Vive la France, Vive la Revolution!

This is a late night post so let's take a (short) break from the OOTDs and shopping-related posts to talk about Aaron Tveit. Never heard about Aaron Tveit before? Well, me neither, until this morning when I went to see Les Miserables (I know, I know, a movie at 11 am on a weekday is for retired people but I didn't have anything more important to do and my friend could only do 11. Plus, it was only $7??? I must investigate if it was a Tuesday thing, an incentive reserved to those willing to skip lunch to endure a three-hour musical set in post-revolutionary Paris or some exceptional discount because if this is the regular price of a matinee I can certainly make room in my schedule for more morning movies, now that my daughter is in school until 3 and later).

Anyway, while I could certainly appreciate the singing of Anne Hataway (if not Russell Crowe; I don't know if I can use the term "miscast" for Russell Crowe but boy, he was hard on the ear, especially at the beginning!) and the performance of Hugh Jackman, I wasn't really overwhelmed with all that emotion that everyone who has seen the movie or the musical was talking about (I wasn't that moved by Anne I must say). I was actually borderline bored until Enjolras, the leader of the revolutionary students, appeared on screen (making Hugh Jackman disappear to my eyes). I was completely transfixed, I didn't have a "who is this guy and why I don't know him?" moment like this one since probably the appearance of Brad Pitt in "Thelma and Louise". He made me want to jump on the barricade and die for the revolution (until he actually died himself. That was a tough toll to pay for viewers). I knew his face from somewhere but I couldn't place it. I still can't place it even if, as I learned after, he has played a major character in Gossip Girl (that I never watched. And I don't say this with proud, I think I have actually missed on something but it is just too late now). Anyway, I am talking about this guy:

Not only he is hot but he can also sing, as you know if you watched the movie.
I kept thinking that he reminded me of someone and then all of a sudden I saw it: a young Robert Redford. He has the same eyes and smile.
Look at these B&N pictures of a very young Robert and Aaron. You would almost think it is the same person:

And even if Robert Redford was much older when he played Brubaker, the resemblance is startling:

I hope that this a groundbreaking performance for him and that we will see more of him (and singing). Anyway, to me he was the highlight of the movie and thanks to him and the other actors playing "the friends of ABC", all excellent, I came home singing and wanting to watch more period movies set during the French revolution. It actually uncovered memories of a movie that I saw years ago in Paris and that for the life of me I couldn't remember how was called (or who directed it). Well, I finally found it, after an hour of web searches. It's Eric Romher "Lady and the Duke". This is a great period movie with a very unique approach to set décor and if you liked the Miserables you will like it, I promise.

So, anybody else who watched the movie noticed the performance of Aaron Tveit? If, like my friend, you were loyal to Hugh Jackman and you want to share your impressions on the movie, please do!