These days the Movie ‘Les Miserables’ often comes up in conversation. I saw the musical version of it twice. The first time was at the Broadway and several years later watched it again in Seoul when the Broadway theater visited. Although I haven’t seen many musicals, I always have been thinking ‘Les Miserables’ is the best musical ever made. What makes this work so special? The songs are fantastic but sometimes they seem to be repetitive, and the performance on the stage is a little bit old-fashioned. However its story is immortal and this gives the eternal life to the musical.

Last Friday, I went to see the movie with 유희왕. It was her second time to watch it but after the movie ended she told me that she shed even more tears than the first time. I dropped tears at the last scene, too.

영화가 끝나고 감동을 주체할 수 없었던 우리는 근처의 일본식 주점에서 사케를 한 잔씩 걸치며 영화에 대한 감상평을 늘어놓았다. 방에 돌아오니 2시였다. 대충 씻고 눈을 좀 붙인 다음, 아침 일찍 일어나 고속버스터미널로 가서 서울행 버스를 탔다. 찾아보니 유투브에 레미제라블 뮤지컬 10주년 기념 공연 영상이 올라와있기에 음악을 들으며 잠을 좀 자보려고 했는데, 간밤의 감동이 되살아나면서 결국 한 숨도 자지 못 했다. 10시에 딱 맞춰 학원에 도착. 1시까지 이탈리아어 수업을 들었다. 과거시제 문장을 만드는 법을 배운 이후로 수업 난이도가 확 올라간 느낌이다. 더 열심히 공부하지 않으면 따라가기가 벅찰 것 같다.

레미제라블 소설을 주문했다. 한국 출판사들은 무슨 대목이라도 만난 양, 5권짜리 양장본을 출판하는 등 난리를 치고 있는 모양인데 난 Penguin Books의 7,900원짜리 페이퍼백을 주문했다.

These days, Les Miserables the movie comes up in conversation frequently. I saw its musical version twice―at the Broadway first and the same theater’s tour in Seoul several years later. I haven’t seen many musicals. Even so, I have always thought Les Miserables is the best of that genre ever made. What makes this work so special? The songs are fantastic, of course. They, however, seem to be repetitive sometimes; and the stage performance is a little bit old-fashioned. Despite all that, its story is immortal, and that is what gives this masterpiece eternal life.

I went to see its screen adaptation with my friend last Friday. She had watched it before. And yet, after the film ended, she told me that she wept even more this time. I, too, shed tears during the last scene.