L'AVARE

L'Avare is a French film realized by Jean Girault and Louis de Funès, release in France March 5th, 1980. This film is an adaptation of the work of Molière, The Miserly one or the School of the lie.

♦ Synopsis :

Harpagon, a widowed rich person, lives with his children, Cléante and Elise. Miserly to the extreme, it buried, in its garden, a cassette full of gold and perpetually suspects its entourage of wanting to steal it to him. It wishes that his children carry out beautiful money marriages and, for itself, cherishes a project of second weddings which will have nothing to cost him. It is unaware of that Cléante is in love with Marianne, the young woman of modest condition that Harpagon intends to marry, and that Elise likes Valère, the intendant of the house. Both do not dare to acknowledge their inclination with their father. However, the time is short. It is this evening-even that the Miserly one is on the point of signing its marriage contract…

♦ Specification sheet :

• Title : L'avare
• Realization : Jean Girault and Louis de Funès
• Scenario : According to the work of Molière
• Adaptation : Jean Girault and Louis de Funès
• Dialogue : Molière
• Technical collaboration : Jean Halain
• Production assistants : François Mimet, Bernard Seitz and Eric Flandin (trainee)
• Production : Films Christian Fechner
• Leader of production : Christian Fechner
• Delegated producer : Bernard Artigue
• Director of production : Bernard Marescot
• Administrator of production : Chantal Malrat
• Producer's assistant : Sylvie François
• Distribution : A.M.L.F
• Images : Edmond Richard
• Operators : Jacques Mironneau, assisted of Philippe Houdart, Jean-Marie Dagoneau
• Music : Jean Bizet (Editions musical Transatlantique)
• Direction of orchestra : Patrick Marchand
• Direction of choirs : R. Passaquet
• Disks exclusivity "Wea International" distribution "Wea Filipacchi Music"
• Sound : Jean-Pierre Pelissier, Paul Lainé
• Perchman : Michel Villain
• Leader operator sound, mixing : Jack Jullian
• Decorations : Sydney Bettex, assisted of Marc Desages
• Editing : Michel Lewin, assisted of Philippe De Chastellux and Claudine Zidi (trainee)
• Casting : Dominique Besnehard
• Creator of suits : Rosine Delamare
• Leader wardrobe master : Nicole Bize
• Dresser : Christiane Marmande, Sophie Breton
• Stick of press : Marie-José di Tullio
• Drawings : Albert Uderzo
• Script-girl : Florence Moncorgé-Gabin
• Make-up : Anatole Paris, Anne-Marie Martiguet
• Leader hairdresser : Jacques Michel
• Interior designer : Nady Chauviret
• Credits : Eurocitel
• Edition : Laboratory Franay L.T.C Saint-Cloud - Auditorium "Paris Studio Cinéma"
• Film 35mm Kodak, color (in Panavision, magnetic Pyral, Samuelson Alga, Ciné lumière de Paris)
• Shooting in the studios of "Paris Studio Cinéma" of Billancourt and in Senlis
• Governed general : Frédéric Massin, Bernard Vaillant
• Assistant manager : Jean-Pierre Farjet
• Governed outside : Marc Balzarelli
• Special effect : Hervé Lelièvre, Georges Proust
• Sound-effects engineer : Jean-Pierre Lelong
• Property man of tray : Maurice Terrasse
• Leader stagehand : Roland Reffet
• Chief electrician : Hubert Segond
• Choregrapher : Jean Guélis
• Shoes : Pompeï-Rome
• Photographer of tray : Sylvie Langrenon
• Genre : Comedy
• First presentation the 05/03/1980
• Visa of exploitation : 51455

♦ Distribution :

• Louis de Funès : Harpagon, the father widower and miser
• Frank David : Cléante, the son of Harpagon, lover of Marianne
• Hervé Bellon : Valère, the bursar of Harpagon, lover of Elise
• Michel Galabru : Maître Jacques, cook and coachman of Harpagon
• Claire Dupray : Elise, the girl of Harpagon
• Claude Gensac : Frosine, the go-between
• Anne Caudry : Marianne, the girl loved of Cléante
• Bernard Menez : La Flèche, the servant of Cléante
• Georges Audoubert : Anselme / Don Thomas d'Alburcie
• Henri Génès : The police captain
• Guy Grosso : Brindavoine, a servant of Harpagon
• Michel Modo : La Merluche, a servant of Harpagon
• Max Montavon : Maître Simon
• Micheline Bourday : Dame Claude, a handmaid
• Madeleine Barbulée : The mother of Marianne
• Pierre Aussedat : Le clerc
• Gaelle Legrand : A handmaid
• Claire Favreto : A handmaid

♦ Anecdotes :

• Louis de Funès for a very long time dreamed to play L’Avare or the School of the lie with the theatre. But its health did not allow him to go up on the boards (it had had a double infarction in 1975) thus L’Avare transformed itself into film.
• Louis de Funès asked has not to cut only one line of the text of the work of Molière. This film is very faithful to put original work besides has share some details added by Louis de Funès (like the imitation of Donald Duck with the court or the escape of Harpagon in front of the woman who requests money from mass).

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