La vie de Galilée

Set in the 17th century, this stage to screen adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's La Vie de Galilée follows Galileo as he pursues observations that challenge accepted beliefs. He pursues truth through careful observations, knowing that each breakthrough irritates those who wield power over what is deemed acceptable. The drama traces his evolving confidence that empirical evidence must guide belief, even as Church authorities push for caution or suppression. Across scenes featuring Galileo, his ally Sagredo, and the inquisitors, the play probes how scientific courage becomes a test of public responsibility and personal conscience. The production foregrounds Brechtian distancing and the theater as a thinking machine. It's Antoine Vitez's final Comedie-Francaise staging, and the tempo shifts between conversation and confrontation.

Directed by Hugo Santiago, this 1992 television adaptation brings Brecht's La Vie de Galilée to the screen, revisiting Antoine Vitez's Comedie-Francaise staging, the director's last production at the theater, and transmitted with careful production values. The adaptation favors thoughtful pacing over sensationalism.

There are no major awards listed for this TV adaptation, and it did not receive prominent nominations. Critics who discuss the production have noted the clarity of Brechtian technique and the strength of the ensemble performances, particularly the interplay between Galileo and the church figures.

The production embodies Brecht's epic theater sensibility by turning science into a social issue rather than mere biography. Its questions about authority, responsibility, and the social reach of scientific knowledge echo beyond the stage, informing debates about truth and power in culture.

Critically, the film is seen as Brecht's clear articulation of skepticism toward institutions that wield control over inquiry. It foregrounds Galileo's dilemma between discovery and public life, highlighting themes of integrity, accountability, and the cost of intellectual honesty in a world governed by power and fear.