'Les Miserables' 2012 movie trailer released: Anne Hathaway dreams a dream
Do you hear the people sing?
And the whole thing is a showcase for Jersey girl (and soon-to-be-Bat-seductress) Anne Hathaway, who plays the plum role of Fantine, the working mom who sells everything she has -- including her hair and, later, her body -- to support her little girl. "I Dreamed a Dream" is the first act's show-stopping number, and in this clip Hathaway milks it for every drop of emotion.
We also see the chopping of her hair -- which explains why Hathaway has been sporting a pixie look of late. As in her Oscar-nominated performance in "Rachel Getting Married," the actress is clearly not afraid of looking less than glamorous for a good role.
The film -- which reaches theaters in December -- also stars Hugh Jackman as convict turned mayor and father Jean Valjean, Russell Crowe as his nemesis, the unbending policeman Javert, and Amanda Seyfried of "Mamma Mia!" fame as Cosette, the daughter that (spoiler alert!) Fantine dies trying to protect. (Irish singing superstar Colm Wilkinson, who created the role of Jean Valjean in the very first London production of "Les Mis" has a bit part as the saintly Bishop of Digne, who sets Jean on the path to righteousness.)
The film is generating buzz not only for its cast, but because director Tom Hooper -- he last directed the Oscar-winning "The King's Speech" -- filmed the actors singing, instead of having them record their numbers and lip-synch through the scenes later.