Following the Champ de Mars massacre on July 17th 1791, some comedians decide to reenact the main events of the previous years : from the summoning of the Estates-General to the proclamation of the martial law, through the Storming of the Bastille, the Great Fear, and the abolition of feudalism. With intense zest and enthusiasm, they try to show the dashing of hopes, the bursting of joy quickly followed by the collapse of the dreams of equality. To this end, the comedians use all the theatrical forms they have at hand, pantomime, tragedy, puppetry, opera buffa, and they incarnate the people, the richer and the poorer, who made 1789 such a decisive year, all the while illustrating what Saint-Just once said : « The Revolution stops when perfect happiness is reached »
Exclusive bonus : « 1789 – 40 years later » by Stefano Missio (48 min.)
Original documentary retracing the show and the movie’s creation (interview with Ariane Mnouchkine and some of the actors, archive footage, etc)
36-page booklet : texts on the French Revolution and the Théâtre du Soleil Photos and illustrations by Martine Franck/Magnum, Massimo Vitali…