Allons Enfants De la Patrie . . .

OK, fellow historians, I know that Les Miserables concerns the 1832 Paris uprising, and not the actual French Revolution.  Nevertheless, Mme. vB and your superannuated tenor attended Tom Hooper's film version of the musical that  conquered the western world a few weeks ago.  Must have been a faulty ventilation system in the theater, as many runny eyes and snuffly noses were in evidence.  Perthaps the change of seasons played a role, as we were similarly afflicted.

To our shock, but not surprise, it took mere moments before the critiquing classes emerged with an inexhaustable supply of sibiliant sniping.  For some, it was too musical, with insufficient dialogue.  Hey, pull on your big boy pants and climb down out of your alien spaceship.  It is a musical epic, not a movie with tunes.  Think La Boheme vs. Mary Poppins.

For others, it was too much of a film, with heartbreaking closeups, and staggering panoramic vistas.  Imagine these twits with the whatever to complain about visual storytelling techniques that freed the flow and impact of the story, characters, and music from the limitations of stagecraft that, at best, can only be suggestive.  Imagine letting actors act with all of their faculties, rather than having to rely on the crude sweeping gestures that are necessary on the stage.

Next, many complained about the failure of the actors' voices to match someone's idea of concert hall quality.  In truth, we thought at the moment, and still do, that the very human imperfections of the voices added mightily to the authenticity and credibility of the performances.  In fact, we contend that the purest voice presented was the least credible and moving.

And, this is where we saw parallels with our day-to-day world of supply chain execution.  We strive for perfection, yet frequently fall short.  We constantly operate under the scrutiny of the expectations of others.  We are often not elegant.

But, we get the job done, whatever it takes, and learn about doing better for the next time.  We are, better or worse, authentic strivers in the arena.  At the end of the day, we are, perhaps battered, willing to take on the next one.

Continuously improving agents of accomplishment, we may even have some disdain for those who are looking for style points among the bodies on the field of conflict.