‘Les Miserables’ Racks Up Oscar, BAFTA Nominations

The latest film version of “Les Miserables” racked up a slew of Oscar and BAFTA nominations this week.

For the Academy Awards, “Les Mis” was nominated for Best Picture and earned seven other nominations. Individual nominations went to Hugh Jackman (Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Valjean) and Anne Hathaway (Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Fantine).

Other nominees for Oscars are Tony-winning songwriters Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil for the new song “Suddenly” they wrote specifically for the film. Other nominations the film received were Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound Mixing and Best Hairstyling.

The film gathered nine nominations at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), including Best Film. Other nominations were for Outstanding British Film, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, and Makeup and Hair. Jackman and Hathaway were nominated for Leading Actor and Supporting Actress, respectively.

Cameron Mackintosh spoke to the RadioTimes about the recognition the film has received from these organizations.

“It’s fantastic!” he said. “We’ve got the BAFTA and the Golden Globes and now we’ve got a very healthy clutch of Academy nominations. I’m thrilled that so many facets of making this film have been recognized and it’s a great tribute to the craftsmanship of the British film industry.”

He also spoke of the fact that director Tom Hooper wasn’t nominated for a BAFTA or an Oscar.

“Of course I’m disappointed for him because without his vision we couldn’t have made this film, but I’ve lived long enough in the theatre to know that what one thinks is right isn’t necessarily how things happen,” Mackintosh said. “Having had a lifetime of winning some and losing even more, I’ve become inured to the strange choices and the fact is that politics always take place and Tom did win last time at the Academy Awards.”

The last statement refers to Hooper’s win for his last effort, “The King’s Speech.”