Sunday, January 6, 2013

How authentic were the uniforms in Les Miz?

I really liked the movie. The dry dock scene was a stretch because ships come in at high tide and not dragged in at low. This does make a powerful scene though. How about the uniforms? Here are a few photos from the film and period images found at The Vinkhuijzen collection of military uniforms at the New York Public Library....
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgtitle_tree.cfm?title_id=269277&level=1 
and various sources such as   http://gallica.bnf.fr/?lang=FR

You be the judge....                                    Cuirassiers



(BTW, the wood and plaster elephant sculpture model above was in the book and was real.)







                                                                          Dragoons




                                                                         Infantry















                                                                  Gendarmes and police





The movie came close with some Napoleonic uniforms retooled for the 1830s. I did notice at the final barricade scene that "bodies" with 1840s frock coats were strewn about. (click)





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