the page turner (la tourneuse de pages) 2006 region free dvd5 french bcbc

The Page Turner (French: La Tourneuse de pages) is a 2006 French film directed by Denis Dercourt. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

(Contains movie and Optional English, Spanish Subtitles. No menus or extras. Regular DVD quality (Not BD, 1080p etc...). Feedback and Seeding always appreciated).







Summary

As a child, pianist Melanie's (Déborah François) dream of studying at a prestigious musical conservatory is shattered when the chairwoman of the jury (Catherine Frot) distracts her during an audition. Years later, a coincidence leads to Melanie's employment in the woman's household, and she finds herself in the perfect position for revenge. Directed by Denis Dercourt, this stylish psychological drama co-stars Pascal Greggory.



Cast

Catherine Frot, Déborah François, Pascal Greggory, Xavier De Guillebon, Christine Citti, Clotilde Mollet, Jacques Bonnaffé



The Page Turner review

Mar 23, 2007



The French have an off-putting approach to some genres—comedies, for example—but they excel at tasteful, well-composed thrillers with nasty cores. The title of Denis Dercourt's The Page Turner refers in part to the way the movie keeps viewers jangled, anxious to see what happens next. It also refers to an actual page-turner: young go-getter Déborah François, who takes a job assisting the husband of famed concert pianist Catherine Frot, and later uses her gamine charms to become Frot's assistant. What Frot doesn't realize is that they've met before. When François was a girl, she auditioned for a conservatory in front of a panel that included Frot, and when Frot signed an autograph mid-recital, she broke François' concentration, inadvertently sabotaging her fledgling career. So whatever François has in mind for Frot, it's not likely to be pleasant.



What makes The Page Turner effective is that nothing about François' plan seems immediately obvious or predictable. Dercourt wrests a lot of tension out of an early sequence in which a nerve-wracked Frot paces the floor before a live radio performance where François could potentially embarrass her publicly. (Even the piece of music Frot's ensemble plays sounds brittle.) But it's just as unnerving when François takes an interest in mentoring Frot's son, who's the same age François was when her dreams were shattered. Then there's the matter of the too-intimate kiss François gives Frot after a performance, bewitching her so thoroughly that she stays loyal even when the page-turner starts messing up.



Like a lot of French thrillers, The Page Turner is a little too neat, and self-consciously vague at the end. But it's fascinating to observe and try to interpret François' mysterious smile as she eyes her boss. As she continues to delay her revenge until just the right moment, does she begin to develop sympathy for Frot, who seems so sweet and human up close? Or is she too focused on righting a cosmic wrong, whatever the toll?