The Page Turner (DVD)

The young Mélanie Prouvost is a girl who takes her piano playing very seriously and has high ambitions for the future. During an examination recital, however, her concentration is disturbed when Ariane Fouchécourt, a famous concert pianist and head of the panel of examiners, allows an admirer to enter the room to request an autograph. Mélanie cannot regain her composure and is devastated; although her father, a butcher, is willing to continue paying ...
...period of work experience at the office of top lawyer, Jean Fouchécourt. It cannot of course be a coincidence that Jean is the husband of Ariane. When Mélanie learns that Jean requires a nanny to look after his son and provide company for his wife while he is away, she immediately offers her services. Mélanie has to stay at the Fouchécourt's huge mansion as it is too far to commute from Paris, and this provides her with the opportunity she has been ... more

The young Mélanie Prouvost is a girl who takes her piano playing very seriously and has high ambitions for the future. During an examination recital, however, her concentration is disturbed when Ariane Fouchécourt, a famous concert pianist and head of the panel of examiners, allows an admirer to enter the room to request an autograph. Mélanie cannot regain her composure and is devastated; although her father, a butcher, is willing to continue paying for piano tuition, Mélanie locks the lid of the piano for good. She does not, however, forget that Ariane Fouchécourt ruined her hopes of a career as a pianist.

We next see Mélanie ten years later as a young woman undertaking a period of work experience at the office of top lawyer, Jean Fouchécourt. It cannot of course be a coincidence that Jean is the husband of Ariane. When Mélanie learns that Jean requires a nanny to look after his son and provide company for his wife while he is away, she immediately offers her services. Mélanie has to stay at the Fouchécourt's huge mansion as it is too far to commute from Paris, and this provides her with the opportunity she has been waiting for to infiltrate the Fouchecourt household and wreak her revenge. Jean explains to Mélanie that Ariane was involved in a car crash two years previously and has since suffered from stage fright; he is counting on Mélanie to provide her with support in his absence. When Ariane discovers that Mélanie can read music and used to play the piano, she asks her to act as her page turner and is delighted with the skill she shows in performing the task. Ariane does not of course remember the incident that occurred ten years earlier.

In 'The Page Turner' (La Tourneuse de Pages), director Denis Dercourt presents us with a meticulously considered drama that is charged with suspense, a story where facial expressions tell us more than words ever could. From the starting point of a girl who has everything to lose confronted by a mature woman who is a star, he takes us to a stage where the roles are reversed: Mélanie takes control, and Ariane feels lost without her. Dercourt wrote the screenplay together with Jacques Sotty, and although the spoken words are in fact minimal, this is certainly an example of less meaning more.

Belgian actress Déborah François as Mélanie Prouvost deserves the highest praise. Throughout the greater part of the film she wears an enigmatic smile that is perhaps reminiscent of the Mona Lisa, approaching Ariane with subtlety and gently working her charm. Her look says it all, and we know that underneath the smile lies an obsession to have her revenge on the woman who so thoughtlessly ruined her chances to be a pianist. Julie Richalet as the young Mélanie also puts in a worthy performance in which facial expression is again more forceful than words.

Catherine Frot plays Ariane Fouchécourt and is superb as the woman who goes from being an accomplished, star performer to a woman who has lost her self-confidence and desperately needs someone by her side, crumbling when that person lets her down. She is at the same time beautifully stylish and emotionally vulnerable. On the surface she demonstrates her love for her husband Jean (Pascal Greggory), but it would seem that she perhaps merely wanted the life of luxury that he offered. She is somewhat cold towards her son Tristan (Antoine Martynciow), himself an aspiring pianist who at one point reproaches her for never playing games with him.

Music by Shostakovich and Schubert features in the film, as well as a piece in the style of Bach composed especially for the film. The Shostakovich piece emphasises the harsh, cruel aspects of the plot whilst gentler pieces give relief from this. Whilst being a film that will appeal to lovers of music, as director Dercourt (himself a musician) says, the film is not about music but about revenge.

The cinematography of 'The Page Turner' is superb. We are treated to many close-ups, as well as seeing figures framed by doorways or moving along sombre corridors. I particularly loved the scenes in the indoor swimming pool where reflected turquoise ripples of water animate the dark brown walls.

The film has a 15 certificate. It is in French with English subtitles.

DVD EXTRAS
As well as a French and an English trailer, there are filmographies for the principle actors. Extended interviews with Denis Dercourt and Déborah François were worthwhile watching for me. Dercourt describes how François was suggested to him for the part of Mélanie based on her previous appearance in 'L'Enfant'. As it was a totally different role Dercourt was initially unconvinced, but François made such an impression on him that he refers to her as a genius. François tells us that, after being cast as Mélanie, she returned to Belgium for three months and worked on the smile that she wears in the film before shooting began. Dercourt made only the slightest change to it.

The 'Making of' feature is an interesting one that includes one or two brief interviews with Catherine Frot, who had a month of piano lessons before beginning the shoot. From watching this extra I felt that Dercourt was very supportive of the actors, in particular the children, guiding them totally throughout each shot. He appears to be very sure of what he wants whilst still being receptive to individual interpretations, particularly from François and Trot.

'The Page Turner' is a film in a similar vein to 'Merci pour le Chocolat', but I found myself totally absorbed whilst watching 'The Page Turner' and feel that it is worth almost five stars. Had the rating been out of ten, I would give 'Merci...' seven and 'The Page Turner' either eight or nine. As it is, I've given them both four. Not everyone will appreciate the lack of dialogue or the slow-moving action, and 'The Page Turner' is probably more likely to appeal to women. I have watched it twice and am sure I will return to it again in the future, loving as I do the performances of the two female stars and the artistic feel that the film has.

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