Moliere [2007]

Product Details

Director : Laurent Tirard
Format : PAL
Binding : DVD
EAN : 5060002835777
Product Group : DVD
Region Code : 2
Release Date : 2007-11-12
Running Time : 116minutes
Studio : 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

ASIN : B000UH3VHC

Customers who bought this goods also bought.

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis

Moliere, the French 17th century playwright behind THE MISANTHROPE and TARTUFFE, gets his SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE treatment in this entertaining romantic comedy-drama. Director Laurent Tirard paints a romantic portrait of the artist as a young man that's a deft mix of fact and fiction, involving wealthy buffoon Jourdain (Fabrice Luchini) who enlists Moliere's help to woo the icy Marquise Celimene (SWIMMING POOL's Ludivigne Sagnier). Jourdain's neglected wife (Laura Morante) regards Moliere's presence in their manor with suspicion (he's posing as a religious scholar). The callow Moliere finds himself drawn to Madame, despite her doubts, and she to him, especially when he helps her in aiding the forbidden romance of her daughter. Backed by a robust orchestral score, sumptuous period detail, and plenty of pratfall-suffused romantic entanglements (lifted from Moliere's plays), the movie bravely steps outside its dramatic outline to become a moving meditation on the meaning of love as selflessness, in the best French tradition of intellectual and romantic discourse. Romain Duris (THE BEAT MY HEART SKIPPED) is endearing as Moliere, but it's Morante who scores highest, playing yet another in Gallic cinema's many celebrated sexy, intelligent older women.

Synopsis

1644, Paris, and 22-year-old Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known as Molière, is not yet the writer that history recognizes as the father and true master of comic satire, author of The Misanthrope and Tartuffe, and a dramatist to rank alongside Shakespeare and Sophocles. Far from it. He is, in fact, a failed actor.

His Illustrious Theatre Troupe, founded the previous year, is bankrupt. Hounded by creditors, Molière is thrown into jail, released, then swiftly imprisoned again. When the jailors finally let him go, he disappears. The combined efforts of historians have unearthed no trace of him before his reappearance, several months later, when his troupe begins touring the provinces - a tour that will last for thirteen years, and culminate in Molière's triumphant return to Paris in 1658.

Customer Reviews

GREAT MAN- GREAT MOVIE -GREAT DVD (2008-07-16)

Jean-baptiste poquelin pseudonym moliere is the best playwright france has ever produced ,he was born in 1622 and died in 1673 while performing in one of his plays .he was born rich ,studied to be a lawyer and then gave up everything to become a writer-actor .He is the french equivalent of shakespeare though he wrote satires and farces instead of tragedies some in prose some in verse but they are all as effective as tragedy if not more so .His work mainly cocsists of 12 long plays ang six short ballet -plays and pastorals ,since he is not widely known director LAURENT TIRADE decided to make a movie about him to acquaint modern audiences with this french genius and what inspired him to write his comic farces .The french actor roman duris is cast perfectly as moliere who is thown into prison as he is unable to pay his debts as his earlier efforts as a playwright fail in1944 ,he is rescued by monsieur jordain [ fabrici],a wealthy businessman but there is a snag ,he will help him win over the charms of a beautiful widowed noblewoman climene [ludovic seigner]who is being courted by m.jourdain ,but his beautiful wife [lora dorante ]is unaware of his husbands affair ,but moliere has to do this while he is disguised as a priest living in jourdains country villa and while he coaches m.jourdain he falls genuinely in love with his charming and beautiful wife played by an actress of great charm lora dorante ,who i bet is going to be in hollywood within 6 months .this sets the premises for a delightful and very touching love story between moliere and madam jourdain which has everything from humour to emotion and also provides ample background as to what inspired moliere to write his great works later in his life. The movie is visually stunning shot in versailles and the old palaces full of sumptuous antiques ,coiffeuers and magnificent clothes ,every detail is exquisite ,its beautifully shot in magnificent colours ,as well as the stupendous musical backgroung score by tolgman which is a masterpiece on its own .I believe the producers went to acquire special antiques from as far as italy and it shows on the screen.But its the emotions that tug at your heart and make this movie triumph in the end ,as moliere decides 13 years later whether to entertain the sun king louis fourteenth and his court with a comedy or tragedy ,the events of his early life come to help him write a masterpiece and he establishes himself as the french courts official playwright .his dilemma also answers the othe riddle whether its more difficult to make people laugh then cry ,incidentally moliere was the actor ,writer ,director and producer all in one ,after his death in 1680 his troupe was made into la comedie francaise or the french theatre which till today is a very prestigious institute.From 1658 to 1673 he staged 18 plays including some of these the jealous husband school for wives tartuffschhol for husbands pleausure things ridiculed the physical invalid flying doctor These and other play won him the patronage of the FRENCH masses ,court and the king ,he was very innovative in presenting his plays with the help of italian techniques with the help of modern machines ,as his plays like shakespeare were mostly influenced by the italian artistes like scaramouche ,but the stamp of his first love affair with madame jourdain is indelible on all his creations ,just remarking as to how strong love can be in directing and shaping artistic creativity .The movie shows snippets of his various plays bein performed and being enjoyed by the public .It is rather amusing to see how he entertains the french court and how naive they are ,yet it all has a big humourous heart with a lot of laughs on the way .The movie works at all levels and is a must see not only as a very light hearted comic love story but also as a historic lesson about the history of france and the evolution of theatre itself ,but above all comedy ,satire and and moliere ,and molieres work is easily comparable to aristophanes and later to hugo and dumas .CONCLUSION :The movie is a triumph for tirade and duris and dorante and can be seen a few times for its entertaining and emotional value .It goes without saying its historically meticulous and offers scenery ,sets and other details only france and its perfectly preserved culture can offer to this venture .Despite being very non -trendy the movie has been a hit in europe ,usa and u.k ,which is a triumph for the french cinema .

