PARSLEY’S COMMLOCK

Film Review : Molière
Much to my surprise over Christmas I discovered that you can now watch films again on BBC iPlayer. I guess when the beeb buys films now they are getting clearance for the UK internet broadcast. One which I watched this way was a dramatisation of the life of French playwright Molière. According to wikipedia the story only vaguely reflected his actual life, but nevertheless it was an entertaining package.

Romain Duris, the guy who plays Molière, a.k.a. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, was great at conveying contempt (for his vain patron Monsieur Jourdain, played by Fabrice Luchini, who hires him to teach him to act) and passion (for his patron’s long-suffering wife).

The conceit of the film is that eventually Molière’s most outrageous comedy is a faithful representation of this episode of his life. Whilst in his way rather bumbling, and almost Chaplin-esque with his moustache, Molière cleverly thwarts the worst ambitions of a fraudulent nobleman who is swindling Jourdain, and intertwines romance, comedy and tragedy in his anonymous love for Madame Jourdain, whilst ineptly pretending to be a priest staying with them to instruct their daughter.
Overall Review: Thumbs firmly up. A clever funny film.