Russell Crowe replies to Adam Lambert's Les Mis rant

Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert in Les Miserables. Photo/AP

Russell Crowe has responded to Adam Lambert's criticism of the live vocal performances in Les Miserables.

Lambert expressed disappointment with director Tom Hooper's decision to have actors sing live for their scenes in the hit musical in a series of posts on his Twitter account.

He said the score "suffered massively" because great actors were pretending to be singers.

Film bosses should have studio recorded and sweetened their vocals, he said.

"I felt like I should ignore the vocals and focus on the emotional subtext - but the singing was so distracting at times it pulled me out.

"The industry will say 'these actors were so brave to attempt singing this score live' but why not cast actors who could actually sound good?"

Only Anne Hathaway was singled out for praise, with Lambert saying the movie was worth seeing anyway for her "breathtaking" performance as the dying prostitute Fantine.

Crowe, who plays Inspector Javert in the film, was alerted to the rant by one of his followers on Twitter.

The notoriously fiery New Zealand-born actor held back and gave a measured response.

"I don't disagree with Adam, sure it could have been sweetened, Hooper wanted it raw and real, that's how it is," he said.

- Herald Online