In 1995, French director Claude Lelouch adapted Les Miserables for the screen. Instead of post-Revolutionary France, he transposed the story to Nazi-occupied France. Though this adaptation didn't get much attention in the states, it's very successful. You can imagine the parallels during the time periods–and the actors are very good. Perhaps the success of this adaptation pushed for an American film version of the musical. In 1998, Les Miserables was released starring Liam Neeson as Valjean, Geoffrey Rush as Javert, Uma Thurman as Fantine, and Claire Danes as Cosette. It was a flop. ("Made me feel transported back to high school history class," wrote Roger Ebert.) It's easy as a director to get too confident when you have Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush on a bill but it was tedious and flat, which is the opposite of the play: frothy, heady-and rich with opportunities for hot European actors to rip their shirts off. READ MORE