SeaWorld can’t invest our money in the continuation of animal capture and captivity. Too long we have stood by quietly and let these animals suffer on our behalf. Too long have we turned a blind eye and thought the animals are surely cared for and are happy. They are not happy. Orcas are used to swimming 90-100 miles a day and dolphins swim up to 50-100 miles. They are fed dead frozen fish in captivity and are only fed when they perform and work hard. In the wild they are carefree, happy and eat fresh fish that they hunt. They live in very social pods and their family units are fully intact with the whales never leaving their mothers side even as adults. These pods are intact until humans come along and snatch the babies from their mother’s side.

SeaWorld will have to make a decision. They can either get on board for this evolution of the industry or they can refuse to help and continue to state that there is nothing wrong with holding these whales captive. If they chose not to be part of this inevitable change, then they will eventually be forced to close their doors. They have been a huge part of this problem and the only way they can try to salvage some of their reputation would be to get involved and advocate for the animals they publicly claim to love so much - the very animals that put those massive profits in their pocket and the animals that they are continuing to torture. They need to retire these whales, and they need to throw their power and money behind stopping the dolphin massacre in Taiji, Japan where 23,000 dolphins are brutally slaughtered every year. One of the main reasons that keeps this hunting practice in place is the fact that Japanese fisherman get $150,000 per dolphin that the trainers chose to take back to their aquariums to train for shows. The rest of the dolphins are brutally murdered and sold for meat to unsuspecting locals even though the meat contains toxic levels of mercury. Check out the documentary The Cove for more on this issue. The fisherman claim that they will continue this practice as long as money is coming in from trainers at these aquariums including SeaWorld. There is a lot at stake here and we have to rise up and demand that this brutality stop right now.

Even though this powerful film wasn’t eventually nominated for an Academy Award, it is expected to have a lasting impact on viewers. Hopefully it will ignite a movement that will forever change the animal entertainment industry. This film gave a clear message, and that message is that this is a problem that we can solve. It is a call to action. We have the ability to bring about change here, and it is our duty to these fellow mammals to follow through as they cannot help themselves out of this mess. The human race has tortured these animals long enough, and it is time that we take a stand for them. One thing is very clear from this film – this must stop!

Note to the filmmaker: In order to spread this message to as many people as possible to fuel this movement, I believe children will be the key to real and lasting change. However, as a psychologist, I am hesitant to condone showing young children and even young adolescents the entire Blackfish film, as it could be very upsetting and traumatic for young minds. It seems like it would be healthier for them to see a shortened version of the film. My suggestion is to edit a special version of the film and cut down the current film to maybe 30 minutes that only shows the conditions they live in and how it impacts the whales physically and psychologically. If the scenes where the animals killed the trainers and the scenes that chronicle the brutality of the capture of the whales were cut out, then the shortened film can be shown to children and hopefully in schools, churches, and homes across the country. I believe the children will be the key to making a difference here. It is easy to convince adults to boycott or speak out, but the children are the reason that families attend SeaWorld in the first place. Let's not forget that children were the reason for freeing Keiko in real life. Keiko was the captured whale who played Willy in Free Willy. Children banded together and raised money across the country in classrooms and took in $100,000. They didn't want him to live in this misery and they wanted him reunited with his family in Iceland. Children made this possible and got the attention of wealthy businessmen who donated the rest of the money needed to return Keiko to the wild. Children are a powerful force and could give this movement the momentum it needs to put an end to this whole operation. 

*Special Note - Due to the fact that SeaWorld was stating that Blackfish presented some false statements about their treatment of their captured whales, I explored this issue of animal capture and captivity in several related documentaries before writing this review. Everything was consistent in each documentary. Thus, I feel the information in this blog is accurate and well researched. Here is a list of related documentaries. I encourage others to keep researching this issue for themselves.

The Whale Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9Gm0wINeaU

The Cove Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KRD8e20fBo

Saving Flipper Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTrAY_hHi4s

Frontline: A Whale of A Documentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3fZ2dMdtu8

Lolita Slave to Entertainment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IzkreT6BYg

Keiko The Untold Story Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9xItzQ8gY8

Blackfish Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLOeH-Oq_1Y

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars: It was powerful, emotionally stirring, intense and gripping. Your inner activist will be unleashed!

Les Miserables is Spellbinding

By Heather Hardison, PhD.

