01 June, 2007

More M. Jourdain.

Nelly, bless her, gave the wife and I, (or is it me?) a pass to the Premier of Molière.

The film came out months ago now and keeping to the rigorous commitment this blog has to timeliness these few lines are posted, posthaste, as it were..

All of you campers will by now be familiar with the plot outline of the Bourgeois Gentilhomme, so that can be safely skipped. Suffice it to say Molière, the film, is a telling again of that immortal saga of a normal chap striving to be like all of the best, I mean, all of the rest

Molière being only the writer, is in the film relegated to the role of a foil to carry along the drama of the personal development of Monsieur Jourdain, played in the film by Fabrice Luchini.

As a counterpoint to our hero the director Laurent Tirard chose to condescend to our contemporary public and substitute a genuine aristocrat played with genius by Edourd Baer for the minions of the Turkish Sultan in the original play. Other savage distortions were made, all essential to get the character development successfully shifted from the 17TH century to our own barbaric 21ST.

This pandering is easily seen through and even adds to the high comedy of the film.

Is this film recommended?

Did it matter 60% of the dialog was unintelligible?

When is all of anything written by Molière intelligible?

And what about Ludivine Sagnier as Célimène, huh?

Thanks Nell.


3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

More here:

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/m/moliere-moliere-ou-le-comedien-malgre-lui.shtml

22:41  
Blogger Elsie said...

Jack, does this mean that your blogging sabbatical is over?

Moliere is scheduled for release here on July 27. I'm unsure if you are recommending it or not. Is it worth seeing at the theater, or are we better off waiting for it on DVD?

Glad you're back.

17:10  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Chances are it will be dubbed so you will understand the 400 year old french. That is one problem down.

If the price of a ticket is a problem wait for it to hit TV, but I think the camera work, expressions and costumes are worth whatever you might have to pay for the wide screen.

Fabrice Luchini as it happens lives in the neighborhood. Never stumbled into him these last years, that I know of.

Back where?

Thanks for your visit(s) Elsie. You are a solid spot in a moving place for me.

19:17  

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