Molière (movie, 2007)

Summary

In 1645 , Molière who directs the troupe of ” L’Illustre theater “, finds himself in prison, because of unpaid debts. He is taken prisoner by Monsieur Jourdain , a wealthy bourgeois who wants to attach his services, to seduce Celimene , a Marquise in view at court. Mr. Jourdain, who dreams of being a gentleman, plans to play a piece of his composition at Celimene. In his endeavor to bring the court and the nobility together, Mr. Jourdain thinks he is helped by Dorante, “his friend”, a noble, in fact ruined, and who turns out to be a deceiver, only interested in the fortune of Monsieur Jourdain and by the claims he can obtain. In order not to arouse Mademoiselle Jourdain’s suspicions about her husband’s intrigues, Molière, who pretends to be a priest by the name of Tartuffe, is therefore engaged as a tutor to the young girl of the Jordan, Louison . But Madame Jourdain , Elmire, soon discovers the deception of this identity (but without discovering the true mission of Molière), after having read, and loved, a play written by Molière for her husband. A connection is born between Molière and Elmire .

Monsieur Jordan, blinded by his dreams of nobility and obsessed by his passion for Celimene, does not realize anything. While her eldest daughter, Henriette, loves another young man, Valère, he even agreed to marry her son, Thomas, hoping to make her a countess and promise her descendants to the nobility. Neither Moliere nor Madame Jourdain manage to thwart this project of forced marriage. Monsieur Jourdain ends up playing his piece in the living room Celimene holds. Dorante manages to make him believe that it’s a complete success but Molière soon proves that he lied to her, that Célimène was not touched by her play and that she even makes fun of him in public. This abused, mocked, ridiculed man then discovers that his wife has a lover but remains blind to the world around him. At the price of his feelings and his affair with Elmire, Molière makes him, then, understand that he is this lover and leads him to regain a foothold in reality. The day of the marriage between Henriette and Thomas, we learn, in full ceremony, that all the warehouses of Monsieur Jourdain burned and that he is a ruined man. At this news, Dorante decides to retire with her son and not to proceed with the marriage, new proof of his greed and his lack of feeling for “his friend”. Just after, we learn that it is Monsieur Jourdain who orchestrated this news, to confuse Dorante. He then brings in Valère and the happy marriage of love is consecrated. Molière leaves and the Jordan family can find a form of balance. to understand that he is this lover and leads him to regain a foothold in reality. The day of the marriage between Henriette and Thomas, we learn, in full ceremony, that all the warehouses of Monsieur Jourdain burned and that he is a ruined man. At this news, Dorante decides to retire with her son and not to proceed with the marriage, new proof of his greed and his lack of feeling for “his friend”. Just after, we learn that it is Monsieur Jourdain who orchestrated this news, to confuse Dorante. He then brings in Valère and the happy marriage of love is consecrated. Molière leaves and the Jordan family can find a form of balance. to understand that he is this lover and leads him to regain a foothold in reality. The day of the marriage between Henriette and Thomas, we learn, in full ceremony, that all the warehouses of Monsieur Jourdain burned and that he is a ruined man. At this news, Dorante decides to retire with her son and not to proceed with the marriage, new proof of his greed and his lack of feeling for “his friend”. Just after, we learn that it is Monsieur Jourdain who orchestrated this news, to confuse Dorante. He then brings in Valère and the happy marriage of love is consecrated. Molière leaves and the Jordan family can find a form of balance. At this news, Dorante decides to retire with her son and not to proceed with the marriage, new proof of his greed and his lack of feeling for “his friend”. Just after, we learn that it is Monsieur Jourdain who orchestrated this news, to confuse Dorante. He then brings in Valère and the happy marriage of love is consecrated. Molière leaves and the Jordan family can find a form of balance. At this news, Dorante decides to retire with her son and not to proceed with the marriage, new proof of his greed and his lack of feeling for “his friend”. Just after, we learn that it is Monsieur Jourdain who orchestrated this news, to confuse Dorante. He then brings in Valère and the happy marriage of love is consecrated. Molière leaves and the Jordan family can find a form of balance.

The actor ends up returning to Paris, to find his friends and a troupe. They go on tour all over France for many years. They do not return definitively until 1658, when Molière’s troop is offered the protection and support of Monsieur, the king’s brother. His troop is now called the “troop of Monsieur”. It is from there that the great career of Molière, playwright, comedian, director, will be born. It was there, too, in Paris, that he saw Elmire seriously ill, on the verge of death. She forgave him his departure and the sacrifice of their affair.

Technical sheet

• Original title: Molière
• Directed by: Laurent Tirard
• Scenario: Laurent Tirard and Grégoire Vigneron
• Sets: Françoise Dupertuis
• Costumes: Pierre-Jean Larroque
• Photography: Gilles Henry
• Sound: Eric Devulder
• Editing: Valérie Deseine
• Music: Frédéric Talgorn
• Associate production company: Olivier Delbosc and Marc Missonnier
• Executive production: Christine de Jekel
• Production Companies: Fidélité Films , France 2 Cinema and France 3 Cinema
• Distribution Companies: Wild Bunch Distribution
• Budget: € 16,000,000
• Country of origin: France
• Original language: French
• Format: Color – 35mm – 2.35: 1 ( Panavision ) – Dolby SRD sound
• Genre: comedy
• Duration: 120 minutes
• Release dates:
  • France : January 31 , 2007
  • Belgium : January 31 , 2007

Distribution

• Romain Duris : Molière says Tartuffe
• Fabrice Luchini : Mr. Jourdain
• Laura Morante : Elmire, the wife of Mr. Jourdain
• Édouard Baer : Dorante
• Ludivine Sagnier : Celimène
• Fanny Valette : Henriette, the eldest daughter of Mr. Jourdain and Elmire
• Mélanie Dos Santos : Louison, young girl of Mr. Jourdain and Elmire
• Gonzague Montuel : Valère, Henriette’s lover
• Gilian Petrovsky : Thomas, son of Dorante, who wants to work
• Sophie-Charlotte Husson : Madeleine Béjart
• François Civil : Louis Béjart at 14
• Nicolas Vaude : Sir, brother of Roy
• Arié Elmaleh : the dance master of Mr. Jourdain
• Eric Berger : the painting master of Mr. Jourdain
• Annelise Hesme : Park Marquise
• Anne Suarez : Catherine de Brie
• Wilfred Benaïche : Jean Poquelin, Molière’s father
• Isabelle Caubère : Toinette
• Luc Tremblais: Gros-René
• Jean-Michel Lahmi : Pinel
• Philippe du Janerand : Bonnefoy, Mr. Jourdain’s assistant
• Marie Gili-Pierre : Genevieve
• Francis Van Litsenborgh : the notary
• Jean-Claude Jay : Charles Dufresne
• François Toumarkine : the Missionier usher
• Isabelle Vitari : a precious
• Mayane Delem : a precious
• Clio Baran: the young actress
• Ivan Cori: the young actor

Distinctions

Awards

• French Film Festival in Czech Republic (2007): Audience Award ¹ .
• Ceremony of Crystal Globes 2008: Best Actor for Romain Duris ² .

Appointments

• 33rd ceremony of Caesar (2008):
  • Cesar Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Fabrice Luchini
  • Caesar best costumes for Pierre-Jean Larroque
  • César best decorations for Françoise Dupertuis
  • Caesar for Best Original Screenplay for Grégoire Vigneron and Laurent Tirard
• Jacques-Prévert Prize of the 2008 scenario for Grégoire Vigneron and Laurent Tirard

Notes and references