TV series

Molière pour rire et pour pleurer

Name: Molière pour rire et pour pleurer
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Documentary, Family
Released: 1973-11-08
Cast: Jean-Pierre Darras, Caroline Cellier, Marianne Comtell, Roger Miremont, Alice Sapritch

19731 seasons6 episodes★ 9.5

ComedyDramaDocumentaryFamily

Where laughter becomes a weapon, and the stage becomes fate.

Overview

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.

Series details

First air date: 1973
Last air date: 1973
Status: Ended
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 6
Episode runtime: 55 min
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Documentary, Family
Original language: FR
Origin country: FR
Networks: ORTF Télévision, ORTF Télévision 2
Created by: Marcel Camus
Production: ORTF, Télécip

Cast

Jean-Pierre Darras

Molière

Caroline Cellier

Amande

Marianne Comtell

Madeleine Béjart

Roger Miremont

Molière jeune

Alice Sapritch

Madame Béjart

Louis Seigner

Seasons

Season information provided by TMDB.

Season 1

1973

6 episodes

This miniseries approaches Molière not as a fixed icon, but as a man immersed in the cultural tensions of his time. It shows how his theatre emerges from direct engagement with reality: observing social environments, exposing hypocrisy, and confronting religious and political power. The narrative highlights the inner workings of a troupe, the material challenges of the profession, and the way Molière turns constraints into creative momentum. Far from the glorified myth, the series reveals a path shaped by compromise, strategy, and resistance. Ultimately, it portrays an author who uses comedy as a tool for social insight, and for whom the stage becomes the space where his freedom is truly at stake.