《悲慘世界》的前身是同名音樂劇，根據法國大文豪維克多-雨果(Victor Hugo) 1862年發表的長篇小說改編，故事圍繞一名獲釋的罪犯冉阿讓(Jean Valjean)展開，着重描寫他尋求救贖的過程。《悲慘世界》是一部音樂劇電影，片中全部採用現場錄音。
十九世紀的巴黎，貧苦的冉·阿讓爲了捱餓的孩子去偷麪包，結果被飽食終日的法官判處5年的苦役，後又因逃獄加刑到19年。假釋出獄後，假釋證明的印記，使得他處處碰壁，走投無路的冉·阿讓在路邊露宿，被好心的米里哀主教收留過夜，卻偷走了主教的銀器潛逃，後被警察捉回。主教聲稱銀器是送給他的，使冉·阿讓免於被捕。主教的言行感化了冉·阿讓，他撕毀了假釋，不再向假釋官定期報告，成爲了追逃人員，但他化名成馬德蘭，洗心革面奮發向上，十年後成爲成功的商人並當上市長，沒人懷疑他的身份。但以前緝拿過他的警長沙威出現，發現了他的身份，又一次開始對他的抓捕。在此之前，冉·阿讓得知了女工芳汀的悲慘遭遇，並承諾照顧她的私生女柯賽特。躲掉了沙威的追捕，帶着柯賽特又一次銷聲匿跡。8年過去了，平靜的生活再起波瀾——柯賽特愛上了共和派青年馬呂斯，轟轟烈烈的巴黎人民起義爆發了，沙威裝作共和黨人潛入內部，被一個小男孩認出，並被共和黨逮捕，冉阿讓救了他。當共和黨失敗時，冉阿讓又救了重傷的馬呂斯，當他們從下水道逃出的時候，遇到了沙威，沙威沒忍心逮捕冉阿讓，並放走了他們，最後沙威想不通這些事情跳河自殺了。冉阿讓把馬呂斯帶到了柯賽特身邊，他們在一起了。冉阿讓不辭而別，終於在臨死的時候，柯賽特和馬呂斯再次見到了他......
《悲慘世界》經典臺詞
節選自《what have i done》
Jean Valjean被教父的行爲所打動後唱的歌，內心的掙扎，審視自己的過去，忘記過去，重新開始。
Take an eye for an eye!
以眼還眼，
Turn your heart into stone!
心如鐵石，
This is all I have lived for!
這是我一直堅信的信條啊!
This is all I have known!
這是我所知道的一切!
I am reaching, but I fall
我伸手向天求救，可是我一次又一次地跌倒
And the night is closing in
無盡的黑夜將我吞噬
And I stare into the void
我擡頭看虛妄的天空
To the whirlpool of my sin
如同看着我自己罪惡的漩渦
I'll escape now from the world
我要逃離這個世界
From the world of Jean Valjean
這個屬於“Jean Valjean”的世界
Jean Valjean is nothing now
Jean Valjean已經死去
Another story must begin!
我要我的人生重新開始!
摘自《i dreamed a dream》
<悲慘世界>中非常著名的一首曲子。老版悲慘世界講這首歌安排在《at the end of the day》之後，《lovely ladies》之前，2012版將它安排在了《lovely ladies》之後，Fantine已被迫成爲妓女之後。
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
曾幾何時，我也有我的夢想
When hope was high
生活充滿了希望
And life worth living
生命又是那麼的美好
I dreamed that love would never die
我夢見愛能永恆
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
我夢見上帝仁慈, 寬恕一切
Then I was young and unafraid
那時的我啊，又年輕，又無畏
And dreams were made and used and wasted
一個個的夢想被創造，被荒廢
There was no ransom to be paid
不用付出代價
No song unsung, no wine untasted
無歌不唱，無酒不嘗
But the tigers come at night
然而不幸在那晚不期而至
With their voices soft as thunder
聲如悶雷滾滾而來
As they tear your hope apart
它活生生地撕碎了你的夢想
And they turn your dream to shame
將夢想變成了無盡的懊悔
But there are dreams that cannot be
總有些夢想永遠無法成真
And there are storms we cannot weather
總有些暴風雨會將人摧毀
I had a dream my life would be
我曾有夢，夢想我的美麗人生
So different from this hell I'm living
與現在的人間地獄截然不同
So different now from what it seemed
誰會料到命運如此無常
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.
現實，擊碎了我的夢
《lovely ladies》and 《master of the house》
《who am i》
M'sieur le Mayor(Jean Valjean) 得知有人被當作他，而被捕受罰時，他捫心自問。最終出庭作證，道出自己的真相。
Who am I?
