Moliére - Tartuffe DVD 1978 Broadway theatre archive / Directed by Stephen Porter & Kirk Browning / Starring: Donald Moffat, Victor Garber, Tammy Grimes, Patricia Elliott

UPC 032031263895

ISBN: 0769796389

MADE IN EU

REGION 0 NTSC DVD (all regions)

AUDIO: English 2.0

Subtitles: English

TOTAL RUNTIME: 122 MINUTES

English Summary:

Originally staged for the theatre by Circle in the Square, New York City

Donald Moffat stars in Moliere’s classic comedy about lovable scoundrel Tartuffe, who befriends the wealthy Orgon and then attempts to seduce both his new friend’s wife and daughter in this TV presentation from the Broadway Theatre Archive. Tartuffe pretends to be a pious man whose faith convinces Orgon and his family to succumb to his influence, but he’s undone when his womanizing ways make it clear that his piety is a charade.

Cast:

Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite (/tɑːrˈtʊf,-ˈtuːf/; French: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, pronounced [taʁtyf u lɛ̃pɔstœʁ]), first performed in 1664, is one of the most famous theatrical comedies by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical theatre roles.

Orgon's family is up in arms because Orgon and his mother have fallen under the influence of Tartuffe, a pious fraud (and a vagrant prior to Orgon's help). Tartuffe pretends to be pious and to speak with divine authority, and Orgon and his mother no longer take any action without first consulting him.

Tartuffe's antics do not fool the rest of the family or their friends; they detest him. Orgon raises the stakes when he announces that he will marry Tartuffe to his daughter Mariane (already engaged to Valère). Mariane feels very upset at this news, and the rest of the family realizes how deeply Tartuffe has embedded himself into the family.

In an effort to show Orgon how awful Tartuffe really is, the family devises a scheme to trap Tartuffe into confessing to Elmire (Orgon's wife) his desire for her. As a pious man and a guest, he should have no such feelings for the lady of the house, and the family hopes that after such a confession, Orgon will throw Tartuffe out of the house. Indeed, Tartuffe does try to seduce Elmire, but their interview is interrupted when Orgon's son Damis, who has been eavesdropping, is no longer able to control his boiling indignation and jumps out of his hiding place to denounce Tartuffe.