Victor Hugo’s bleak, grim story has new life thanks to director Tom Hooper, who has already stunned film goers with The King’s Speech and has proved that he has staying power in Hollywood. Les Miserables comes across as a stunning, epic masterpiece – visually and musically. Les Mis has become one of the most beloved Broadway musicals in the past several decades, and a non-musical film adaptation starring Claire Danes, Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush was released 1998; however, this new film adaptation of the musical is chilling and breathtaking as the explosive musical numbers from the Broadway version burst onto the film screen. Not only is it emotionally intense, but it is literally gut wrenching at times. 

The best description for this adaptation is that it takes you on a wonderfully intense emotional journey that captures the very essence of being human and covers all of the emotions felt in the span of a lifetime ranging from despair, grief, heartbreak, sorrow, and pain to joy, contentment, love, and hope. One of the underlying threads in this film that is the most uplifting is the compassion of the human spirit. Jean Valjean displays compassion so artfully throughout all of his interactions with the main characters – Javert, Cosette, Marius, and of course Fantine. 

Although this film focuses so much on the dreariness of life and the pain of poverty and destruction of oppression, it also teaches us all that compassion lies at the core of our essence. No matter how violent and cruel the world can be and no matter how much the world may try to stomp out our spirits, compassion can arise and hope can thrive. 

This is first expressed when the priest shows compassion and forgiveness to Valjean even after he has stolen vast amounts of silver from the priest in the dead of the night after he has taken Valjean in when everyone else turned him away. The priest tells the police that he gave Valjean the silver and commands them to release him. He then tells Valjean that he is saving his soul and requests that he make something of his life now that it is spared. 

This permanently changes Valjean and causes him to reexamine his life and purpose. From that point forward, Valjean models how self-sacrifice and compassion can cleanse the soul of past sins. Love can renew hope within even the most downtrodden and can transform even a criminal into a saint. 

Valjean’s compassion touches so many lives throughout the film and leaves us with renewed hope for the human race. Valjean’s mercy and numerous sacrifices even cause Javert to question his own desire to continue to hunt Valjean for breaking parole. Javert struggles internally with how to exist in a world where Valjean runs free. His self-identity is based on his duty as a law enforcer and he can’t imagine living in a world where he abandons that responsibility or fails in his attempts to bring him to justice. After Valjean makes the choice not to kill him, Javert wrestles with the choice to continue to hunt him or let him go. He starts to question the integrity of Valjean and wonders if he judged him unfairly all those years ago.

Javert ultimately decides that only one can exist, and as Valjean has shown him mercy by releasing him, Javert feels that he has no choice but to take himself out of the world. The foundation on which he based his life has now crumbled and he doesn’t know how to go own when his foundation has been shaken to the core. In a way Javert is sacrificing himself so that Valjean can go on living in peace without being pursued, but Javert is also releasing himself of that duty and the torment of living a life knowing that he has not fulfilled the duty that he swore to uphold. As Javert plummets to his death the long-lived connection between Javert and Valjean is severed and both men are allowed to rest in peace as Valjean passes on not long after Javert.

Valjean’s emotional transformation is uplifting. His renewed hope comes when he chooses to take on the responsibility of young Cosette, the orphaned daughter of Fantine who died as the result of a life on the street as a prostitute to make enough money to pay Cosette’s way at the Inn. Valjean was so moved by the tragic demise of Fantine that he committed on the spot to rescue Cosette and raise her as his own as she would have no real future ahead of her unless he intervened. 

Valjean is immediately entranced by the innocence and beauty of Cosette who possesses the purest voice that will pierce your soul. As she sweetly serenades us with “Castle on a Cloud” it is easy to see how she captures Valjean’s heart instantaneously.

Les Mis is a love story on many levels and the deepest love portrayed is that of Valjean for Cosette and her love for him in return. He was lost in life until he met her and she gave him a renewed purpose, which saved his life. She gave him a way to also redeem his soul through self-sacrifice as a way to atone for his past sins. He sacrifices much of his life for Cosette’s protection and future. He describes her as “a gift of love” and a “love that warms my heart.” Due to Cosette he can “suddenly see what I couldn’t see before.” 

As the story unfolds over many years there is another love story that develops and we see hope blossom with the young, idealistic love of Cosette and Marius. She has a new protector that Valjean deems good enough to care for and love her when Valjean passes. This story ultimately is about the power of love and how it can transform us even in our darkest hours when all hope has been lost.

