Molière

It is amazing how many other people share the same feeling towards this film!!! I felt like a solitaire, since my only connection with this film was my memory. In effect, it was exhibited in my city, Montevideo, Uruguay (South America) as part of a France Film Festival back in 1979. I enjoyed every minute of the four hours the film lasts, so I went twice. I was only 18 y.o. at that time. Since that, I have been trying to find any reference to the film without success. The cinemateca where it was shown did not keep a copy, the same with the France Embassy that brought the film. Nothing on Yahoo. It was not until now that I used Google that I found a clue. And thanks to IMDb found that I am not alone, that many people has memories of this most exquisite film ever. I just followed the advice of a colleague here and bought the film from the amazon.fr site. I hope it arrives in Uruguay, that is possible to play on my multi-zone DVD player, and that has some sub-titles either on Spanish or English, because even my family came from France, I speak it very badly.

I saw this wonderful movie around 10 times when I was just in the twenties. No doubt, this film has influenced me for the rest of my life. The sound in the voice of Moliere when he tells the child (whom he marries later): "Manche Douce", when he steals a chair from his father the tapestrymaster Poquelin, or when he learns to behave like a very old man on stage and of course the scene of his dying on the stairs forever running. Oh how I would love to be in this film just once more

Why would you want to watch a four hour film about a long-dead playwright with a cast of thousands???

Because it's brilliant. "Moliere" delivers in every way. The acting is powerful and intense, but the sets and cinematography take the cake.

Do not miss this fantastic film.

I saw half of this film over 20 years ago, and only once -- and still many scenes are indelibly imprinted in my mind. Moliere's mother picking lice out of his hair...the cavalry attacking student Mardi Gras revellers...starving beggars eating a horse raw...thick stage makeup flaking off a sweating actor...and all sorts of other real and surreal details of 17th century life.

That this compelling and unique film should have disappeared for a quarter century when so much utter CRAP has appeared on tape and DVD is appalling. I hope rumors of its release on DVD are true. And make it available in the USA, please!

I have just seen the DVD of Moliere - this is my first time seeing this film. What a wonderful experience!

I would totally agree with all of the IMDb reviewers - this is an amazing production with some incredible images. Also a very painstaking reconstruction of 17th century France. The humanity of a full life, an engaging storyline, excellent sets and cinematography - its all there.

We recently had the pleasure of Ariane Mnouchkine's Theatre Du Soliel staging a production of "Le Dernier Caravanserail" here in Melbourne. (7 hours long). That was truly amazing as well. They were selling copies of the Moliere DVD at this show so I bought a copy there. It contains the 244 minute theatrical release of the film (not the 300 minute TV version) in French with English, Italian, German and Spanish subtitles. The digital transfer quality is very good, the soundtrack is Dolby Digital mono and wide screen 16 x 9 format. Region 2 only.

There is also a 46 min interview with Ariane (done very recently) in which she talks extensively about the struggle in making the film, the reaction at Cannes, how she structured the story and the ideas behind the death scene amongst others. Great stuff!

I would recommend that any fans of this film make every effort to get this DVD (probably French Amazon or Ebay). For others it is a shining light in French cinema history and well worth tracking down.