One man in his time plays many parts: Ariane Mnouchkine's Molière

For over half a century now, the name of Ariane Mnouchkine has been indissociable from that of the Théâtre du Soleil. Formed in Paris in 1964, this left-leaning troupe has built a reputation for innovative, and often lengthy, productions, founded (although Mnouchkine is its guiding light) on an intrinsically collective approach, in which all members can contribute creatively, and where the barriers between cast and audience are deliberately broken down.[1] Yet despite its predominant commitment to the stage, the company has occasionally turned its hand to cinema, its first, and best-known, feature film being the eponymous Molière (1978), recently reissued as a new two-disk DVD set.