The scope of this film is epic and grandeur. The cinematography is stunning and unforgettable. It was a feast for the eyes and the ears simultaneously. It boldly kisses all of the senses awake leaving you bursting with joy, sadness and complete fulfillment as it all culminates in majestic form. I felt completely overwhelmed with emotion and was stunned from the majestic journey I had taken from the grand opening scene with Valjean hoisting the ship with fellow prisoners to his last breath surrounded by the love of his life.

This musical film adaptation sets itself apart from other film musicals as director Tom Hopper had a vision to capture the rawness of the performances by shooting scenes live and in one single uncut shot. This may compromise vocals at times but adds an emotional genuineness that would otherwise be lost if actors were attempting to match up their movements and lyrics with a previously recorded track. Some critics may harp on the scenes and vocals that are not perfect; however, the emotional scenes captured in this film are chilling. This directorial choice seems to be fitting given the content of the film. As the story chronicles the lives of those who live on the street in poverty or live on the run, the authenticity of the emotions felt as they express their sorrow and pain through song is utterly vital to the storyline. There is a gritty, raw visceral experience that is evoked with the imperfections in some of the vocals, which would most definitely have been lost had they inserted a polished track from the studio in its place. Anne Hathaway's version of "I Dreamed a Dream" is a perfect example of how this choice paid off for Hooper. It is reported that she delivered that unbelievable performance in only 1 uncut take. It stands out as the most memorable moment of the entire film!

At times Jackman’s voice in particular came across as strained and nasally; however, the emotion that he unleashes in his performance is phenomenal. Jackman turned in his most emotionally gripping film performance which is most likely due to the freedom that he stated he felt as they filmed in the moment. Hooper wanted each of the actors to feel in control of their own acting choices as they sang live and those choices would have been restricted if those scenes were pre-recorded.

The entire cast is impressive. You can imagine how demanding each of these roles would be as actors were asked to sing constantly throughout the film, and many scenes were shot uncut which adds much more pressure. In this way it resembles a Broadway production rather than a film. Actors were expected to sing up to 12 hours a day and maintaining top vocal quality was next to impossible. You could detect strained voices and fatigued actors throughout certain scenes which mirrored the characters they portrayed who would have been distraught, exhausted and exasperated. Hooper stated that he was also hoping to appeal to non-musical lovers by capturing the action in the moment and not through lip synced scenes. "The thing about this form is when you get it right, it offers an emotional power few other forms can," says Hooper. "The full power of melody and music with acting and lyrics — the combination creates a heightened reality.”

 

There were so many incredible performances in this film. Hugh Jackman carried the entire film emotionally, and much like Valjean himself seemed to be a father figure to many. 

It would be shocking if the Oscar was not presented to Anne Hathaway with a bow on top for her jaw dropping, stunning performance! Hathaway delivers such a moving and stirring performance as Fantine that her short 15-20 minute presence haunts you throughout the entire film until her reappearance at Valjean’s death, which was the most emotionally stirring moment. Try holding in the tears at the height of that final moment. Her voice is chilling. I had goosebumps and still do every time I hear her rendition.

One aspect of this production that should be praised above all else was the buildup of intensity throughout the film. It continued to build musically and emotionally scene after scene, and the last hour of the film lifts you higher than you can imagine. It culminates in an emotional tear-jerking scene with the reappearance of Fantine at Valjean’s death. Fantine’s angelic call to Valjean to join her where "the chains will never bind you” is so emotionally stirring that even the toughest “gent” would struggle not to feel choked up. Valjean finally finds peace as Fantine assures him that his grief is at last behind him. She has come to lead him to salvation. This scene leaves us with a main message of this film which is that "To love another person is to see the face of God." 

Then the chanting from the lost souls of “Can you hear the people sing,” leaves you on an uplifting note, which completes the emotional journey from sorrow, grief and pain to joy and love. This film spans every emotion you can conjure and may leave you feeling like an emotional wreak by the end, but what a wonderful feeling it is to experience the complete range of human emotion in under 3 hours time. It is what keeps most theater goers coming back to musical theater over and over again, and now has successfully crossed over into the film experience. The live singing had a powerful impact and did seem to increase the drama which stays with you even after leaving the theater.

