BURN MOLIÈRE! | DEFYING POWER AND FAITH IN THEATER

Cinemavixion Review

This 2019 French drama, "Burn Molière!" directed by Jacques Malaterre, plunges into the tumultuous world of 17th-century theater. The film centers on the celebrated playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, famously known as Molière, who finds himself under the patronage of King Louis XIV. Molière's burgeoning success takes a sharp turn with the unveiling of his satirical comedy, "Tartuffe." This play, a biting critique of religious hypocrisy, incites the ire of powerful religious factions and, crucially, the King himself. Seeking to appease the Catholic Church and consolidate his own authority, Louis XIV bans the performance of "Tartuffe." Molière is thus caught in a dangerous crossfire between artistic expression and the entrenched powers of both the monarchy and the clergy, forcing a profound confrontation with the limits of his creative freedom.