Fauteuils d’orchestre (2006) - film review

Prompted by her grandmother’s recollections, Jessica goes to Paris and finds work as a waitress in a bar frequented by actors and theatre goers.  She meets three people who could not be more different but who are all looking for a new direction in their lives.  Jean-François Lefort is a virtuoso pianist who burns with a newly acquired passion to bring classical music to people who are excluded from the concert halls.  Fred Grumberg is thrown into a mid-life crisis when he learns that his father, Jacques, is about to sell off his art collection so that he can start a new life with a much younger woman.   Catherine Versen is a successful actress who has become a star thanks to a popular television series, but she is desperate to take on more challenging work, on stage and in films.  As luck would have it, the lives of these three people reach a turning point on the same date...

Whilst her work as a director hasn’t yet earned her the acclaim that her screenwriting has, Danièle Thompson certainly knows how to make films that have a wide popular appeal.  Fauteuils d’orchestre has many of the ingredients that will draw enthusiasts of French cinema – its Parisian setting, its themes of love and personal crises, its high calibre cast and its subtle blend of comedy and drama.  The film evokes fond memories of Thompson’s directorial debut film, La Bûche (1999), which many regard as her best work to date.

Fauteuils d’orchestre is an engaging film which has many good points – Cécile De France and Valérie Lemercier being at least two of them – but it isn’t entirely without its failings.  The characters – although well-played – are for the most part unconvincing caricatures, and are not given the time or the space to develop.  The situations are often clichéd and this, together with the unadventurous cinematography and direction, makes the film feel somewhat dated.

Perhaps the biggest failing with this film is that there are just too many story elements, too many ideas that have been thrown together, like vegetables in a food blender, without any regard to structure or narrative thrust.  At the end you are left wondering what the point of the film was and whether any one of its umpteen story strands has been resolved.  If Fauteuils d’orchestre were a dessert it would be something light and fluffy made with a lot of tasty ingredients, one that you would take great pleasure in eating, but one that would leave you hungry and unsatisfied once the plate was empty.

© James Travers 2008

Now here’s a film that captivated me from the start with its beautiful score, scenery, characters – just about everything in it. I was lucky to get this DVD from Amazon.fr with English subtitles.  In summary, Christina, a beautiful girl, comes to Paris to look for a job after her grandmother told her to seek the best out of life.  She gets a job as a waitress in a restaurant that does not hire girls (very funny).  Avenue Montaigne is the place of high society, artists, actors – even Alan Delon? wow! great. This film is not a straight comedy nor is it a very serious drama, but it is a film about real people who love art, life and everything in it. 

Our main character meets with various people – a pianist who is rather burned out or pressured to the life of classical music, a self-made millionaire, his son, a beautiful actress who wants to be taken seriously in the movie industry, a gold-digger lady who wants to marry the art collector and other people.  OK, that said, what makes this movie so appealing?  The cinematography of the City of Lights, the emotional and believable performances by all of the actors, the well thought-out and balanced script (thank you Danièle and son Christopher).  Now the musical score – just plain superb Beethoven Piano Concerto – which one? 

Buy the DVD yourself.  Gilbert Bécaud’s "Je reviens te chercher" and "La Solitude ça n’existe pas" still haunts me every day since I saw the film.  The music of Franz Listz: "Consolation No.3 en re bemol major".  The restaurant scene with the American director and actress is very funny. The truth is that it is difficult to review this film without giving anything away and yet it so beautiful, and will be so on repeated viewings as it hits the spot of music and art lovers every time.  Well maybe I will better my review as I see it again, discovering something new.  A solid 4 stars for the performances, originality, scenery and real people who love life, music, art and of course great films.

© Thanda Makhathini 2008 (South Africa)

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