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Gauthier Valence (Lambert Wilson) is a star, having become a readily recognised heartthrob after playing a brain surgeon on a hit TV show. Yet he yearns to be taken seriously as an actor, and ventures out of Paris to track down his friend Serge Tanneur (Fabrice Luchini), a precious recluse who has edged away from the stage some years before. Valence finds Tanneur living frugally on Île de Ré, and proposes that they stage a production of Molière’s The Misanthrope.

The pair eagerly begin rehearsals, verbally jousting about the play, its themes and its language, while occasionally the outside world intrudes on their sessions. A sharp, witty chamber piece which allows for moments of slapstick comedy amid its literary references, Cycling with Molière contains wonderfully contrasting performances from Wilson and Luchini, while the windswept landscapes of its island location are alluringly presented. (Notes by Michael Hayden.)

IFI FRENCH FILM CLUB
There will be a French Film Club screening of this film at 18.15 on July 8th when IFI and Alliance Française members pay just €7 a ticket. Please ask at the IFI Box Office.

Don’t forget we now schedule weekly.