Production
Due to the success of Riccardo Freda's film The Black Eagle, which was the second-highest-grossing film in Italy in 1946, Freda was able to adapt one of his favourite novels, Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. The film began thanks to Riccardo Gualino, the head of Italy's production company Lux Film. An Italian critic and film historian described Lux Film as "Italy's biggest and most ambitious production company" as of 1947, and that it had a "strongly focused policy that recalled those adapted by the Hollywood Majors." Freda described his relationship with Gualino positively, stating that their relationship went beyond a commercial deal, stating that the two "never talked about films, and discussed of art and literature instead. He was a very cultured person." He also said, "With Gualino, I used to sign a deal in five minutes. That is to say, he simply asked me 'Freda, what film do you want to make?' and that was that." Freda originally conceived of adapting the novel when on a taxi ride with fellow directors Mario Soldati, Renato Castellani and Guido M. Gatti. The four were brainstorming to find stories to adapt to film, with Freda suggesting Les Misérables, which the others were astonished at, feeling it would be impossible to turn into a film. The newspaper Corriere d'informazione spitefully commented on Freda's decision to adapt the story, stating that there was a lack of adventurousness in film makers and producers who were often adopting plays and books, with Arturo Lanocita stating, "The Bottom has been reached with director Riccardo Freda, who after thinking about it for a long time, decided to shoot the 39th version of Les Misérable, a novel which perhaps you've heard of."
For the second time in a row, Freda worked on the film's script with Steno and Mario Monicelli, and for the first time Vittorio Nino Novarese, who was an art director who had just started his work as a screenwriter. The trio's script makes specific changes to the story: Marius becomes the son of the Minister of Police and in the end Jean Valjean is killed by Thenardier. Freda commented that he wanted Valjean to "be a hero, and not a character afflicted by his past. [...] I wanted a righter of wrongs, like the Black Eagle or later Casanova of Maciste." Freda recalled that "Adapting a novel I admired so much brought up insane problems, even more because the film was made in Italy", stating that among his films he "put the most of myself [in Les Miserables]". The film was shot entirely in Rome, and involved reconstructing early 19th-century Paris entirely in the studio.
Among the cast was Gino Cervi playing Jean Valjean, which was the third time he would work with Freda. Freda stated that Cervi would wear "a bourgeois dress with golden buttons. I explained to him that he should look miserable, since he had to steal bread to feed his nephew. But he wouldn't understand. He only thought of the female audience: he had appeared in rags, his career would have ended." Freda solved the problem by throwing talcum over Cervi's frock during takes to make it look old and ragged. Valentina Cortese reflected on her role in the film, stating that "Freda was a temperamental filmmaker: one day we were shooting a scene depicting the revolutionary uprisings, tomato sauce everywhere, shoots, extra running en masse, and Freda gave me a shove so as to push me into the frame under a restive horse. My God, what a scare!" Also among the cast was Marcello Mastroianni in his film debut as one of Marius' revolutionist friends.
