Molière (1909)
Directed by Léonce Perret

Film Review

Léonce Perret barely had half a dozen short films to his name as a director before Gaumont landed him with one of his most ambitious productions, a biographical account of the life of France's most important playwright, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known as Molière.  It was the rival company Film d'Art, which was committed to quality productions such as its L'Assassinat du duc de Guise (1908), that led Gaumont to up its game and commit to more lavish period productions of this kind.  With its ornate sets and extensive use of real locations (something that would become a hallmark of Perret's cinema), Molière is a sumptuous looking piece that is among cinema's first worthwhile biopics.

One noteworthy aspect of the film is that it was a collaborative effort between three of the great pioneers of the new medium of cinema working in France at the time.  With Perret, one of Gaumont's most promising talents, in the director's seat, the scriptwriting duties fell to Louis Feuillade and Abel Gance, two of the most important cineastes of the following decades.  Gance - who appears briefly in the film as the young Molière - would ultimately outshine both Feuillade and Ferret with his epic melodramas and own great historical biopic, Napoléon (1927).  Cinematography was by Georges Specht, who worked on many of Perret's films and brought a striking modernity to his work - evidenced by the sequences in Molière that were filmed in the stately environs of the Château de Versailles.  In common with most silent films of this time, Molière consists of tableaux, scenes shot usually in a single take, with a camera fixed in one position, but the visual compositions are so perfect that rarely does the film appear static.  On the contrary, the film has a vibrant quality and realism that sets it apart from most cinematic offerings of this period.

Film Synopsis

Paris, 1642. In his father's upholstery shop, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin is reading his first comic verses to his brothers and sisters.  An impromptu visit by the actor Scaramouche makes up Jean-Baptiste's mind to pursue an acting career.  Some months later, Jean-Baptiste, under his adopted name Molière, has founded a travelling theatre company which tours the provinces.  It is not long before he is performing at the royal court of Versailles, for the pleasure of King Louis XIV.  With the king's patronage, Molière is destined to become the leading playwright of his time...