我是誰?
Can I conceal myself for evermore?
我還能自欺欺人多久?
Pretend I'm not the man I was before?
假裝我不是曾經的我
And must my name until I die，Be no more than an alibi?
隱姓埋名，至死不公佈於衆
Must I lie?
我必須撒謊嗎?
How can I ever face my fellow men?
我還有什麼顏面面對我的同胞們?
How can I ever face myself again?
我豈有顏面來面對我自己?
My soul belongs to God, I know
我的靈魂早已歸主所有
I made that bargain long ago
很久前我已經作出承諾
He gave me hope when hope was gone
他總是能給我帶來希望
He gave me strength to journey on
他總是能給我力量繼續前行
Who am I? Who am I?
我是誰?我是誰?
I am Jean Valjean!
我是Jean Valjean!
摘自《come to me》
Fantine 死前對幻想中的cosette唱起的歌。語句簡單卻溫暖人心，母愛至深。
Cosette, it's turned so cold
Cosette, 天氣轉涼了
Cosette, it's past your bedtime
Cosette, 該上牀睡覺了
You've played the day away
你都已經玩耍了一整天啦
And soon it will be night.
天就快要黑了
Come to me, Cosette, the light is fading
到我這兒來，Cosette, 夕陽西下了
Don't you hear, the winter wind is crying?
聽見了嗎?冬日的寒風在呼嘯
There's a darkness which comes without a warning
黑暗總是不期而至
But I will sing you lullabies and wake you in the morning.
但我會唱起搖籃曲哄你入睡，早上再喚你醒來
摘自《castle on a cloud》
cosette 出現的第一幕。在旅店做打雜工時，還念母親，唱起的歌。
There is a castle on a cloud,
在雲彩上，有一座城堡
I like to go there in my sleep,
我常常在我的睡夢中去那裏玩
Aren't any floors for me to sweep,
那裏沒有掃不完的地
Not in my castle on a cloud.
那裏就是我的雲中城堡
There is a lady all in white,
那裏有位白衣仙女
Holds me and sings a lullaby,
抱着我唱搖籃曲
She's nice to see and she's soft to touch,
她又美麗，又慈祥
She says "Cosette, I love you very much."
她輕聲說，Rosette,我好愛好愛你
《red and black》
革命前的準備。年輕人們議論着如何發動這一切，如何找到導火索。兩位年輕的領袖的對唱很是精彩。
It is time for us all
這是我們
To decide who we are
選擇命運的時刻
Do we fight for the right
要麼背水一戰
To a night at the opera now?
贏回我們該有的權利
Have you asked of yourselves
你可曾問過自己
What's the price you might pay?
你會付出多大的代價?
Is this simply a game
還是把它當作一場
For rich young boys to play?
年輕公子們玩的遊戲?
The colors of the world
世界的顏色
Are changing day by day...
每日都在發生着變幻
Red - the blood of angry men!
紅色，是憤怒的熱血沸騰
Black - the dark of ages past!
黑色，是被拋棄的愚昧世界
Red - a world about to dawn!
紅色，事即將破曉的天空
Black - the night that ends at last!
黑色，是爲長夜敲響的喪鐘!
摘自《do you hear the people sing?》
這是貫穿全劇的一首歌。歌詞振奮人心，在我看第二遍時，影院裏有老美跟着唱了起來。
Do you hear the people sing?
聽啊! 人民在高唱!
Singing a song of angry men?
羣情激奮，歌聲嘹亮!
It is the music of a people
這是一個民族的呼喊
Who will not be slaves again!
砸斷鐵鏈得解放
When the beating of your heart
當你的心跳激昂迴盪
Echoes the beating of the drums
和着拿戰鼓聲聲響
There is a life about to start
我們會浴火重生
When tomorrow comes!
迎接明天的'曙光!
摘自《in my life》 和《a heart full of love》
cosette 和 marius 一見鍾情，兩人在花園見面時的對唱。eponine在旁邊獨自悲傷。
cosette:
In my life
在我的一生中
There are so many questions and answers
有那麼多的問題和答案
That somehow seem wrong
都不該問不該答
In my life
在我的一生中
There are times when I catch in the silence
有時候我會在寂靜中
The sigh of a faraway song
聽到一首遙遠的歌
And it sings
歌聲唱出了
Of a world that I long to see
我希冀的世界
Out of reach
遙不可及
Just a whisper away
卻又近在咫尺
Waiting for me.
