oscar@utcsrgv.UUCP (Oscar M. Nierstrasz) (02/26/84)
[This gets Toronto distribution only] Moliere (Mnouchkine, Ariane; France; 1979; 255m) *** 1/2 I just saw Moliere for the second time last night. It's showing at the Cumbersome 4 near Bloor & Avenue Road. This is a wonderful movie about the life of Moliere (you know, "Tartuffe", "L'Invalide" ...). This is very much out of the general stream of period pieces and bio-pics, however. The difference is that this is more a film to *watch* than to listen to -- it's a marvelous story, but told mostly through what we see rather than what we hear. Dialogue is often superfluous not because it is poorly written but because it serves only to underscore what is apparent from the behaviour of the characters. And yet, much is left out. Almost nothing is spelled out for us (as it is in the average Hollywood flic). The story is told with a good sense of humour -- in all of four hours I didn't feel restless once (but then I enjoyed all fifteen hours of Berlin Alexanderplatz ...). Superficially, the film covers bits of Moliere's life from his childhood to his death: his desire to study law against the wishes of his father, an upholsterer; his abondonment of that career for the life of an actor; his love affair with an actress seven years his senior (and later, her daughter); his acceptance by Louis XIV; and his later problems with censorship as conservative religious "elements" became stronger in France. The actor who plays Moliere is quite convincing as both a young man and as the aging playwright. Also, the occasional forays into surrealism keep you on your toes: a winged man flying down into the midst of a carnaval; a burning wagon speeding through a city street at night; an outdoor stage blown away by the wind; ... . Highly recommended. Oscar Nierstrasz @ utcsrgv!oscar