''The Imaginary Invalid'' (French: ''Le malade imaginaire'') is a 1934 French
historical
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Lucien Jaquelux and starring
Robert Pizani,
Ginette Gaubert and
Nane Germon. It is an adaptation of the 1673 play ''
The Imaginary Invalid
''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes ( H.495, H ...
'' by
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
, later turned into a 1952 West German
film of the same title.
[Goble p.330]
Synopsis
A bedridden
hypochondriac is exploited by his wife and
physician
A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
s who run rings round him. Only his daughter really cares for him, and he is eventually convinced to allow her to marry the man she really wants rather than the match he had planned for her.
Cast
*
Robert Pizani as Thomas Diafoirus
*
Ginette Gaubert as Angélique
*
Nane Germon as Toinette
*
Dranem as Argan
*
Alfred Argus as Béralde
*
Jacqueline Cartier as Louison
*
Georges Colin as Docteur Diafoirus
*
Robert Darthez as Cléante
*
Marguerite Ducouret as Bélise
*
Anthony Gildès as Monsieur Bonnefoi
*
Raymond Ménage as Monsieur Purgon
References
Bibliography
* Bessy, Maurice & Chirat, Raymond. ''Histoire du cinéma français: 1935-1939''. Pygmalion, 1986.
* Crisp, Colin. ''Genre, Myth and Convention in the French Cinema, 1929-1939''. Indiana University Press, 2002.
* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.
* Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.
External links
*
1934 films
French comedy films
1934 comedy films
1930s French-language films
French black-and-white films
1930s French films
Films directed by Lucien Jaquelux
French films based on plays
French historical films
1930s historical films
Films set in the 17th century
Films based on works by Molière
{{1930s-France-film-stub