Synopsis

After serving 19 years of hard labor for stealing bread, Jean Valjean is released on parole and rejected by society. An act of compassion inspires him to reinvent himself under a new identity, but his peaceful life is threatened when Inspector Javert recognizes him. As political unrest spreads through France, Valjean must choose between protecting his family and confronting his past.

Factoids & Trivia

• This 1998 production adapts Victor Hugo's 1862 novel directly rather than the popular stage musical. It contains no musical numbers.

• The screenplay was written by Rafael Yglesias, who condensed Hugo's sprawling narrative into a 134-minute period drama centered on the moral conflict between Valjean and Javert.

• Principal photography took place in the Czech Republic, including Prague, Kutna Hora, and Barrandov Studios. Prague's historic architecture helped double for early nineteenth-century France.

• Basil Poledouris composed the original score. His music gives the film an orchestral, dramatic identity distinct from the familiar songs associated with the stage and 2012 musical versions.

• The film was produced by Mandalay Entertainment and released theatrically through TriStar Pictures in the United States on May 1, 1998.

• Although the story reaches the June Rebellion of 1832, the production focuses more heavily on the personal and philosophical struggle between law and mercy than on large-scale revolutionary spectacle.

• The film earned approximately $14.1 million worldwide.