"Imaginary patient" in the mirror of world cinema

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The fact that Jean Baptiste Poquelin, popularly known as Molière, is a classic not only of French, but of all world literature, no one doubts. But it is surprising that the cinema devoted much less time to this prolific playwright than to others, sometimes much less famous and deserved. So, from the summer you can remember, perhaps, only the French adaptation of "The Miser" with the great Louis de Funes in the title role and the Soviet "Tartuffe" by Jan Fried with Mikhail Boyarsky.

Among the bypassed was the latest work of the great playwright - "The Imaginary Sick". It would seem that interest should be spurred on by the most tragic fate of Molière. He wrote the play, being at the last stage of tuberculosis, mortally ill, he played the main role in it - the hypochondriac rich man Argan. And at the fourth performance of The Imaginary Sick, he began to have a violent attack of coughing. On the same evening, the playwright and actor beloved by France died without repenting of his theatrical deeds. Yes, yes, in the 17th century, acting was not honored by the church, andactors were forbidden to be buried in a consecrated cemetery without repentance. Moliere did not repent, and only the intercession of the King of France himself allowed him to be buried, but outside the cemetery, where there were graves of suicides and unbaptized babies.

The play "Imaginary Sick" has become a kind of sad monument to him and his time. Sad, but at the same time very funny. After all, Moliere himself defined The Imaginary Sick as a comedy with music and ballet. The satirical comedy caustically and cheerfully ridicules both the family foundations of society and the medical profession (already someone who, and Molière had the lowest opinion of doctors, as, indeed, of other scientific professions of that time - lawyers, judges, teachers).

So, "The Imaginary Sick". Molière. Movie. It would seem that cinema and television love costume films. But in the end, there were not so many attempts to film Moliere's light, cheerful play, as it might seem. Perhaps, one can only remember the Hungarian short film and the German film, which were released, surprisingly, in the same 1952. The next massive surge of interest in "The Imaginary Sick" was in 1979, when film adaptations were released in Italy and the Soviet Union.

At home, in France, Molière's last play was embodied on the silver screen only twice - a bit for a national classic, you must agree. The first time was in 1971, the main role was played by Michel Bouquet, the second time “The Imaginary Sick” was filmed in France already in the new millennium - in 2008. This time the role went to one of the bestFrench comedians Christian Clavier.

But for us the most interesting is the Soviet production, because it was directed by a wonderful storyteller, known for his children's films - Leonid Nechaev. It is surprising that many people forget about this TV movie, remembering the work of Nechaev. But the "Imaginary Sick" in his production is a group of brilliant actors, among them - Oleg Efremov, Natalya Gundareva, Tatyana Vasilyeva, Alexander Shirvindt, Rolan Bykov, this is excellent music by Alexei Rybnikov, stylized with subtle irony in the spirit of the era.

Unlike the original source, the “Imaginary Sick” of the “Soviet bottling” turned out not to be an evil satire, but rather, a kind irony over what is happening. Probably, this reflected the personality of Leonid Nechaev, who is inclined not to criticize, but to make fun, not to mock, but to smile kindly at his heroes and their family circumstances.

So everyone who wants to enjoy a fun costume game, light mental fun - welcome to the house of Mr. Argan, where klisters and pills, funny practical jokes and love intrigues are waiting in the wings, everything that the French theater is famous for and comedies by Monsieur Molière.