The story of Victor Hugo's "wretches" of Parisian slums, during the 1848 Revolution has been brilliantly recreated in this new version of Les Miserables. It follows the story of Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson) who is imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. When he is paroled he resolves to start a new life. However he is pursued by the obsessive police inspector Javert (Geoffrey Rush) who is the mouthpiece for the idea of original sin - "men like you can never change".

Although the new film cannot treat the entire novel (and one friend believes that the omission of Eponine is fatal) it meaningfully explores the main ideas. This is an interesting recreation of Hugo's work rather than a reinterpretation of classic themes. As such, Les Miserables is a passionate film that even a purist could watch and enjoy.

This film is an adaptation of Harper Lee's brilliant novel that seems to be a year ten English staple. It is the story of a lawyer who takes an unpopular case. Atticus Finch (Peck) feels that he must defend a Negro accused of raping a white woman. The story is told through the eyes of six year old Scout whose summer experiences uncannily mirror the behaviour of the adults around her. Scout and her brother Jem learn lessons that escape the grown up inhabitants of their small Southern town.

I remember thinking in year ten that Gregory Peck wasn't Atticus Finch [he did win the best actor Oscar for this - Ed] but now the film stands on its own. Both versions of the story have their own strengths - the film humanises the story and reduces the prejudices of 1930's Southern whites to their proper perspective.