


Season 1 • Episode 4
LatestSet against the background of the French Revolution and based on Victor Hugo's classic novel this is the story of Jean Valjean who is sent to prison for stealing a loaf of bread and is released after nineteen years. He meets and cares for a beautiful but poverty-stricken young girl named Fantine who has daughter Cosette. After Fantine's death Valjean brings Cosette up but he is haunted by Javert - a policeman whose search for Valjean has become an obsession.
Acting
Malkovich's Javert: restraint so tight it vibrates.
Production
Grime-forward period detail. You can smell the misery.
Costume
Fantine's downward spiral in fabric form.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Jeanne Moreau filmed her scenes as Mère Innocente while already ill; this was her final major television role.
Josée Dayan deliberately cast against physical type—Depardieu's bear-like Valjean emphasizes the impossibility of hiding in a society that won't forget.