Les Mis Adaptation Rankings By Existence of Bahorels
This list has no concern with any other aspect of these adaptations except the existence and quality of their Bahorels! Because what else matters, really?Ā From Best to Nonexistent:
: Les Miserables manga by Takahiro AraiĀ (available in Japanese and French; fan scanlationsĀ and translations for English only)Ā
Araiās Bahorel gets his scarlet waistcoats, his sense of humor, and most of his scenes, plus a few little extra moments scattered through the manga. Excellent character design, high level quality of Presence in all his scenes. Points off for missing the notice-tearing scene and his interactions with Gavroche, but points back for him asking Prouvaire for a love poem and for proper death and mourning scenes, and even omake!Ā an Excellent and Nearly Perfect Bahorel Adaptation, with theĀ ā nearlyāĀ only because of those missing scenes.Ā Les Miserables 1972 (French, fan subtitles only)
an excellently foolhardy and fearless Bahorel!Ā Jean-Pierre MĆ©lian ās wonderful performance makes it even more regrettable that a majority of Bahorelās lines get swiped (sometimes veryĀ Ā weirdly) for other characters. But he still has a wonderful presence, a lot of attention from the visual framing (especially around the barricade), good if often silent interaction with his friends (including a very RomanticĀ bit of death-talk with Prouvaire), a quality death scene, andĀ Ā the poster-tearing scene. Points off (as usual, alas) for lack of any interaction with Gavroche and for everyone else stealing his lines , but still a high quality Bahorel Adaptation.Ā
Les Miserables 1982, (French, fansubs for selected scenes only)
Ā A kinda weird Bahorel in a kinda weird adaptation! He gets his Lawyer Aversion, his sense of humor, and a reasonable amount of screen time.Ā Like much else about 1982, he makes sense in context and not much elseā but heās there and a real character!Ā
Les Mis 2012 (Movie Musical)Ā
The stage version of Les Mis has no lines for Bahorel in particular and the movieĀ inherits that tragedy. Worse, Iwan Lewis as Bahorel seems like heās trying to avoid police cameras for all the unobstructed onscreen time he gets. But 2012 does give us one thing:
this nice little blink-and-miss-it moment of Gavroche and Bahorel interaction, stolen from the people with names in the cast listing, which earns this at least an Honorable Mention in the field of Bahorel Adaptations.Ā Ā Shoujo CosetteĀ We are approaching nigh-homeopathic levels of Bahorel in adaptations here. The show doesnāt seem to remember that Bahorel exists at all until the barricadeās almost finished, but then it tries to act like heās been there all along, having Marius remember him along with the more show-prominent Amis. And Enjolras remembers him very fondly!
Les Miserables Musical, stage , 1985-present
404 image not found Thereās no lines specifically for Bahorel in the stage play, but Legend Has It that the student who gets shot first in the barricade scenes is held to be Bahorel if youāre in the Stage Show Fandom/production team?Ā apparently he had a very fancy jacket at some point? There is a theoretical amount of BahorelĀ Ā in the stage play, at least, so it makes the list.Ā
(there is also a 2010 Bande DessinĆ©e that definitely has him for at least a panel, but I know nothing else about it; nonetheless , it gets a mention here for that panel!)Ā
Every other adaptation: DISQUALIFIED BY COMPLETE LACK OF BAHORELĀ
COWARDS. COWARDS AND FOOLS, THE LOT OF THEM. PUT BAHOREL IN YOUR LES MIS ADAPTATIONS YOU NATTERING NEOCLASSICISTS, YOU BUMBLING BOURGEOIS, YOU ABSOLUTE LAWYERS.Ā Ā
(and if you know of an adaptation with a Bahorel that I havenāt listed here, please tell me!)
