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A costume drama that doesn’t take itself too serious.

When I first went to college, my major was theatre.  I studied and read all manner of plays including those of the French playwright, Moliere.  His farces are simply brilliant and they have stuck with me to this day.  I was excited to see a movie based on his life.  The film Moliere takes an unknown moment in the playwrights history and imagines what happened.  There is a bit of time where no one knows what happened to him and writer/director Laurent Tirard and co-writer Gregoire Vigneron use his play Tartuffe as a basis to explain what happened.

Fans of the Tartuffe will immediately recognize the plot, and the fact the Moliere changes his name to Tartuffe.  Moliere has been arrested and placed in debtor’s prison when a man shows up and takes him to his master.  A wealthy man, with a love of the arts but no talent or patience to learn them, has hired to Moliere to help him with a play he has written in hopes of wooing a beautiful girl.  Moliere becomes his acting coach and playwright but must keep his identity hidden so he assumes the guise of a priest named Tartuffe.

The screenwriters take great joy in adapting “Tartuffe” and “The Bourgeois Gentleman” into the screenplay for the film.  This keeps the film light and constantly moving forward.  It shows the magic of Moilere’s words off beautifully as large chucks of dialogue are often lifted from his plays. 

Romain Duris plays Moliere with great flair.  He’s a bit of a renegade and an idealist.  When Moliere opens, Duris plays the character as a seasoned veteran whose tired of doing the same old farce.  He dreams of doing high art but he’s been pigeonholed.  When we flashback to 1645, he becomes Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, a hungry playwright/actor that is in desperate need to stay out of beggar’s prison. 

Director Tirard provides an English commentary.  He talks about Moliere’s life and his experiences making the film.  It’s a nice addition for fans of the film.  “Making of Moliere” is a half hour featurette that covers the complete production of the film. 

Fans of Moliere will enjoy this “what could have been” story.  Romain Duris gives a lively performance and director Tirard expertly handles the material.  Moliere doesn’t feel like just another bland costume drama. 

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