hankyoreh

which is now showing to large audiences in South Korea.

By Park Bo-mi, staff reporter

"It’s a heart-wrenching, tragic story, but in a way it also offers the consolation that we're not the only ones who are hurting, and the hope to rise above the pain and keep going."

Jeong Sang-hui, a 26-year-old jobseeker, watched the film Les Miserables on Dec. 19. She said that the movie touches simultaneously on the themes of pain and hope.

On Dec. 26, only eight days after its release, Les Miserables (directed by Tom Hooper) had surpassed two million viewers in Korea, making it one of the most talked about films at the end of the year. To see just how popular it is, compare the ticket sales with another Hollywood blockbuster, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which was released on Dec. 13. It took The Hobbit 12 days to reach the two million mark.

As of Jan. 3, 3.98 million viewers had seen the film in South Korea and it continues to be the most attended film in the country.

Les Miserables is a novel by famous French writer Victor Hugo. It was adapted as a musical by English musical writer Cameron Mackintosh in 1985 and has maintained its popularity for the twenty-seven years that have passed since then. Adapted for Hollywood this year, the musical has finally arrived on the big screen.

The main characters of the film include Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), who spends 19 years in prison for stealing a single loaf of bread, and Fantine (Anne Hathaway), whose poverty forces her into a life of tragedy. The story is set in Paris, France, in the first half of the 19th century, where the lives of the commoners are wretched even after the French Revolution. Another part of the plot is the story of student revolutionaries including young Marius (Eddie Redmayne). Staying faithful to the original, this version of Les Miserables deals not only with the lives of characters such as Jean Valjean and Fantine but also captures the spirit of the revolution, complete with the barricades and rebellion.

The movie is being enjoyed by a wide range of viewers. "The revolution may fail," admits graduate student Lee Jae-uk, 26, "but the film tells us that there are always people who fight and that, one day, they will win."

"I was touched by the human affection shown through Jean Valjean's forgiveness and love," observed homemaker Kim Hae-yeon, 52.

There are many people who suggest that the main factor in Les Miserable's success at the box office is the consolation and healing it provides for those who were disappointed by the results of this year's presidential election. "It seems that the people who found themselves in shock after the election are finding intellectual and cultural therapy through this musical film, which tells of hope in the midst of despair and offers spectacle on the screen with solemn music," said film critic Jeong Ji-ok.

The power of healing was also mentioned by the film distributor as a factor. 

"The movie happened to correspond directly with the election issue, and it seems to be serving as group therapy for some viewers," said a representative of Universal Pictures International (UPI) Korea.

Other viewers of Les Miserables include quite a few families who hope to enjoy a film adaptation of a classic French work of literature with their children. There are also some employees who have opted for a viewing of the film as their "cultural end-of-the-year gathering.” As talk of the movie spreads on Facebook and Twitter, more and more people are seeing it for a second or third time. 

"People in their twenties and thirties, who compose the majority of filmgoers, started heading to the theater en masse from the time the movie opened," said a representative for the film distributor.

"The early success was helped by public holidays including election day and Christmas, and this coincided with talk that the film could help comfort those who are upset about the results of the election."

Park Ju-seok, a manager at marketing and PR company Lemon Tree, said that Les Miserables has the potential to surpass the 4,530,000 tickets sold by Mamma Mia! in 2008 and become Korea's most successful musical film.

The original novel is also flying off the shelves. Just in time for the release of the movie, Minumsa Publishing House added a five-volume edition of Les Miserables to its World Literature Classics Collection.

"Reviews for the movie were positive, so there was already interest in the book even before it was released," said a representative with Minumsa Publishing House.

"Before the release, 35,000 copies of the book were sold, and in the week after the movie opened readers bought 30,000 more."

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]