Robespierre 1789-1989

Overview

Robespierre, a child of the Enlightenment, passionate about justice and concerned with order, is thrust into the storms of the Revolution. He becomes one of its most tragic figures. The guiding thread of this dramatic development is Robespierre’s own speech. Excerpts from his major addresses are thus staged, emphasizing the contradictions of a man who advocates for the abolition of the death penalty yet justifies the Reign of Terror, who tirelessly fights for universal suffrage but helps establish an exceptional regime. His life and exercise of power are confronted, thirty years apart, with the analyses and judgments of historians and political figures from the Bicentennial and the early 21st century: Michel Vovelle, Michel Biard, Hervé Leuwers, Patrice Gueniffey, Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Michel Debré, Lionel Jospin, Jean-Louis Bourlanges, and Alexis Corbière.

Cast

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Christophe Allwright

Maximilien Robespierre

Patrick Laplace

Louis Antoine Saint-Just

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Martine Abela

Éléonore Duplay

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Régis Ivanov

Georges Danton

Alain Floret

Jacques-René Hébert

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Jean-Pierre Moreux

Billaud-Varenne

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Marc Brunet

Collot d'Herbois

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Guy Verame

Joseph Fouché

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François Lauzon

Tallien

Pierre Casadei

Vadier

Michel Debré

Lionel Jospin