Les Misérables - 1958

Part 1: France, 1815: Convict Jean Valjean, who has been imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread and numerous escape attempts, is finally released from prison. Bishop Myriel, whom he tries to rob after his release, saves Valjean from being re-arrested and paves the way for a better future with the gift of valuable silver candlesticks. Stunned by this experience of selfless generosity, Jean Valjean decides to devote his life to helping the needy. A decade passes between the beginning and end of this first film, during which Jean Valjean changes his identity several times to escape his past. Javert, the son of a former guard at the Toulon prison, is constantly on his heels. In his new life as mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer, Valjean meets Fantine, a prostitute who has sold everything except her teeth and her golden hair to get money. She sent the little money she had to the Thénardier family, who are boarding her daughter Cosette in their inn. While the Thénardier family demands more and more money, Cosette has to work hard and is mistreated. To fulfill the dying Fantine's last wish, Valjean sets out to find the little girl. Part 2: France, 1830: The people are divided between supporters of the republic and the monarchy. A new revolution is in the air in the cafés of Paris. After the death of his father, a Napoleonic colonel, the young student Marius renounces his aristocratic life and moves to the capital to live with the Thénardier family. In addition to his new political activities, he is also preoccupied with his affection for a lady he does not know. It is Cosette, whom he encounters again and again during her usual walks through the parks of Paris. Under the supervision of Jean Valjean, Cosette has grown into a carefree, sensitive young woman. During one of their walks through the city, Cosette and Valjean witness a woman being arrested. She had stolen a piece of bread out of hunger. Valjean had once served a long prison sentence for the same offense. Thanks to his intervention, the young thief remains free and accompanies her benefactors to their wealthy home. Valjean and Cosette do not realize that the thief is the Thénardiers' daughter, Éponine. The renewed encounter between the two families reveals Valjean's new identity, which leads Inspector Javert to track him down. Meanwhile, Marius and his republican comrades prepare for a long night of barricades.