Les Misérables (1909 film)

Les Misérables is a 1909 American silent historical drama proto-feature film (four short films that can be seen separately as a series, but when combined resemble a full-length feature film). The proto-feature movie is based on the 1862 French novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, and stars Maurice Costello and William V. Ranous. It was directed by J. Stuart Blackton.

Les Misérables
Directed byJ. Stuart Blackton
Based onLes Misérables
1862 novel
by Victor Hugo
StarringMaurice Costello
William V. Ranous
Distributed byVitagraph Company of America
Release date
  • September 4, 1909 (1909-09-04)
Running time
4 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent
English intertitles

Distributed by the Vitagraph Company of America, the film consists of four reels.[1] The reels were released over the course of three months, from September 4 to November 27, 1909.[2][3]

Plot

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The film relates the lives of the French people during 20 years in the 19th century. The story focuses on Jean Valjean (Costello), an honest man who is running from an obsessive police inspector chasing him for an insignificant offense. Valjean escapes being incarcerated.

Cast

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Schickel, Richard (1996). D.W. Griffith: An American Life. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 155. ISBN 0-879-10080-X.
  2. ^ Abel, Richard, ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of Early Cinema. Taylor & Francis. p. 456. ISBN 0-415-23440-9.
  3. ^ Grieveson, Lee; Krämer, Peter, eds. (2004). The Silent Cinema Reader. Psychology Press. p. 240. ISBN 0-415-25284-9.
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