My memory of Hathaway’s performance — which I’ve only seen twice (in a movie theater and on streaming) 8 years ago —is that she essentially sobbed her way through the song, so much so that the melody and aria-like quality of “I Dreamed a Dream” was totally lost. I don’t blame her for that performance. As you said, she is perfectly capable of interpreting this song with the right mix of vulnerability, rawness, AND musicality. But Hooper clearly left THAT take on the cutting-room floor.
