jürgen fauth’s muckworld

“One day, they won’t say ’speak French to me,’ they will say: speak to me in the language of Molière!” Says Molière, played by an exuberant Romain Duris, waving his tankard before he falls of the tavern table, much to the amusement of the assembled Parisians. But we all know it’s true. And once a country’s Greatest Writer has been canonized, it’s only a matter of time before he gets a movie that conflates his life with his work in the style of Shakespeare in Love and Factotum. Unrestrained by fact, the liberties taken by this approach are more shapely and palpable than the usual flabby biopic. Molière turns out to be an especially endearing attempt at the budding subgenre.

The film uses an undocumented period in Molière’s life to imagine the genesis of his play Tartuffe–which allows writer and director Laurent Tirard to have fun with the classic comedy. The story begins in 1658, when the actor is offered a deal he can’t refuse: Monsieur Jordain (Fabrice Luchini), a wealthy merchant, will pay off Molière’s debt if he trains him as an actor to impress the haughty widow Célimène (Ludivine Sagnier). For this task, Moliere takes the name of Tartuffe, pretends to be a priest, and moves into Jordain’s house–which leads to all sorts of farcial and amorous hijinx involving Jordain’s wife (Laura Morante), daughter (Fanny Valette), dog, and scheming society friends.

Accomplished and witty, the film even manages to wring morsels of truth out of the highly entertaining complications: who knew Jean-Baptiste Molière was the artistic forebear of Preston Sturges’ Sullivan, endlessly distraught over the value of comedy? Molière is scheduled to open on July 27.

Molière. Laurent Tirard, 2007. ****

• The official site has the trailer

You can watch good movies again and again, but only great movies get better every time. Helen Mirren is getting all the press for her outstanding performance as QEII, but the writing is what made that performance possible. Peter Morgan’s screenplay manages to be at once historically specific and archetypal, using a unique week in English history to illustrate eternal truths about the balancing of power, innovation, and tradition, and he does it all with heartbreaking candor and genuine British wit. The Queen is superbly structured, doesn’t waste a second, and continues to reveal new layers of brilliance every time. I’m still trying to rewatch Shortbus, INLAND EMPIRE, Volver, and Pan’s Labyrinth before we vote for our awards next weekend, but this is one of my absolute favorite movies of the year.

The Queen. Stephen Frears, 2006. *****

• Previously on muckworld
  
• On muckworld, again
  
• On About.com

[tags]5 stars, aristocracy, england, film, helen mirren, stephen frears, peter morgan[/tags]

I regret not having written my Shortbus review yet since I was going to announce it as the best movie of the year–but upon seeing The Queen a second time today, among a sold-out senior crowd and a serious technical breakdown at the awful, awful theaters on Third Avenue, I’m not so sure any more. Once again, I ended up crying for HM Helen Mirren and realized just how well written and conceived a film The Queen really is. “Brilliant, my dear.” — “Quite.” Upgraded to five stars.

The Queen. Stephen Frears, 2006. *****
[tags]helen mirren, stephen frears, bestof, 5 stars, england, aristocracy, nyc, uppereastside, seniors, technical difficulties[/tags]

• Earlier
• About.com
• Rotten Tomatoes

Stephen Frears’ film follows the Royal Family and the recently-elected Tony Blair during the days after Princess Di’s death. A very compelling mixture of taking the piss (James Cromwell as Prince Philip is a riot) and touching investigation into the burden of royalty. Helen Mirren’s performance as Elizabeth II is extraordinary because it’s not impersonation. She gets plenty of laughs in, but in the end, you’ll be tempted to cry for her. This is everything Marie Antoinette failed at–there’s real insight about the nature of aristocracy, its problems and possible uses in an age of media saturation, and so forth. Mirren, Frears, Cromwell and writer Peter Morgan were all very funny and very smart at the Q&A. About review etc forthcoming.

The Queen. Stephen Frears, 2006. ****

[tags]stephen frears, helen mirren, film, 4 stars, aristocracy, england, princess di, nyff[/tags]