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.
Creator
Josée Dayan
Gérard Depardieu
Jean Valjean
John Malkovich
Javert
Christian Clavier
Thénardier
Asia Argento
Éponine Thénardier
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Fantine
Jeanne Moreau
Mère Innocente
Veronica Ferres
Madame Thénardier
Virginie Ledoyen
Cosette
Enrico Lo Verso
Marius
Giovanna Mezzogiorno
Soeur Simplice
Vadim Glowna
Fauchelevent
Steffen Wink
Enjolras
Léopoldine Serre
Cosette enfant
Michel Duchaussoy
Gillenormand
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.
FR
