Details

Release year: 1978

Storyline

Jean Valjean (Richard Jordan), convicted of stealing bread, is hounded for several decades by the relentless and cruel Policeman Javert (Anthony Perkins).

Top credits

Directors

Glenn Jordan

Writers

Cast

Richard Jordan — Jean Valjean
Anthony Perkins — Javert
Cyril Cusack — Fauchelevent
Claude Dauphin — Bishop Myriel

See all 40 credits →

Awards

0 wins & 1 nomination

See all awards →

Did you know

• In the novel upon which this film is based, Jean Valjean was sentenced to 5 years for theft, a sentence extended by increments of 3 years for 4 escape attempts, plus 2 years for resisting on one of his captures, for a total of 19 years. Here, he is sentenced to 5 years for theft, then is given an additional 5 years for his first escape attempt and 10 years for his second, bringing his total sentence up to 20 years. A third escape attempt is successful, so he only serves 19 of his 20 years. A successful escape somewhat misses one of the points of the original story, that even former convicts who lawfully served their sentences and paid their debt to society were still not given the opportunity to become productive members of it.

• Monsieur and Madame Thénardier, main characters in the novel, who dog Valjean throughout his time in Paris, appear in only one scene here. A young girl, presumably their daughter Éponine, is seen very briefly in a non-speaking appearance. In the novel she is also a main character, engaging in a love triangle with Marius and Cosette. Gavroche, the Thénardier's eldest son, does have a substantial role here, though no connection is made between him and the innkeepers who looked after Cosette.

• In the book, Monsieur Thenardier identifies himself as "Napoleon's Sergeant". Sir Ian Holm played Napoleon in several movies.