So slow and so twee (2008-05-19)

I studied Moliere at school and university so I was looking forward to something substantial. Instead it was ridiculously low-brow, a kind of Carry On Moliere. Not funny in any kind of intelligent way at all. I thought I might be in for a real treat like Depardieu's Cyrano de Bergerac.I didn't like Shakespeare in Love, either. So obviously this film was not aimed at someone like me.

Amazing (2008-02-26)

This film made me laugh and cry all at once. It may not be a film that changes your life but it touches your soul.

3 1/2 Stars: Leather and Lace (2008-02-18)

Director/Writer Laurent Tirard and co-writer Grégoire Vigneron have wisely decided to make this film about a short period of Moliere's (a can this actor do no wrong, Romain Duris?) life rather than attempt to make a survey film about Moliere's entire life. As such this "Moliere" sketches in the mysterious lost years of Jean Baptiste Poquelin life and mostly to good advantage. Physically "Moliere" is an absolutely sumptuous affair: all plush velvet and silks, shot in remarkably gorgeous saturated color. Also on the plus side is the performance of Romain Duris ("The Beat that My Heart Skipped") as Moliere as well as the Elmire Jourdain (wife of M. Jourdain who has hired Moliere to teach him the fine points of acting and seduction so that he can seduce another woman) of the perpetually sexy and sultry Laura Morente whose revealing bodice causes her husband untold consternation. Duris plays Moliere in the grand style: artificial, over-the-top as if he were in a Moliere farce. In most movies this would be completely out of place but here it works as the writers have incorporated pieces of several Moliere plays herein and Duris merely goes with the proverbial flow. His Moliere is at turns confident, sure of himself and at others completely at odds with the world and flummoxed by pretty much everything. Duris's Moliere is a fine tuned performance: a completely controlled one full of absurdity and irony yet always human and thoughtful. "Moliere" goes on a bit too long and Tirard's attempt to make this a Moliere farce at times falls flat but nonetheless this is a good film with better performances and without a doubt a feast for the eyes if not always for the ears.

Colourful French Costume Drama (2007-11-29)

I had looked forward to watching "Moliere" but I must admit that I was slightly disappointed with the film. At times I found it hard to follow and the film never particularly gripped me at any stage. However "Moliere" was beautifully filmed and the sets and costumes were very impressive. The acting was hard to fault also. "Moliere" is a film loosely based on the early life of the eponymous French playwright who gets caught up in a web of deceit while under the employ of a French aristocrat. He commits adultery with this aristocrat's wife while the aristocrat is surrepticiously trying to woo a more beautiful younger woman. Needless to say this causes all manner of confusion and leads to many complications which are unravelled at the end. Many will undoubtedly enjoy this film, but I didn't particularly like it.

Look for similar items by category

• Categories > Drama

Related Link