Les Miserable

Documentary about Victor Hugo's novel "Les Miserables." Victor Hugo's 1862 masterpiece not only reflects his intense concern with penal reform, but it more broadly captures the burdens of the poor and working class -- a "first" in popular literature -- in the guise of a gripping human drama. The novel tells the epic story of Jean Valjean, a good man condemned to hard labor for petty theft, and his tormented attempts to regain freedom and dignity in the shadow of the merciless legal system. The program explores Hugo's prolific artistry and political activism.