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Les Miserables

Learn English with this musicals English lesson

Date: Dec 28 2012

Themes: Pop Culture

Grammar: Simple Future Tense

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Intro

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melodramatic

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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One of the most popular musicals of all time is coming to the big screen. A brand new adaptation of Les Miserables, the classic tale of love, justice, and the French Revolution, will be in theaters soon. Based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo, the musical has all the elements of a romantic epic.

The thing about musicals, though, is that some people love them, and some people really hate them. Those who love them love the melodrama and the fantasy. Those who hate them usually hate them for the same reasons. Learn what Marni and Greta think in this movies English lesson.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Greta

Marni: I have to say, there’s a new musical coming out, but I don’t think I can bring myself to see it, because…I don’t like musicals.

Greta: I have to say, I love Les Mis. I saw it on stage, I think I’ve probably seen it on stage two or three times, and I saw the movie that came out maybe six or seven years ago, and it was not that great, but it was not a musical. It was an adaptation of the book, and didn’t have any of the music in it.

Marni: OK. So this is a straightforward adaptation of the actual musical?

Greta: This one coming out in December is the musical.

Marni: Got it. Gosh, don’t you think, you know, musicals, they just get so melodramatic. They’re kinda corny.

Greta: I think it’s great. I think it’s a way for emotion and sentiment on a grand scale to come through.

Marni: OK.

Greta: Because we all have those feelings, but we don’t sing about them in real life.

Marni: This is true.

Greta: Mm hm.

Marni: Well, I had never thought about it that way. Who knows, maybe I’ll be persuaded to go see it.

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Marni has heard that a new movie version of Les Miserables, or Les Mis, as fans refer to it, is coming out. She doesn’t want to see it, though, because she doesn’t like musicals.

Greta loves Les Mis, though, and she likes musicals in general. Marni doesn’t get it. She just thinks that musicals are overly dramatic and corny.

Greta thinks that that’s kind of the point. Musicals provide a way for actors to express emotion in a grand way. Musicals allow big emotions to come out through dramatic performance and song.

That’s a new way to think about it, for Marni. Maybe she’ll try to see Les Mis, after all.

Do you like musicals? Why or why not? Will you try to go see the new movie of Les Miserables?

Comments

1 through 20 of 38
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Hiba2

Israel

OH MY GOD!

I’m In Love With This Novel!

I Just Can’t Wait To See It In The Big Screeen…

I Actually Read The Novel When I Was 12 Years Old, It Was My First Novel!

And I Literally Felt In Love With It!

MY BEST!

southern_star

Mexico

I am really looking forward to watch this movie ..the actors are great and the story too.

I didn´t know it was a musical, but I am glad it is.

shookiba

Israel

sinvester is an holiday of chrishtian

iskierkax1991x

Poland

I don’t like musicals because I find them kind of boring… I don’t like singing moments in movies, I prefer dialogs… It’s not defenitely for me… But I loved Les Miserables tv series!It was great!I can recommend it everyone who does not like musicals either.

ballin25

United Kingdom

WELLCOME 2013 IHOPE BE GOOD YEAR FOR EVERYNOE .

yuminaga

China

I dont know if i like musicals coz i have never seen it on a actual stage .on occasions I watch it on Tv,you know , they always play with foreign languages so I cant understand it at all but Les miserables is great ,i knew it as i was a kid ,I am not sure if i have seen the movie .however ,if Les Mes as one of the most populare novels were coming to BJ ,i would give it a shot!

Sajjad Monti

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I think Les Miserables is one of the most popular novels all over the world,
I like it, certainly the movie is wonderful and I want to watch it, that’s great
about musicals, I don’t know why, but I never have interested in musicals, I think … I don’t like them :))

Olga_Alina

Germany

I love Victor Hugo, but I heven’t read this book. However, the time of French revolution was so tragic… I don’t really want to see tragic musical. If it comes to musicals, I’d prefer something funny, you can laugh out loud like “Hairspray”.

Masbarar

Turkey

The book is good.So the movie and the musical must be good too.It’s a very nice story talking about the actual politic,economic,social situation at that time.Specially about French Revolution.We see that the main reason of the revolution was the economic poverty at that time.It’s similar to the actual revolutions at the Arab countries.Everyting starts with economic problems and after developping with asking the rights.

I prefer to see movies instead of musicals.Musicals are a little boring.

yuanliang800

China

hello

ballin25

United Kingdom

Hi to everyone learn English very epotran we can learn we will .

Gayne

Kazakhstan

I actually read a book and I had not liked musicals till I watched a trailer of the movie. It was fantastic I really love it! I would definitely prefer to watch. Guys, if you want to feel love, pain, hate, happiness,tragedy at the same time you are welcome !!!

Masoud Mo

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

ofcourse I like music and iam agree with greta about realationt beetwen music an emotions.and i like a kind fo film that has music as the important part of into it,bud i havent seen les mis.

guoyi_@hotmail.com

China

i watched film adaotation of le miserable when i was a teenager. i wanner to watch the brand new adptation to understand western world history

Abdul1133

Saudi Arabia

am with Marni i dont like the musical movies i think its a total waste of time even if the singer is populer.

also they r doing things that arent a part of the real world like if the making fun of the audance.

i have no intention to see this movie or any musical one.

winicios

Brazil

\\\\\

Yuci

Japan

I love musicals and I want to see this movie.

But I’ve never read the book version so I wonder if it is interesting for me. If it has only a simple melodramatic story, I will be bored.

Andressa Holland

Brazil

My friends told me about this movie, and I had read the novel by Victor Hugo and I liked it, so I’m looking forward to see this movie.

I agree that musicals can be so dramatic sometimes, but I like it and I think that is a beautiful way to show the humans feelings (manly the most sad one).