The life story of the titular Beaumarchais (Fabrice Luchini), playwright and adventurer, who gets himself into numerous different scrapes and romantic encounters in 18th Century France.
Looking for something really scary to watch? See which horror movies and TV series IMDb users are excited about in Scary Good, IMDb's Horror Entertainment Guide.
Related News
-
Strand Picks Up Berlin Film Fest Entry 'Service Entrance'
19 March 2011 | IONCINEMA.com
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Beaumarchais the Scoundrel (1996)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
1 win & 5 nominations.
See more awards »
Learn more
More Like This
Bicycling with Molière
(2013)
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Philippe Le Guay
Stars:
Fabrice Luchini,
Lambert Wilson,
Maya Sansa
Ridicule
(1996)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Patrice Leconte
Stars:
Charles Berling,
Jean Rochefort,
Fanny Ardant
Molière
(2007)
Biography
|
Comedy
Director:
Laurent Tirard
Stars:
Romain Duris,
Fabrice Luchini,
Laura Morante
On Guard
(1997)
Drama
|
Adventure
Director:
Philippe de Broca
Stars:
Daniel Auteuil,
Fabrice Luchini,
Vincent Perez
The French Detective
(1975)
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Pierre Granier-Deferre
Stars:
Lino Ventura,
Patrick Dewaere,
Victor Lanoux
Copie conforme
(1947)
Comedy
|
Crime
Director:
Jean Dréville
Stars:
Louis Jouvet,
Suzy Delair,
Annette Poivre
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Jean Becker
Stars:
Jacques Villeret,
Jacques Gamblin,
André Dussollier
Nothing About Robert
(1999)
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Pascal Bonitzer
Stars:
Fabrice Luchini,
Sandrine Kiberlain,
Valentina Cervi
A Gorgeous Girl Like Me
(1972)
Comedy
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
François Truffaut
Stars:
Bernadette Lafont,
Claude Brasseur,
Charles Denner
The Mystery of Henri Pick
(2019)
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Rémi Bezançon
Stars:
Fabrice Luchini,
Camille Cottin,
Alice Isaaz
A Pain in the Ass
(1973)
Comedy
Director:
Édouard Molinaro
Stars:
Lino Ventura,
Jacques Brel,
Caroline Cellier
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Fabrice Luchini | ... | Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais | |
| Sandrine Kiberlain | ... | Marie-Thérèse | |
| Manuel Blanc | ... | Gudin | |
| Michel Aumont | ... | Baron de Breteuil | |
| Jean-François Balmer | ... | Sartine | |
| Jean-Claude Brialy | ... | Abbot | |
| Patrick Bouchitey | ... | Monsieur Lejay | |
 |
Evelyne Bouix | ... | Madame Vigee Lebrun |
| Isabelle Carré | ... | Rosine | |
| José Garcia | ... | Figaro | |
| Alain Chabat | ... | Le courtisan à Versailles | |
|
|
Pierre Gérard | ... | Comte de Provence |
| Judith Godrèche | ... | Marie-Antoinette (as Judith Godreche) | |
| Murray Head | ... | Lord Rochford | |
|
|
Axelle Laffont | ... | Mariette Lejay |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
The life story of the titular Beaumarchais (Fabrice Luchini), playwright and adventurer, who gets himself into numerous different scrapes and romantic encounters in 18th Century France. Written by Jonathan Broxton <j.w.broxton@sheffield.ac.uk>
Taglines:
A most remarkable true story of love affairs, scandals and espionage.Certificate:
See all certifications »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
FranceLanguage:
FrenchRelease Date:
17 October 1997 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Beaumarchais the Scoundrel See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
FRF 95,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$27,216, 26 October 1997, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$630,269, 14 December 1997Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
Color (Eastmancolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
Did You Know?
Trivia
Awards: Trois nominations aux Césars 1997 à Fabrice Luchini (meilleur acteur), Sylvie de Segonzac (meilleurs costumes), meilleurs décors (Jean-Marc Kerdelhue). See more »Connections
Featured in Bouillon de culture: L'incroyable histoire de Beaumarchais (1996) See more »Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
It's easy to understand why Guitry would write a play about Beaumarchais, a man of action, a wit and a man of the theatre he would have obviously admired. What is not as clear is how much of his original intention was wasted in this dreary production. The characters are charmless, witless and move in and out much too quickly for any of the cameo players to make any distinct impression.
Worst of all, the actors give in to the worst temptation they could have felt, which is to play in an unconvincing pedantic, precious and yet anachronistic manner, something Guitry would never have allowed in one of his plays. The worst offender is Fabrice Luchini, who doesn't look anything like the original Beaumarchais and has to be most prissy and effeminate heterosexual alive today. His "moues", "oeillades", "plissements de lèvres", egg-sucking and neck-twisting mannerisms succeed in nothing more than a rather good impression of Eric Idle playing an upper-class frump in drag.
The script doesn't spend a single minute pondering the gravity of the title character's situation as the man who wrote the play that arguably brought about the French Revolution. His motivation is never explained apart from the fact that he was left holding the bag of the expenses he incurred helping the American Revolution. In that sense, the film is extremely superficial and potentially libellous.
Its only qualities lie in its original locations (including creaky floors that should have been corrected with a little Foley work), its magnificent score by Jean-Claude Petit (Cyrano de Bergerac, 1990) and its costumes. It is unfortunate that the latter most often end up wearing the players rather than the other way around.
In short, this film is a discredit to both Beaumarchais and Guitry.