The film "De la Comédie-Française," directed by Martin Darondeau and Bertrand Usclat, is released in theaters on Wednesday, July 22. Co-written by actress Pauline Clément, who also plays the lead role, this first feature film recounts the eventful few hours preceding the premiere of a new production of Macbeth at the prestigious institution.
A race against time before the curtain rises
The film follows Nina, a young director who is about to present her first production on one of the world's most prestigious stages, while everything seems to conspire against her in the hours leading up to the performance. A lead actress stranded in Brittany by a train strike, lighting and rigging problems, poorly learned lines, a baby left by her ex-partner on the theater's doorstep with no childcare options: the young woman must contend with a series of unforeseen events as the pressure mounts with the announcement of a visit from the Minister of Culture.
The cast includes Guillaume Gallienne as the theater caretaker and Christian Hecq as the stage manager, alongside Laurent Stocker and Julien Frison. Pauline Clément, along with her co-writer and longtime collaborator Bertrand Usclat, creator of the short program Broute, drew inspiration from several anecdotes that have marked the history of the Comédie-Française.
A film that won an award at the Alpe d'Huez Film Festival
The Comédie-Française production received four awards at the Alpe d'Huez Comedy Festival. Running for 1 hour and 15 minutes, the film is being released amidst a strong recovery in French cinema attendance.
The story is based on an unwritten rule of the Quai Voltaire institution, where the performance is never cancelled, regardless of the circumstances encountered by the troupe backstage.
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