Other adaptations
This page features comics, radio plays, and other adaptations that don't fit anywhere else on the web site.
Orson Welles' radio adaptation
In 1935 Orson Welles was only involved in theater, not radio or movies. But he promoted one of his plays, "Panic," on the radio. It was so effective that another network asked him to present an entire play on the radio, and it gave him complete artistic control. Les Miserables was chosen, it being especially relevant in the Great Depression. Welles began each episode with a few words about poverty, and concluded "...so long as these problems are not solved, so long as ignorance and poverty remain on earth, these words cannot be useless."
To condense such a large book into seven episodes, Wells invented a new style of regular acting linked by a narrator. This approach is now commonplace in radio drama, but Welles invented it for Les Miserables. The production was so successful that it led to a string of offers from radio and movies, which led to the War of the Worlds, Citizen Kane... and the rest is history! The original play can now be purchased on CD.
The 1982 CBS radio adaptation
The only review I could find said this was the worst version ever.
The 2001 BBC radio adaptation
A 25 part adaptation, broadcast daily on Radio 4. The play had a cast of twenty seven distinguished actors, including some who had appeared in the musical.
The 2002 "Focus on the Family" adaptation
Not a great adaptation, but it has its moments.
Audio books
There are of course several audio books available, where actors read or dramatize the text of the novel. These are available both abridged and unabridged.
Classics Illustrated: Les Miserables
The Classics illustrated series of comics is highly loved and respected (and does a good trade on eBay). Issue 9 is Les Miserables, and sticks very closely to the books. The art isn't perfect (see below), but as a comic it's worth reading.
Years later, in 1997 Les Miserables was adapted once again as part of the same series. This edition was illustrated by Norman Node. Click here for a review.
