La tourneuse de pages

Melanie Prouvost (Deborah Francois) is a girl who really knows how to hold a grudge. Aged 10 she sees her prospects of a musical career go up in smoke at a piano recital when she is distracted by one of the judges, Ariane Fouchecourt (Catherine Frot), a famous pianist who thoughtlessly signs an autograph while Melanie is playing. After this failure Melanie refuses ever to play the piano again.

A decade on and Melanie, while interning at a law firm, gets the opportunity to become a live in nanny for her boss's son. Needless to say the boss's wife turns out to be none other than Ariane.

From hereon in the film plays on our uncertainty as to precisely how and to what extent Melanie intends to take her vengeance against the emotionally fragile Ariane, who of course is totally oblivious to their prior encounter. Is Melanie truly a cruel and beautiful ice maiden out for limitless revenge, or does she have a heart after all? The film keeps the tension going playfully and subtly, helped in no small measure by excellent performances from Catherine Frot and Deborah Francois. In fact about the only criticisms I can think to make are that the script could possibly have fleshed out Melanie's motivations just a little more fully, and also that there were several continuity errors regarding Melanie's dress. I don't often notice such errors, but in this case they involved the sudden disappearance of Deborah Francois' delectable cleavage, which I felt myself compelled to keep a close eye on throughout. A very minor quibble with an otherwise accomplished film.

The girl Mélanie Prouvost (Déborah François) is the beloved daughter of the butchers Mrs. Prouvost (Christine Citti) and Mr. Prouvost (Jacques Bonnaffé). She is an aspirant pianist and her parents make her application to the Conservatory. During the entrance exam, she begins with a great performance but she is distracted by one member of the admittance board, Ariane (Catherine Frot), who is giving an autograph, and she fails.

Years later, Mélanie is a teenager that has just finished high-school and she is accepted as intern of the law firm owned by the prominent lawyer Mr. Fouchécourt (Pascal Greggory). Mélanie overhears that he needs someone to take care of his son Tristan (Antoine Martynciow) and she offers to the position. She needs to travel to another town and when she arrives at the manor, she is welcomed by Ariane, who is the wife of Mr. Fouchécourt. She does not recognize Mélanie and soon she becomes Ariane's page turner, in the beginning of her carefully planned revenge against the woman that destroyed her dreams.

"La tourneuse de pages", a.k.a. "The Page Turner", is a stylish thriller of passion, seduction and revenge. This is almost a perfect movie, with great direction, screenplay and cast. The music score with classics is another attraction of this wonderful movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

I think these days the audience has forgotten how minimalist a film can be to achieve effective and powerful stories. "The Page Turner" reminds us of just that, in a era where films under 2 hours are often deemed as too short.

Clocking in at 70 minutes, this is a great, neat little piece of work with solid performances throughout. Deborah Francois is has a natural cool and a hidden Machiavellian glint in her eyes that is only subtly conveyed throughout the movie, and her seeming lack of emotions is frighteningly real. This is a revenge story, and is a no nonsense script, helped further on with beautiful choices of music and great camera and directing.

It conveys a powerful message on the nature of revenge how easily we humans come to lean on one another, emotionally and psychologically. Betrayal is the worst for a person to experience, and here the betrayal and revenge of "The Page Turner" is delivered with the grace of a real master of intrigue.

Young village butcher's daughter Mélanie fails a piano competition because she is distracted by the rudeness of one of the musician jurors. Having given up on music, she finds herself in Paris many years later, taking on a placement at the juror's husband's law firm, who invites her into his home as a nanny for the holidays. The question is, of course, will she take revenge on the juror, and if so, how?

Old-school drama, presented timelessly by an excellent pair of actresses. There are many beautiful little touches to keep the tension high, ranging from the juror's son's fascination with 'how many seconds can I stay underwater' to the butcher's daughter hacking away at the preparation of dinner. It would be a shame to divulge the countless other little details put into the film as we follow the young, pretty Mélanie in the Juror's household, as it is in the details that lies the fascination. And it is that fascination which has to hold you captive, which it will, despite the simplicity of the script.

Director Denis Dercourt's film is a compelling drama set in contemporary France. Mélanie (Julie Richalet) is an aspiring 10-year old pianist, preparing for her conservatory exam. Her audition goes badly when her concentration is broken by a commotion involving the head of the jury Ariane Fouchécourt (Catherine Frot), a renowned concert performer who behaves badly towards the aspiring pianist. Ten years pass, and Mélanie (now played by Déborah François) lands a coveted job at a law firm working for Monsieur Fouchécourt (Pascal Greggory). Mélanie makes a big impression on her patron, and she is recruited as an au-pair at his estate. She quickly becomes an indispensable member of the family, and intimate with Pascal's wife, who by now is struggling to maintain her illustrious career. Melanie is recruited to turn the pages of music during the make-or-break performance by Ariane and revenge appears to be the order of the day. An absolutely stunning performance by Belgian actress Déborah François, who was the lead in the award-winning L'Infant last year. Dercourt's use of silence to convey meaning and intention is remarkable, and has led to comparisons with the legendary Claude Chabrol (who directed L'Enfer with Emmanuelle Béart.)