等我靠近
Marius:
In my life
在我的一生中
She has burst like the music of angels
她突然登場，像天使的樂章
The light of the sun
太陽的光亮
And my life seems to stop
我的生命戛然而止
As if something is over
過往不重要
And something has scarcely begun.
未來卻很迷茫
Eponine
Eponine
You're the friend who has brought me here
是你幫我找打了她家
Thanks to you I am one with the gods
謝謝你，我才能得主恩寵
And Heaven is near!
找到了天堂
And I soar through a world that is new that is free
讓我在愛情的世界裏徜徉
Eponine:
Every word that he says is a dagger in me!
他說的每個字都像釘子一樣刺入我心
In my life
在我的一生中
There's been no one like him anywhere
從來沒有人能像他一樣
Anywhere, where he is...
我願意跟隨他，到天涯海角
If he asked... I'd be his
只要他開口，我就歸他所有
Marius and Eponine:
In my life
在我的一生中
There is someone who touches my life
他/她 觸動了我的生命
Marius:
Waiting near
就要到來
Eponine：
Waiting here
靜靜等待
marius:
A heart full of love
一顆心充溢了愛
A heart full of song
愛讓我放聲歌唱
I'm doing everything all wrong
我的世界一片混亂
Oh God, for shame
上帝啊，我真是羞愧難當
I do not even know your name
我甚至不知道你的芳名
Dear Mad'moiselle
親愛的小姐啊
Won't you say?
你願意說嗎?
Will you tell?
你會告訴我嗎?
cosette:
A heart full of love
一顆心充溢了愛
No fear, no regret
無畏無懼亦無悔
marius:
My name is Marius Pontmercy
我叫marius
cosette:
And mine's Cosette
我叫cosette
marries:
Cosette, I don't know what to say
cosette, 我不知道說什麼了
cosette:
Then make no sound
那就什麼都別說了～
marius:
I am lost
不思量
cosette:
I am found!
自難忘!
《one day more》
講述第二天，革命就要開始，大家都爲各自的崗位做最後的準備。是我最喜歡的一首歌，歌曲裏出現了 Jean Valjean, Javert, cosette, marius, eponine, 旅店夫婦等，不作摘錄。
《on my own》
Eponine 唱的最深情的一首歌，單相思的痛苦。摘錄全歌，不作翻譯，原文最美。最後的連續三句" i love him" 意味深長，感人至深。之後還有一首, 是eponine 幫 marries 擋子彈，死之前在marius懷裏唱的歌，此歌不作摘錄。
On my own
Pretending he's beside me
All alone, I walk with him till morning
Without him
I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way I close my eyes
And he has found me
In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me for ever and forever
And I know it's only in my mind
That I'm talking to myself and not to him
And although I know that he is blind
Still I say, there's a way for us
I love him
But when the night is over
He is gone, the river's just a river
Without him the world around me changes
The trees are bare and everywhere
The streets are full of strangers
I love him
But every day I'm learning
All my life I've only been pretending
Without me his world will go on turning
A world that's full of happiness
That I have never known!
I love him
I love him
I love him
But only on my own.
《bring him home》
Jean Valjean 祈禱上帝，讓Marius活下來。
God on high
萬能的主啊
Hear my prayer
請聽聽我的祈禱啊
In my need
每當我有困難時
You have always been there
你總能幫我找到方法
He is young
他還很年輕
He's afraid
他心裏很恐懼
If I die, let me die
如果我要死，請讓我死去
Let him live
讓他活下去
Bring him home
把他帶回家吧
Bring him home
讓他遠離戰爭
Bring him home.
帶他回家吧
摘自《empty chairs at empty tables》
革命失敗後，只有marius被jean valjean救出。他回到曾經和朋友一起討論革命的房間。物是人非。
There's a grief that can't be spoken.
有一種悲傷無法言說
There's a pain goes on and on.
有一種痛苦永不停歇
Empty chairs at empty tables
桌椅空空如也
Now my friends are dead and gone.
我的朋友們都已經死去
Here they talked of revolution.
在這裏他們曾經指點江山
Here it was they lit the flame.
在這裏他們點燃了革命之火
Here they sang about `tomorrow'
在這裏他們曾經歌頌"明天"
And tomorrow never came.
但“明天”卻沒有到來
Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me
我的朋友們，戰友們，請不要問我
What your sacrifice was for
不要問你們的犧牲是爲了什麼
Empty chairs at empty tables
桌椅空空如也
Where my friends will sing no more.
我的朋友們，卻再也無法相見
