To achieve this goal, he tries to acquire the manners of the gentry by taking many private lessons (music, dance, fencing, philosophy). Monsieur Jourdain is a rich bourgeois whose obsession is to belong to the nobility.

When he learns that his son is his rival for the beautiful Mariane and that a box of gold has been stolen from him, his fury knows no bounds, leaving his entire family astonished at his behaviour…įrom Harpagon’s unhealthy stinginess to the ardour of a frustrated youth, this production by Lilo Baur brings out all the shades of a cult – and surprisingly modern – comedy.ĭirector: Valérie Lesort & Christian Hecq His avarice gets in the way of his two children’s romantic plans: Élise is in love with Valère, a Neapolitan gentleman in her father’s service as a steward, and Cléante wishes to marry Mariane, a young orphan with no fortune. Harpagon, a rich widower, is obsessed with money. Caught in the act of confessing his desire to the beautiful Elmire, he only escapes at the cost of a descent into hypocrisy, driving the family to the brink of implosion…ĭid you think you already knew Tartuffe? The director, Ivo van Hove, has us discover the original version, censored in 1664 by the King the day after the premiere and therefore only performed once in its history. But unable to resist temptation himself, Tartuffe falls in love with Orgon’s wife. In his quest for Christian perfection, the wealthy Orgon has welcomed the devout Tartuffe into his home to be a spiritual guide to the entire household. Written when Molière was in a weakened state, his last play is nonetheless one of his most brilliant comedies – as if he had gathered all the resources of his genius to reach the summit of his art. It takes the tenacity and wiles of the maid Toinette for the masks to fall. The odious stepmother Béline further fuels the conflict. However, she is in love with the young Cléante and resists his wishes, even if it means being sent to a convent. A tyrannical father, he is set on marrying his daughter Angélique to the nephew of Monsieur Purgon, his faithful personal physician. Get a front row seat to the best of French theatre in the cinema, starring the Troupe and the actors of the Académie de la Comédie-Française.Īrgan, a cantankerous hypochondriac obsessed by his ailments, is surrounded by a court of corrupt and ignorant doctors who take advantage of him. The Comédie-Française (also known as The French National Theatre) returns to cinemas worldwide with a season entirely dedicated to Molière for his 400th anniversary.

Ivo van hove tartuffe