Lully; Moliere: Bourgeois Gentilhomme

For those of us (and that may be most of us) who now think of Moliere's plays as being, well, plays in the modern sense, this is a superb reminder of the fact that the Gesamptkunstwerk existed long before Wagner and entertainments in 17th century France were often a brilliant combination of the spoken word, song and dance. The dominance of the music may come as a surprise but Lully, as absolute a monarch in the musical sphere as Louis XIV was in the political, excelled not simply in his tragédie lyriques and church music but also as a collaborator for non-operatic stage works. This production probably gets us as close to an original performance as possible and is absorbing both for its integral qualities and its historically informed presentation. One word of caution. The scene where Jourdain is initiated as a 'Mamamouchi' is written by Moliere in a highly amusing pidgen faux-Turkish which resists translation by the subtitle bot. It is worth seeking out a decent translation of this scene as it is hilarious and makes far more sense of the proceedings! If you have any interest in the French Baroque, this is a must-see.

Five stars for the opening sequence which is all I that watched and from that, it promises to be superb, Lully's Baroque music, a complete revelation for me, the actors mannerisms, the costumes and the atmospheric candlelit, stage setting. Unfortunately the subtitles feature on my copy did not work - nada subtitles, so have returned the dvd and purchased another. Would highly recommend this version of Bourgeois Gentilhomme, despite being based on initial impressions. I was all prepared for a great night's viewing, only to be cheesed off that I could only understand a little of it, having not taken much notice of the French lessons in school!Update - have just received the replacement DVD, just one word to offer. SUBLIME, and in total agreement with the other reviewers, feeling it unnecessary to add to their fulsome praise. Could not recommend this DVD highly enough - a real treat!

All aspects of this production are superb: The concept of reproducing the original staging, the original French as spoken in pre-revolutionary France; the energetic acting, full of nuances expressed through the voice, hand and bodily gestures. All these give a fresh and exciting experience.It is a far cry from the French tendency in the last 2-3 decades to ruin their cultural heritage through "super sophisticated" "modernistic" re-interpretations, which have nothing to do with the spirit of the originals.The same accolades go also to the production of Rameau's "Hippolyte et Aricie", which purchased together with "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme."I hope that more directors and producers follow suite and return to the true tradition of presenting the baroque classics.

If with this production you are expecting, as I was, a presentation lovingly and caringly presenting the works of Lully and Moliere, BE WARNED. The production turns into a kind of jazz rock. The contra bass is exchanged for rock bass and the rythm section joins in. Harlequin jumps around the stage as if imitating ACDC. I half expected characters from Grease to make a complimentary appearence. Thankfully it didnt turn disco. I have no idea why someone would want to abandon the work of J B Lully in mid performance and spoil this with a homage to 1960's rock music. I mean, its not even modern. Some people might find this acceptible and even like it but I was very dissapointed. For me it kind of ruined the whole thing, staining the good parts of the production and left me feeling I had wasted my time.

An excellent DVD once you got used to the non-standard French pronunciation of the actors. It was like an attempt to have a Shakespeare play using the English accents , pronunciation and intonations of London in 1600. You really need to have the text available to read alongside the DVD for the first viewing.

Yes, expensive - but well worth the money! It is cheaper than flying to Paris! Please note that this performance includes the singing and ballet music by Lully - which is a treat and a bonus, but do not buy expecting to watch merely the play.

Awesome unabridged production of a classic Moliere play accompanied by the music of Lully and a masterful interpretation of baroque dance, acting, gestures and lighting. The performances are fantastic with actors facing the audience at most times, moving in and out of the golden glow of the candles, bursting into song and gesticulating with hilarious hand and arm movements. The French is spoken in a very mannered style which for a non-French speaker is clearly evident. I found the scene where Jourdain is being taught French vowels very funny. And their are loads of comic moments which considered alogside the subject matter (principally Jourdain using his wealth to increase his social status) deserves admiration because at the time France (controlled by Louis IVX or the Ancien Regime) seems to have encouraged the purchase of titles to bolster the government's coffers. Perhaps Moliere was having a dig in front of the King! Lully's music is perfectly performed by the orchestra and the score offers lots of variety as does the dancing, which in the absence of the actual choreography is convincingly constructed. I would recommend this rather expensive DVD (shame it can't be found cheaper) to lovers of Moliere, Lully and all things Baroque. One downside was the extra feature which ended abruptly as if the feature was too long for the disc capacity?

I rather enjoyed this production but I can see why the genre has fallen into an abyss. I would not wish to view more of this ilk.