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Molière: inside the mind of a comedy genius
Molière: in the mind of a comedy genius – (France 2)
Molière died 400 years ago. “The Imaginary Molière”, a film with Laurent Lafitte and Pierre Arditi, tells part of his life. It comes out in cinemas on Wednesday February 14. The opportunity for the 20 Hours to slip into the head of Molière.
It was a close call, and Molière died on stage in his role of The Imaginary Sick, a shame. The real armchair was preserved as a relic by the Comédie Française, as well as its cap. Nothing predestined Jean-Baptiste Poquelin to the theater. He was born not far from the Louvre, and grew up in the workshop of his father, upholsterer to the king. Molière will take over from him, an advantage for the already recognized actor. In the evening, he plays, and in the morning, he attends the king’s rising, mingling with the crowd of courtiers. An unexpected access to Louis XIV and an inexhaustible source of inspiration for human comedy at the top of the kingdom.
Uncompromising humor
In his time, tragedy is king, but he likes a good laugh. Molière has no equal when it comes to sketching with his pen the ugly failings of human beings: with the Miser And the Misanthrope, he invented French comedy. But his uncompromising humor sometimes attracts the wrath of the devout of the time, when he denounces religion. Even if it meant making people cringe, Molière made his contemporaries laugh, even the Sun King, who made him his protégé, undoubtedly ensuring his posterity.