There were just a few drawbacks to this film. At times the actor’s voices were strained and even flat, which could be overlooked given the fact that it was live. Singing each line of dialogue becomes silly and unnatural which can grate on the nerves of even a musical theater fan. The talk/singing format does compromise the quality of the vocal performances as it is hard for the actors to reach a lift in their voices when they are constantly starting and stopping due to short lines intertwined with other actors.

My biggest complaint would be that I was left wanting to see more of some of my favorite characters such as Fantine, Cosette and Eponine. Their performances were so dynamic that they deserved more screen time and fans will be very eager to see the uncut 4 hour version if Hooper ever decides to release it. 

Many critics have beat up Crowe as Javert for being vocally outmatched, but I felt his performance was impressive especially when performing “Stars” and “Javert’s Suicide.” He is allowed to show his vocal range and emotional complexity in these individual performances. His vocals seemed to suffer when singing the dialogue parts and when interacting with other actors, but he exceeded my expectations based on what I had heard from early viewers of the film. “Stars” turned out to be one of my favorite songs from the whole film.

Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen turned in stellar comedic portrayals of the Innkeeper and the Innkeeper’s wife. These two make perfect cunning con artists. The humor they provide is a nice break from the heavy sorrow that hovers throughout the rest of the story. Their performances are very reminiscent of Sweeny Todd. 

The biggest surprise for me was Samantha Banks as Eponine. Her performance came out of nowhere for me as I had never heard of her and she left a lasting impression on me. She will be one to watch in the future as her potential is off the charts.

It turns out she had played Eponine in earlier theater versions of Les Miserables and beat out major stars for the role including Taylor Swift and the incomparable Lea Michelle who has already sung “On My Own” on the first episode of GLEE. Although I am a HUGE Lea Michelle fan, Banks turned out to be a great choice as she commanded the scene when she poured out her heart in her  rendition of “On My Own.” Her vocals were as smooth as velvet and full of passion and longing for Marius. Her pain and heartache was so soulful that it was almost tangible.

Jackman hits the spot emotionally and carries this cast by performing in most scenes. His vocal performance wasn’t as strong as I had expected given his Broadway success in Oklahoma and The Boy from Oz. I am a fan of his previous Broadway performances and I expected him to own this film. It seems that his vocal performance may have suffered from straining his voice in his numerous scenes where he pours his heart out as Valjean. “Bring Him Home” was rough in my opinion and was the only song that I hoped would end prematurely. However, he was the perfect choice for Jean Valjean and delivered on so many levels.

Amanda Seyfried has the purest voice especially in her upper register. At times she hits notes that are simply breathtaking and seem ultrasonic. She is classically trained and has turned in previous stellar performances in Mamma Mia, but she takes it to a new level in Les Mis. She had wonderful chemistry with Marius as the young, hopeful lovers. It would have been nice to see Seyfried in more scenes as her voice is hypnotizing.

Newcomer, Daniel Huttlestone dazzled us as Gavroche. At just 12 years of age, Huttlestone makes a lasting impression as the lively, youngster who joins fellow brothers in the revolution only to meet his early demise. It was disappointing to many that his solo did not make it on the soundtrack. It was definitely one of the most light-hearted moments in the film.

Eddie’s version of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” evoked such gut wrenching grief and sorrow and was eerily haunting. It was another standout moment for me. The heartache that he portrays as the only survivor from the revolution massacre is as he says “a grief that can’t be spoken and the pain goes on and on.”

Jackman and Hathaway not only turned in unforgettable performances but fully committed to their roles by drastically transforming their bodies and overall appearances. Hathaway, who has always appeared very lean on film, shed 25 pounds to play the tragic and woeful prostitute Fantine.

Jackman lost 30 pounds and went 36 hours straight without water to appear even more emaciated and starved at the request of Hopper to appear totally unrecognizable. Jackman remarked that it was the craziest thing he had done in his entire life.

Hathaway also had her actual hair chopped off in the gripping scene where tragic Fantine sells her beautiful locks to provide for Cosette. Fortunately she was able to capture the emotion needed in one take as that was the only option.

Overall, this film is spellbinding. The lyrics and melodies are captivating and the emotions are totally consuming. It will be a film that will be beloved for many decades to come and rightfully so.

5 out of 5 stars – Enchanting, haunting, enthralling and a transforming experience