Stand by · pulling the latest frames
Stand by · pulling the latest frames


Molière pour rire et pour pleurer recounts the life of Jean‑Baptiste Poquelin, from his childhood in an artisan family to his rise as Molière, a central figure of French theatre. The series shows his difficult decision to abandon the family trade and join Madeleine Béjart to found L’Illustre Théâtre, marked by debts and repeated setbacks. While touring the provinces, he shapes his style and discovers the power of comedy. Back in Paris, he makes a name for himself with Les Précieuses ridicules, but his sharp satires provoke fierce opposition, especially during the Tartuffe scandal. Supported by Louis XIV, he continues despite attacks, literary rivalries, and tensions within his troupe, particularly with Armande Béjart. The miniseries also follows his growing exhaustion, his determination to perform at any cost, and his final breath after Le Malade imaginaire, the ultimate symbol of an artist who lived — and died — for the stage.
9.5
Score
2
Marcel Camus
ORTF Télévision 2
“Where laughter becomes a weapon, and the stage becomes fate.”

Alice Sapritch
Mme Béjart
Maud Rayer
Maud Rayer
Geneviève Béjart

Pierre Repp
Pinel

Guy Grosso
Du Parc

André Reybaz
Pierre Corneille
Vincent Testanière
Vincent Testanière
Louis Béjart enfant

Christian Parisy
Louis Béjart adulte

Henri Courseaux
Joseph Béjart

Henri Coutet
Béjart père
Edmond Tamiz
Edmond Tamiz
Fiorelli
Piermy
Piermy
Nicolas

Ermanno Casanova
Maître Aubry

Albert Michel
Le greffier de la prison
René Cousinier
René Cousinier
Bary

Thérèse Liotard
Catherine de Surlis