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The Imaginary Invalid (Le Malade Imaginaire, 2007) Director: Christian de Chalonge While the castle’s cobbled courtyard is being prepared for the carnival, Argan, our imaginary invalid, beset by his hypochondriac inclinations, counts his potions and his money. Would it not be shrewd to welcome a doctor in the family and thus ward off any possible illness? For this reason, Argan decides to wed his daughter, the sweet Angélique, to Thomas Diafoirus, a competent yet simple-minded doctor. However, Angelique is in love with Cleante. Will her father try to understand this fondness? Will he get in the way of the unscrupulous schemes of Beline, Angelique’s stepmother, who is ready to sacrifice her by sending her to convent or forcing her to wed for a sweet inheritance? Fortunately, Toinette, the clever and maternal servant, watches over. Together with Beralde, Argan’s brother, she will use cunning ploys to thwart the greedy conspiracies, expose the culprits, and enable love to triumph. When the carnival starts at last, Argan follows his brother Beralde’s advice: he is “ordained” a doctor during a burlesque ceremony.
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